Swarthmore Borough Council approved 6-1 Monday a five-story $30 million condominium complex in the town center, despite strong opposition from some residents, writes Kevi Riordan for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The 30-unit complex will be across from the borough hall and library at 110 Park Ave. and is expected to open in 2025. It will include a parking garage.
“We are very appreciative of all of the support we’ve received and especially appreciative of borough council’s thorough and professional approach throughout the whole process,” developer Bill Cumby Jr. said in an email.
Cumby and his son Bill III are among the partners developing the condominiums.
Two vintage residential and commercial buildings will be demolished in the process, and the back portion of another building taken down.
Some residents believe the development will lead to traffic and pedestrian safety problems, and that the larger size and scale of the project would hurt Swarthmore’s historic small-town ambiance.
“I am heartsick over this travesty,” longtime Swarthmore resident Alison Manaker said in an email. “The development … will benefit a handful at the expense of everyone else
Those favoring the condominiums say it will boost the underutilized commercial district.
Read more about the approval of new condominiums in Swarthmore’s town center in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
