SEPTA considering mixed-use development next to Conshohocken rail station

Regional rail train stopped at station
Photo credit John McDevitt/KYW Newsradio

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA is examining its options for developing a parcel of land next to its newly opened Regional Rail station in Conshohocken.

Over the summer, SEPTA scrapped plans for a park-and-ride garage on the 6.5-acre site in Conshohocken after getting public pushback that a garage wasn't the best use for the land.

Now, SEPTA is working with Conshohocken to draw up an agreement for a mixed-use transit-oriented project that could include parking and housing near the new station, says SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards.

"There's a lot of active interest by various groups,” Richards said. “We are working alongside Conshohocken Borough to finalize an MOU, and we're very close to that being signed."

SEPTA put out a request for information in October for developers to propose ideas.

Connor Descheemaker, the coalition manager with the advocacy group Transit Forward, is all for SEPTA reconsidering a single-use parking garage, as they believe “a single-use garage wouldn't have attracted riders the way a mixed-use project would.”

"We're excited to see that this could be a paradigm shift for the way that SEPTA develops its land in and around Regional Rail stations," Descheemaker said.

The deadline for information was Friday. Richards says after gathering the input, SEPTA will seek formal proposals for the property.

Featured Image Photo Credit: John McDevitt/KYW Newsradio