December 16, 2015
A redevelopment project in Ardmore that started in 2008 may finally start construction now that a state court has thrown out the lawsuit that tried to stop it.
As the Philadelphia Business Journal reported, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has dismissed a lawsuit brought on by the Save Ardmore Coalition against the governor of Pennsylvania, the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority and Lower Merion Township.
The lawsuit argued that the government had misappropriated $10.5 million in state redevelopment funds to support a project called One Ardmore Place.
"Lower Merion Township is attempting to divert this obscene amount of taxpayer dollars from the redevelopment of the Ardmore Train Station to instead build an eight story luxury apartment building on the Cricket Lot in Ardmore, PA," SAC's president, Philip Browndeis, wrote in a letter to the editor to the Main Line Times.
Related story: Civic group files suit over Ardmore redevelopment
The project, led by developer Dranoff Properties, aims to upgrade the train station and build apartments, stores and a garage in the area. SAC argued that the redevelopment funds should only have been used for the train station.
However, the judge dismissed their arguments "with prejudice," meaning that the group cannot sue again without substantial changes to their allegations.
Read the full story here.