With many more apartments being added along City Avenue, business leaders have developed a new plan for the car-centric corridor that would turn it into a diverse shopping, dining, and entertainment district, writes Paul Schwedelson for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The 3-mile stretch located on the border between Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township is now home mostly to parking lots, office buildings, and strip malls. However, the City Avenue District‘s new master plan envisions transforming it into a walkable district with seamless connections.

The plan was presented to the Lower Merion Township’s Building and Planning Committee last week. It calls for the addition of more diverse retail tenants to make the area a more vibrant destination.

The key, according to MSC Principal Douglas Green, is ensuring that the retail space being constructed matches tenant demand. That way, national brands that are expanding quickly can find space that works for them in Bala Cynwyd.

“It’s about creating projects and real estate that forecasts demand such that these tenants sitting on the sideline can find real estate that meets needs not purely on a square footage basis,” said Green.

Read more about the City Avenue master plan that envisions a diverse shopping, dining, and entertainment district in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

______