A long-vacant corner of Bala Cynwyd is finally getting its shot at a comeback. City Ave District has locked in $1 million through Pennsylvania's Main Street Matters program to rehab the historic building at 202 Bala Avenue and kick off a broader refresh of the corridor.
The cash is set to seed a revolving loan fund that will cover construction and related soft costs, with an eye toward helping small property owners and storefronts get truly shovel-ready. Local leaders say the move could help spark additional mixed-use projects along Bala Avenue and at nearby commercial spots on 54th and 63rd streets.
The award comes out of a statewide Main Street Matters round that steered roughly $17.2 million into 56 projects across Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the program backs building rehabilitation and catalytic projects that strengthen downtowns and commercial corridors. The DCED announcement lists City Ave District among the recipients in the fiscal year 2025 to 2026 funding round.
What the Award Will Fund
In a press release, City Ave District said the $1,000,000 will flow into a Main Street Matters Revolving Loan Fund that supports construction and related soft costs tied to repositioning 202 Bala Avenue as a mixed-use property. The plan calls for a 2,500-square-foot hospitality-focused commercial space at street level, with three residential units above.
The same release connects that rehab to a separate ground-up project at 210–216 Bala Avenue that is expected to deliver more than 80 residential units, roughly 3,000 square feet of retail, 118 parking spaces and a centrally located public plaza. “This investment addresses a highly visible vacancy at the center of Bala Avenue and advances a project that will have meaningful, long-term impact on the corridor,” City Ave District President and CEO Bryan Fenstermaker said in the organization’s statement.
Site History and Prior Plans
The Bala Avenue parcels have been on the redevelopment radar for years. Lower Merion Township planning records show a tentative sketch plan from 2017 for the 206, 210 and 216 Bala Avenue block that outlined a multi-story mixed-use building with street-level retail and roughly the mid-80s in apartment count. The filings underscored why the corridor has long been viewed as a candidate for denser, mixed-use investment.
Those earlier proposals help explain why township officials, developers and the district point to gap-financing tools, such as a revolving loan fund, as key for getting projects off the drawing board and into construction.
Next Steps and Local Backing
Local officials are framing the award as both a direct fix for a prominent vacancy and a way to leverage improvements across the wider commercial strip. The district notes that its Main Street Matters designation also makes it eligible to seek up to $225,000 in additional funding and technical assistance, a benefit State Representative Mary Jo Daley described as “a transformative step in their ongoing revitalization efforts” in the district’s announcement.
The release also thanks state lawmakers who pushed for the award, including Senators Vincent Hughes and Amanda Cappelletti and Representatives Morgan Cephas and Mary Jo Daley.
The $1 million builds on the district's December Main Street designation, which positioned Bala Avenue, 54th Street and 63rd Street to chase competitive funding and technical support. Covered the designation and five-year strategy, that earlier nod laid the groundwork for moves like the new revolving loan fund.
For now, the award represents early-stage financing rather than a green light for construction. District leaders and development partners say they will move through design work, permitting and tenant planning before they are ready to announce a construction timetable.
