Morning Headlines: Elkins Estate One Step Closer to Redevelopment

And Destination Maternity is heading to Jersey.

By Shannon Rooney· 8/6/2014, 9:55 a.m.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

The Inquirer’s Jessica Parks has the details on last night’s public meeting in Cheltenham where the township Board of Commissioners approved new zoning to allow the famed Elkins Estate to be turned into a boutique hotel, condos and an arts center. The 4-3 vote in favor of redevelopment surprised those in attendance, whom Parks says spoke uniformly to oppose the new zoning regulations.

Not that that means they’re against the redevelopment, per se.

Brad Pransky, a community activist with expertise in zoning and development, told the commissioners that he liked the proposed reuse, but that “we have rushed this through at a tremendous rate. I think we need to take a beat and look at some of the issues.”

While Parks says many in Cheltenham favor the plans to redevelop the Horace Trumbauer-designed estate because it will produce commercial taxes and preserve two historic buildings, some residents are concerned about the proposed density (reported to be some combination of hotel rooms and/or condos totaling no more than 500 units).

Of course, these things always boil down to parking.