Council grants preliminary OK for new Hillcrest buildings
LANSDALE » A new look for a shopping center in Lansdale is one big step closer.
Borough council has granted preliminary approval to plans for two new buildings at the Hillcrest Shopping Center, and developer Trefoil Properties said they’ve already seen an uptick in interest in the center.
“We already have several tenants we’re talking to for in-line space, and a similar amount we’re talking to for the two pad sites that were approved,” said Trefoil Vice President Steve Jaffe.
Starting in November 2016, Trefoil and a team of consultants have made the case to the borough for a revival of the shopping center on the 600 block of East Main Street, which lost a large source of traffic with the closure of a Super Fresh supermarket in 2009, but has seen revived interest in recent years with the opening of the Rebounderz indoor trampoline center in 2015, the arrival of PRISM Brewery last year, and the completion of the North Penn Commons collaborative project next door.
Talks progressed over the eight months since on the proposal that council approved at their July 19 meeting: to build two new freestanding buildings in what are currently parking lots, the one on the eastern side near the shopping center entrance to be surrounded by a drive-through, and the building on the opposite side to be surrounded by new landscaping. As part of the plans, Trefoil has proposed to reconfigure the driveway entrance to the shopping center, and to add more green space along the Main Street frontage — upgrades Jaffe said should combine with a recent repainting of
the exterior to attract more attention.
“You can see we’ve invested in the facade, and adding more green space is part of the approval. That momentum will hopefully attract a tremendous amount of interest,” Jaffe said.
Council voted unanimously to grant preliminary approval, and Trefoil officials have said they plan to use that approval to market the site, and could come back with finalized plans once tenants and their needs are identified. As of July 19, Jaffe said the company is not yet ready to announce any future tenants, but was glad to be working with Lansdale and its officials.
“We’re really happy to be working with the town, and with everyone involved: the planing commission and borough council. They’ve been an absolute pleasure to work with, helping us expand the possibilities there,” he said.