BID Newsletter (pdf)
Cheltenham Township Ordinance Creating the Greater Cheltenham Avenue Business Improvement District (pdf)
Cheltenham Avenue between Easton Road and Old York Road contains some of the densest concentrations of retail businesses in the area. However, the area has been slow to attract new high-quality retailers. Obstacles include poor conditions in the public environment and pedestrian safety concerns. Because the avenue straddles Cheltenham Township and the City of Philadelphia, the two have partnered in a three-phase project to improve this prime commercial corridor.
Phase 1
Phase 1 produced in-depth recommendations to address the physical issues and create uniform land development and zoning controls along the corridor. The overall concept behind the plan is to improve and expand commercial uses along the avenue in order to create a series of vibrant retail destinations that attract high-quality investment and better serve the area's diverse market. To achieve this goal, the plan outlines the following strategies:
· Focus investment at key areas along the corridor where the largest concentrations of commercial uses already exist.
· Connect the two sides of the avenue at these key areas so that City and Township commercial corridors mutually benefit.
· Densify these key areas by encouraging infill development of oversized parking lots and redevelopment of underutilized properties. Encourage mixed-use development where possible.
· Weave transit and pedestrian facilities intimately into the key areas.
· Beautify the avenue with landscaping and streetscaping, while tidying up the visual chaos that currently exists. Implement these improvements along the length of Cheltenham Avenue.
· Establish a uniform public and private signage style to create a sense of “place.”
A $100,000 Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) grant funded Phase 1. The full plan is available on the Township’s website (see left).
Phases 2 & 3
Phase 2 examined the potential for a special services district along the avenue. In January 2006, Cheltenham received a $101,200 PA DCED grant to fund a feasibility study, which answered the following questions:
· What improvements and services, such as security, promotions or marketing, are most important to providing the kind of shopping district the community wants?
· What are property owners in the district willing to pay for those improvements/services over a five- or ten-year period?
· How will the costs be shared?
· What boundaries should define the district?
· How will the district be run?
A steering committee including business leaders and nearby residents met with a consultant team to answer these questions and determine the feasibility of a special services district along the avenue.
Finally, in Phase 3, which also fell under the second state grant, the consultant team expanded the study area to nearby retail centers to recommend similar improvements to promote revitalization.
In October 2007, the Greater Cheltenham Avenue Business Improvement District, Inc., a non-profit board consisting of nine local business people, was formed. The Cheltenham Board of Commissioners adopted a BID ordinance in December 2007, while Philadelphia expects to adopt its ordinance in mid 2008. If officially approved, the BID board would hire an executive director to begin BID operations soon after.