By Ethan Lyne, Staff Editor
Although both Haverford College and Bryn Mawr College are nestled in a suburban community with plenty of amenities and stores nearby, the area lacks shopping options oriented towards the more cost-conscious college students on both campuses. However, this will all change in the next year with the planned construction of a mini-Target on the corner of Ardmore Avenue and Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore.
According to the Lower Merion Township, the preliminary development plan states that this will be a five-story building with two levels for the mini-Target, and the other three levels for 35 condominiums. There will also be an underground parking garage beneath the building. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the projected opening will take place in July 2019 and will be one of eight similar-sized stores in the Philadelphia region that are either open or will be opened by the end of 2019.
Located at the corner of a major artery through the Main Line, Lancaster Avenue, and the road located at the southern edge of the Haverford College Apartments, Ardmore Avenue, the Target will offer a walkable shopping opportunity for both Haverford and Bryn Mawr students that has not existed before. Much of the lot is currently vacant, although it will require the demolishing of a car wash in order to construct the building.
Similar stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond and Home Goods, are located within a fifteen-minute drive of both campuses, but because so many students don’t have cars on campus, the new Target presents a more accessible option for the Bi-Co community.
Although there is a Staples, several pharmacies, and a few grocery stores that students can walk to for a myriad of items, the Target will have much of these items all under the same roof. Additionally, for Haverford students, it will be the closest store to campus that sells groceries. The Target will likely be popular at the start of the school year when first-years and returning students are outfitting their dorms, not to mention for those who live in the apartments.
In an interview, Chris Leswing, Director of the Building and Planning Department for Lower Merion, said that this development follows the comprehensive plan for the township as it “adds quality retail, improves the streetscape, [and creates] low-to medium rise housing.” He also noted that “there’s not that many [residential] units comparatively to other new developments” that are being built around Ardmore.
The store will have many of the same sections you might find at a larger Target, including groceries, beauty items, apparel, a CVS pharmacy, and an online pickup counter, but with around half of the square footage of these larger stores, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
However, not all students think that this will be a huge hit among Haverford students. Cecil Ross HC’20 says, “I’m not totally sure what a nearby small Target will add to the walkable retail market around Haverford. I suspect many students would end up going, out of familiarity with the store, but I certainly don’t see it filling a huge hole in students’ retail experiences.”
There was also some opposition from residents and some members of the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners against this development due to the potential increase in traffic and the large scale of the building. Despite the opposition, the project received approval in November of 2017 from the township government.
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