SEPTA considering adding residential, retail properties to Ambler Regional Rail’s 5-acre parking lot

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA plans to formally seek proposals from developers to build a mixed-use project on the five-acre parking lot at its Ambler Regional Rail Station.

The 456 parking spaces at the Ambler Regional Rail stop on West Butler Pike aren't used much, said SEPTA's Chief Planning and Strategy Officer Jody Holton.

"It's a large, vacant area. And we could generate more ridership and some revenue for SEPTA if we were able to develop it," Holton told reporters Thursday. "It's an underutilized parking lot today, and off-hours, especially. And even in this post-COVID environment, we're not seeing our parking lots as utilized as they used to be."

On Thursday, the SEPTA Board approved a resolution to request proposals from developers for the Ambler site.

Holton says it’ll most likely be a mix of apartments or condos with ground-floor retail on the site. He says there could also be an office component.

“There's a lot of folks that are looking for smaller office spaces in smaller boroughs but we are leaving that open and letting the community guide the development as well as the market," he said.

Ambler was identified as a candidate for development under SEPTA's Transit Oriented Communities pilot. Similar development is eyed for the Conshohocken Rail Station.

"Obviously Ambler is well-positioned with the way that our Regional Rail goes through there and how walkable that area is," said SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards. "People want to live near SEPTA. They want that convenience. They want that stress-free ride. They want to be mobile, they want to get to where they want to go."

Holton says if all goes well an Ambler development deal could be in place by late spring or early summer 2025.