Cheltenham Township
Main Street Program
Checklist for Starting a Business in Cheltenham Township
Commercial District Enhancement Plan
Business Awards and Cheltenham in Bloom Winners
Main Street Program and Committees
Commercial District Guides are available at the Township Administration Building, libraries and community centers.
A healthy business base is a vital component to the ongoing welfare and vitality of the entire community. Among other things, businesses provide a necessary ballast to reliance on residential taxes.
Committed to enhancing the Township's business community, Cheltenham Township joined the Pennsylvania Main Street Program in 1995 and created the Main Street Manager position to serve as the liaison with business owners and operators. Following the state's guidelines, the next step was to identify the Township's "downtown." Unlike most communities in the program, Cheltenham did not have a single commercial area; instead, officials identified five commercial districts:
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Glenside - Easton Road from Arcadia University north to Mt. Carmel Avenue, and Glenside Avenue between Limekiln Pike and Keswick Avenue, and Rices Mill Road and Glenside Avenue.
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Cheltenham Village - Central and Ryers Avenues between Cottman Avenue and Old Soldiers Road, and Cottman Avenue between Hasbrook Avenue and the Church Road vicinity.
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East Cheltenham Avenue - East Cheltenham Avenue from the SEPTA train tracks to Bell Mawr Road.
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Elkins Park East - High School Road and Montgomery Avenue area.
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Elkins Park West - Old York Road between Township Line Road and Chelten Hills Drive, and Church Road between Brookside Road and the train tracks.
NOTE: A Greater Cheltenham Avenue Business improvement District, which encompasses businesses on both side of Cheltenham Avenue, was established in 2010.
Improving the physical appearance of commercial districts helps draw shoppers and keep and attract businesses in the Township. Therefore, the Township began creating a Commercial District Enhancement Plan (CDEP), the centerpiece of the Township’s economic development effort. Eighteen months, six public meetings and untold hours of study by Township officials and the Economic Development Task Force shaped the plan, which was crafted by land planning consultant Carter van Dyke Associates. The plan not only addresses immediate concerns, such as traffic flow, streetscape enhancement and facade enhancement, but also envisions long-range goals, such as unifying each district under a shared design theme and improving parking options.