Collegeville Revitalization Notebook, April 2024

Collegeville’s Draft Main Street Plan

Draft Plan Available for Review

On March 20^th, Borough residents and members of the Ursinus College community attended meetings on the Ursinus campus to review and comment on a draft plan for the 400 block of Collegeville Borough’s Main Street. The meetings, which were also available via Zoom, were attended by over 100 people.

If you were unable to attend the meetings, an overview was provided in our March 7 post Collegeville’s Main Street Plan is Awaiting Your Input, or you can watch the Zoom recording on YouTube.

Borough Provides an Issues FAQ

At the meeting, a number of questions were asked by residents about both the plans for Main Street and other issues in the Borough. Borough officials have prepared an FAQ of these topics for more complete answers to the major questions. 

Main Street Plan Survey

After viewing the Borough’s Draft Plan and its preliminary renderings (above), it is important that we get your input and ideas on the sidewalks, streetscapes, parking, buildings, and businesses for the 400 block of Main Street. Use the links below to:

• Take the Collegeville Revitalization survey, or
• Email your ideas, thoughts and comments to Collegeville Borough at any time.

Your input will help us add to the revitalization plan.

Next Steps for the Plan

The Borough will schedule a final presentation of the plan for Borough residents again in June. The final plan will also be available on the borough’s website, and disseminated through newsletters and social media platforms. 

Once everyone’s input is added to the Main Street draft plan, the plan will be reviewed by the Borough’s Planning Commission for changes to the zoning, and then sent to the Borough Council for their review and approval. 

Main Street Investors Present Their Vision

The Borough and College are fortunate that Silverback Investment Partners, a locally owned and operated investment group (comprised of three Borough residents and one Buck’s County resident) have participated in the Main Street Planning Process as members of the Main Street Steering Committee.

The Silverback Investors have been meeting with Ursinus College, the students, and Collegeville Borough. They have also been researching business concepts, making contacts with businesses, and preparing to recruit businesses to our Main Street over the past year.

Silverback General Partner Phil Sapovits describes their vision for the 400 block as “based on our own experiences in capturing a local connection to the outdoors.” Their target customers for our Main Street are families with children of all ages and the Ursinus faculty, staff and student community, as well as trail visitors. They are planning that the businesses they recruit will also be dog friendly.

“We don’t want a Phoenixville, we don’t want a Skippack, we want a (downtown that reflects) Collegeville”

Phil Sapovits, Partner, Silverback Investment Partners, LLC

Central to their business concept is creating a connection to the Perkiomen Trail at Rt. 29 through Bum Hollow (the ravine behind the Collegeville Arms apartments (map it)) so that bikers and hikers could conveniently take the trail up to the new businesses on the 400 block of Main Street. Trail entrances would be on E. Fifth Ave. and Clamer Ave.

Silverback is proposing creating new businesses in six 400 block College-owned buildings from Sabre’s Jewelry through Vince Raffeo’s former properties up to 476 E. Main St., where the CEDC’s offices are located. Their concepts include: 

• A café by day and tasting room by night in the former Sunshine Nails
• An organic distillery in a garage behind one of the buildings
• An outdoor take-out BBQ on the Chow Bistro side porch
• A tavern with PA craft beer

They also include:

• A music venue
• Bike rentals
• A creamery selling ice cream and coffee
• A mercantile “general store “concept with an arts studio and artisan, PA and local crafts and unique items.

Outdoor areas near the new businesses would remain as grassy enclaves for outdoor drinking and dining at picnic tables. There would also be outdoor games, such as cornhole.

Proposed Timing for Store Openings

First to open this summer would be “The Penn & Ink Café” in the former Sunshine Nail space next to Chow Bistro. The name is a takeoff on Vince Raffeo’s former “Pen and Ink Café” from years ago, combined with “Penn” standing for Pennsylvania.

This fall, Silverback hopes to open the mercantile store with the artisan’s studio, selling local and Pennsylvania merchandise and popular items for residents and students. Later in the year, they hope to open the “Bums’ Hollow Taphouse” with craft beer and possibly the “Trailside Music Hall.”

Timings of course, are subject to change. Stay tuned for more Collegeville Main Street news!

Demolition of Flood Damaged Homes Begins

Following the disastrous flood from Hurricane Ida in 2021, Collegeville Borough applied for and received FEMA grants to buy the flood-damaged properties from the homeowners along both E. and W. sides of First Ave. along the Perkiomen Creek.

The properties on W. First Ave. are now being demolished by contractors hired by the Borough (photo gallery below). Demolition will continue until all the impervious surface is removed, likely until the end of May. Once the demolition is completed, the area will be graded and seeded, and the entire block-long area will be incorporated as open space into Collegeville Borough’s creekside park for everyone to enjoy. 

Heavy equipment is currently operating in the area, and individuals who have a need to travel to the area are advised to exercise extreme caution and stay far away from all workmen and equipment. 

FEMA requires that when properties are acquired through their assistance, that the land must be dedicated and maintained in perpetuity as compatible with open space for the conservation of natural floodplain functions. These compatible open space uses include as parks for outdoor recreational activities, wetlands management and natural reserves, cultivation, grazing, camping (with some safety-related exceptions) and unimproved, unpaved parking lots. FEMA can also allow other uses that they determine to be compatible with open space, as long as these uses conserve the natural floodplain function.

Parks Committee Survey

The borough will be developing a plan for the entire creekside park and intends to apply for grants for funding. Residents with ideas on how the creekside park—as well as Collegeville’s other parks—Community Park, Waterworks Park, and Hunsberger Woods—might be developed are invited to fill out the Borough’s Parks Committee’s park survey.

Home Demolition Gallery

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Created in January 2018, the Borough of Collegeville Business Development Committee oversees economic development and business recruitment in the borough. It is made up of volunteers from the borough and administered by a Borough Council member.