The Market for Commercial Development in Lansdowne
History and Background
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Lansdowne is a classic “inner ring suburb”, located six miles west of Center City Philadelphia, and just east of one of the major locations of retail in Delaware County: Springfield Township. A rail line, primarily used for freight, was constructed through Lansdowne in 1855, turning this formerly rural area into an excellent location for industry. In the 1880′s, the Pennsylvania Railroad bought this freight line and added a second track, making Lansdowne an easily reachable place to live and work. By the turn of the century, Lansdowne had become a convenient and accessible home for people working in downtown Philadelphia, and gracious homes designed by well known Philadelphia architects were built in what are now known as the Henry Albertson Subdivision and Lansdowne Park Historic Districts. The majority of the homes in these historic districts were built during the first ten years of the 20th century, and together make up a very attractive and desirable residential community.
The community’s commercial corridors, however, have not fared as well as some of its residential districts. As population growth moved westward from the Borough, so did retailing. The new forms of retailing in the 1970′s and 1980′s required large tracts of land at or near highway interchanges on which one and two story malls could be built, surrounded by parking. Department stores that had previously located in downtowns established branches in these malls, which ultimately exceeded their in-town parent stores in sales. Because retailing is in many ways a faddish and predatory business, many of these older malls have since given way to the 1990′s trends of “big boxes” and “category killers”. These off price stores promise no frills, low priced goods in bland surroundings.
Recently, a new retailing trend has begun to emerge as consumers tire of the interchangeability of malls. The idea of renovating smaller retail areas in older neighborhoods has begun to take hold in a number of communities throughout the United States. Whether it’s called “new urbanism” or simply revitalization, the idea of retrofitting existing downtowns is receiving an increasing amount of attention. In order to take advantage of this new trend toward revitalizing older retail districts, Lansdowne needs to fully understand the context in which it operates. It must capitalize on its assets and address those issues that hinder its revitalization.
In response to the problems in its commercial corridors, and aware of the growing interest in commercial corridors in inner ring suburbs, Lansdowne established the Lansdowne Economic Development Corporation in 1998. The LEDC is a 501c(3) corporation whose mission is to foster economic growth in the community. A major goal of the LEDC has been to develop and implement a comprehensive development strategy to revitalize the community, with a focus on its commercial corridors. To this end, it applied to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to participate in the Main Street Program. With help from State Representative Nicholas Micozzie, it was able to move forward with a Request for Proposal for a consultant to do a market study of the Borough and its commercial corridors. In the summer of 2002, the LEDC asked S. Huffman Associates to undertake this market study and to report back to it with alternative strategies to reach its goal of revitalization of its commercial corridors.
S. Huffman Associates began the market study in the summer of 2002, and completed it in December 2002. During that time the firm was in frequent contact with the LEDC, which played the role of project director. Prior to contracting with S. Huffman Associates, the Corporation participated in several initiatives that laid the groundwork for a comprehensive revitalization strategy. In the fall of 2000, a series of focus groups of Lansdowne residents were conducted by a group of community volunteers with market research and organizational development experience. Nine groups with a total of 55 residents from a variety of backgrounds were held to identify the Borough’s strengths and weaknesses, and to begin to develop a vision for its future. The Corporation also began an inventory of businesses in the commercial corridors, which it made available to SHA. The Lansdowne Business and Professional Association participated by working with the LEDC to mail surveys to their members. Finally, in June 2002, the Corporation conducted a survey of shoppers visiting retail establishments in Lansdowne’s five business districts to elicit consumer opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of Lansdowne’s commercial corridors, and to ask for their opinions on what was needed to improve them. All of this work by the LEDC was invaluable in developing conclusions and recommendations on Lansdowne’s future. The following report, based upon LEDC and SHA research, summarizes S. Huffman Associates findings on Lansdowne’s position within its market area.