Proposals are being sought from real estate developers on what to do with five acres of parking at the Ambler Regional Rail Station writes Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza for WHYY.

The station serves the Lansdale/Doylestown line.

“Everybody seems to be in agreement that the use of almost five acres of land [for] just parking is a missed opportunity,” said Kenny Starr, manager of joint real estate development at SEPTA.

The difficulty is that the 500-space parking lot near Ambler’s downtown is zoned as industrial land so for now, a mixed use with homes and businesses could not be built there.

Ambler Borough and the Montgomery County Planning Commission are working on changes to the zoning overlay that would allow more redevelopment options

“Ambler is an older borough and it’s largely built out,” said Glenn Kucher, Ambler’s zoning code enforcement officer.. “The developable land is in and around that train station.”

With fewer riders using the park and ride option these days, SEPTA is looking at how it can turn parking lots with hundreds of spaces into other revenue-generating uses.

SEPTA is planning a long-term ground lease for the parking lot, keeping control of the property with SEPTA.

Read more about the plans for a reimagined Ambler Regional Rail station at WHYY.

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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on MONTCO Today in July 2024.