Putting the PARK back in Willow Grove Park
The realization came to me after commuting home from Center City and taking the dreary walk (or bike ride) home every evening during the winter of ’09-’10—blizzards included: The Willow Grove shopping district is great! It really put all of my needs (Wawa, Starbucks, bank, J.Crew) and aspirations (Bloomingdale’s, J.Crew) within perfectly easy reach. But, as an engineer and pseudo-real estate developer, I knew the bigger development picture was not being achieved! Even in the face of a drastically changing consumer landscape, I know that Willow Grove can capitalize on its enviable site to become a retail juggernaut and a model of smart growth simultaneously.
To be blunt, retail in America is struggling. As a nation built on consumption, the enclosed shopping mall finds itself particularly vulnerable to such behavioral shifts given its explicit concentration of outlets selling wares intended for, well, consumption. That’s not to say that there aren’t bright spots in the retail sector. Ask retailers like Urban Outfitters, retail-darling-of-the-moment: J.Crew, and even Panera Bread; by creating compelling environments for people to interact and, yes, consume, stores can
create atmospheres where buying the product may not be the sole goal of frequenting the establishment. As developers, many have jumped on the wagon of lifestyle centers or the similar “Mall Plus” hybrid: “…with the addition of entertainment, offices, a hotel, or residences. This new ‘mall plus’ would retain most of the existing mall structure and could allow for design improvements such as open spaces and pedestrian connections between uses” (Malls Into Mainstreets, 11). Mall owner, PREIT, has done such repositioning at other area properties including the Plymouth Meeting Mall and Voorhees. Plymouth Meeting, now anchored by a gargantuan Whole Foods and restaurants, partially demonstrates the new role such centers can serve by catering to a specially curated collection of uses. Most analogous to Willow Grove’s advocated reinterpretation is PREIT’s work at Voorhees Town Center. With apartments, offices, a gym, and shopping, Voorhees’ new identity mixes commercial and social activities, bringing renewed interest to what was a failing and increasingly undesirable property.
To be clear, Willow Grove Park is far from failing as it is still Pennsylvania’s third most profitable mall even in 2010. However, the challenges and argument for preemptively 
repositioning the property, while not unique, are issues that Abington and Upper Moreland townships are already pursuing and is within the property’s best interest inorder to capture the highest value for the site. International economic turmoil notwithstanding, redeveloping suburban malls into legitimate places can be daunting endeavors. Working in the site’s favor is its ability to take full advantage of transit-oriented development (TOD) principles. With several SEPTA bus lines and a commuter rail station, the shopping district has already become a bona fide node of activity that would be a crime to not exploit further.
Fortunately, local government support for the utilization of the area’s desirable demographics has given rise to zoning amendments that buttress infill commercial property development: Exhibits A & B. The current mall’s location is also in line with past successful redevelopment efforts underscoring the theory that reasonable highway access and above average access to public transportation are good candidates for mixed-use developments (Malls Into Mainstreets, 35). Close to the PA Turnpike and served by major arterials and several public transit options, Willow Grove’s site is suitably located to provide even better transit and pedestrian accommodations to enhance its already abundant accessibility.
So what, pray tell, is all this “redevelopment”, “TOD”, “regional amenity” verbiage coming to, you ask? A new vision. A new mall. No, it’s much more than that: a new Willow Grove Park. I advocate giving renewed prominence to the park and creating a lush central green fronting a rediscovered lake. Flanked by what is now Bloomingdale’s and surrounded by eateries, not unlike Rittenhouse Square, Willow Grove Park’s new
central lawn is a showcase of stormwater retention, passive recreation, light commerce, and summer concerts- yes, I’m bringing John Philip Sousa’s spirit back! Imagine generous sidewalks throughout the complex encouraging street activity, socializing, and shopping; pedestrian design that creates a dignified walking route to and from re-designed train and bus stations. Picture the transformation of the utilitarian stormwater detention basin into a beautiful watering hole with bank side picnic tables and gourmet food trucks. This is not simply window dressing on an anachronistic retail experience; the mall as we knew it is dying a slow death, but Willow Grove Park is poised to recover from its near trauma and emerge an authentic destination and, dare I say, a case study on how to create a place once again. In the next post I will explain how.
