The Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Philadelphia is recruiting Cheltenham Township residents to serve on a two-day Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) October 8 and 9.
According to the announcement, the nonprofit Cheltenham Community Development (CCD) is “seeking expert guidance to move from concept to coordinated implementation.”
From the announcement:
The Township is served by multiple SEPTA Regional Rail stations on the Lansdale/Doylestown line, including the Elkins Park and Glenside stations — two high-frequency commuter rail nodes that connect residents to Center City Philadelphia in under 30 minutes.
Despite this exceptional transit access, the land use context surrounding these stations has remained largely underdeveloped relative to its potential. Surface parking, auto-oriented retail, and aging commercial stock continue to characterize the immediate station areas, even as regional demand for walkable, transit-proximate housing and services has grown substantially. Cheltenham Community Development has identified these two station areas as the highest-priority corridors for catalytic, transit-oriented development.
The primary study area encompasses a half-mile radius from Elkins Park Station and Glenside Station.
The CCD is asking the panel to address the following four questions:
- What is the appropriate scale, density, product type, and mix of uses for transit-oriented development within the Elkins Park and Glenside station areas, given current and near-term market conditions in the Philadelphia suburban submarket?
- What regulatory and financial tools — including MU1 rezoning, LERTA designation, reduced parking minimums, and public realm investment — should Cheltenham prioritize to catalyze TOD while maintaining and growing community support?
- What is the projected fiscal impact of mixed-use TOD in the Elkins Park and Glenside corridors on Cheltenham Township and the Cheltenham School District, and how should the CDC frame this impact to build durable political support for incentive programs?
- How should Cheltenham CDC and the Township structure a replicable TOD framework — beginning with Elkins Park and Glenside — that can be applied to other SEPTA station areas within the municipality, and what are the highest-priority near-term implementation steps?
Panelists are expected to review extensive briefing materials, join conference calls, participate in stakeholder interviews, make recommendations, and present findings.
Applications are due by Wednesday, August 26. To apply, you can click here.
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