Mall Redevelopment to Break Ground in Bala Cynwyd

Rendering by Bernardon

Federal Realty Investment Trust is set to begin construction on a six-story, 217-unit apartment complex at the Bala Cynwyd on City Avenue shopping center.

Lord & Taylor closed its department store in January 2021 and vacated the two-story, 120,000-square-foot building, giving Federal Realty an opportunity to demolish that building and add more apartments at the retail center.

Rendering by Bernardon

The 69-year-old retail destination, previously known as the Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center, underwent an $8 million rebrand last year. The upcoming project, designed and permitted by Bohler’s Philadelphia team, is expected to be completed by summer 2026 and will include 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and a two-level parking garage. The retail space is anticipated to feature multiple tenants, including eateries and service retailers such as banks, dry cleaners, and small fitness boutiques.

See related: outside the [big] box tips for filling vacant retail space

The shopping center’s current tenants include Acme, Michaels, L.A. Fitness, Olive Garden, Five Guys, and Honeygrow. Federal Realty’s property is located about a mile from I-76 and a mere half-mile from the Bala SEPTA regional rail station. The addition of more residential to commercial properties is consistent with similar projects planned or developed by Federal Realty elsewhere, including Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, Darien, Connecticut, Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC.

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Rendering by Bernardon