New Norristown development plans that will bring businesses and residential properties to a marquee Main Street complex were presented by Spartan Drywall owner Dominic Truelove to the Norristown Municipal Council, writes Rachel Ravina for the Times Herald.

What was Baer’s Home Furnishings at 118-120 E Main St., acquired by Mill City Properties in March 2019, is now proposed to become a complex that includes an eSports facility, a sports bar and brewpub, a rooftop bar, a yoga studio, a barbeque restaurant, a bike shop as well as 15 affordable studio apartments.

Many of the local leaders that attended the presentation seemed show approval of the proposed plans. The development is expected to create jobs, as the sports bar and brewpub will be seeking employees, and maintenance and cleaning will be contracted out to local workers.

“You made it a prime effort not just to open up business here, but you’re including long-time business owners and residents to work and to manage what’s going on here,” Councilman Hakim Jones said.

Truelove estimates that the studio apartments will range from $700 to $1000 a month, perfect for a single person or a couple, or an adult and a child.

“It’s extremely important what you guys are emphasizing is that when communities like Norristown change, and communities like Conshohocken and Phoenixville, the first thing that happens is that people are either forced out or they can’t afford to be here,” said Jones.

Read more about the proposed Downtown Norristown development here.