Collegeville Revitalization Notebook, October 2019

Collegeville Borough Council

At its September meeting, Collegeville Borough Council approved a motion to fund a planning contract with the Montgomery County Planning Commission. The motion was for the Borough Finance Committee to include a line-item of $12,000 to $15,000 in the 2020 Collegeville Borough budget for the contract.

The contract will enable us to work with the county to update our Comprehensive Plan. Municipalities in Pennsylvania are required to update their Comprehensive Plan every 10 years, and our plan was written in 1971.

The contract can also provide us with needed information for our Main Street revitalization, such as a Main Street Plan, parking studies, a review of our commercial zoning, or design studies. The action was recommended by the Businesses Development Committee at their August meeting. The borough, like other Montgomery County communities, maintained such a contract for years since its inception, but let it lapse a few years ago.

This request for funding still needs final approval with the 2020 budget at the Council’s November meeting.

Council also voted to approve the creation of a Creekside Park on Borough-owned land on First Ave., just below Second Ave. across from the Collegeville Shopping Center. With a planning contract, the county Planning Commission can help us design the park and to apply for grants to develop it.

Collegeville Borough Planning Commission

At its September 19, 2019 meeting, the Collegeville Borough Planning Commission granted final approval to the Royal Farms land development at Main Street and Rt 29. The development includes the realignment of Rt 29, mitigating one of the regions most congested intersections. See our article Royal Farms Land Development Promises an End to the Dogleg.

Borough Council approved the final plan at the Wednesday, October 2nd meeting.

Ongoing Communications Outreach

In an effort to gain greater news and information outreach, the Borough and the CEDC are both working to promote sign ups for their respective newsletters. Business Development Committee member Lynne Rodenbough has now distributed flyers to all the Borough households that she could access with signup information. You can sign up for our newsletter using the form in the sidebar. Follow this link to sign up for the Borough of Collegeville newsletter.

Restaurant Updates

Three new restaurants continue their preparations to open in Collegeville Borough:

• Steel City Coffeehouse and Brewery – Steel City is still on track to open their brewery and tasting room this fall in the garage behind 424 E. Main St. Their restaurant is expected to open in April, 2020.
• Pho Mai Vietnamese Restaurant – Pho Mai’s opening in the Collegeville Shopping Center has been delayed until later this fall due to ongoing construction delays. Pho Mai will likely not open until November.
• Troubles End Brewing – Troubles End’s opening in Collegeville Station has also been delayed. Troubles End is working with the Borough on the approvals they need and hopes to open before the end of 2019.

On the Ursinus Campus

Business Expo

Local businesses can reach students, faculty and staff directly through a Business Expo on the Ursinus Campus. This event gives Collegeville businesses the opportunity to promote their businesses to the campus community. It is hoped that this will become an annual event.

• When: October 16, 10:30am-1:30pm (rain date October 23)
• Where: Olin Plaza

Ursinus College Local Business Expo 2019 sign up form.

U-Imagine Center Research

The Ursinus U-Imagine Center is researching the types of businesses, services, entertainment and other qualities that have contributed to the success of the “50 Best College Towns in America.” The Business Development Committee is looking forward to the results of their research, which could help us determine the best types of businesses to attract to our Main Street.

The Commons

Ursinus College’s new Commons remains on track for a 2020 opening. The new cafe, bookstore and Admissions Office, which will be built adjacent to the historic red-brick Keigwin Hall, will be open to the community along with faculty, staff, students and alumni. The plans, which also include construction of a new, wide brick entranceway at the site of the current driveway from Main St., are expected to be reviewed by the Borough’s Planning Commission at their October meeting and by Council at their November meeting.

Business Development Committee

Request for Retail and Restaurant Marketplace Data

Steve Barth of Barth Consulting Group requested that the Montgomery County Planning Commission provide the Business Development Committee with Collegeville’s Esri’s retail and restaurant marketplace data. This data will provide us with a comparison between retail sales and consumer spending by industry and a measurement of the gap between supply and demand—which will help us determine the types of businesses that are most needed by area residents.

Latest on Parking

Parking was also discussed (again). Suggestions for creating additional parking for Main Street businesses between 4th and 5th Avenues Include:

• Amending the Borough’s parking ordinance so that on-street parking can be counted towards spaces needed for businesses.
• If needed, amend the Borough’s parking ordinance to increase the distance for shared lots from 400 to 1,000 feet, or eliminate the distance requirement from the ordinance.
• Request that the borough allow public parking on the Borough Hall lot when it is not needed for Borough, Police, or Fire Co. business.
• Look into whether land could be subdivided and bought to create additional public lots, and to whether costs could be recouped over time through parking fees.

CEDC Sign Damaged

Overnight on Monday, September 23, something crashed into the sign located out front of the CEDC office on Collegeville’s Main Street. The sign, a board with our name and bridge logo, and attached at the edges to posts, split vertically in the middle and burst open like a saloon door. Police are investigating but have no clues at this time.

During an inspection of the damage, a resident calling himself Old Bob came by with his opinion. “A satellite fell from the sky and landed in the front yard of the Berman Museum this summer. I’ll bet another’n fell and crashed through yer sign too.” After pointing out that there was no satellite debris on the ground nearby, Old Bob further opined “Probably bounced here, flew over the town and landed in the crick. Yup. It’s in the crick. I’ll betcha.”

Knowing that no one would possibly want to vandalize our sign, we’re going with Old Bob’s version of the story.

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.