When Phil Sapovits talks about revitalization for Collegeville, he doesn’t do so as an outsider. He’s lived there for 17 years, and two other members of his Silverback Investments team are longtime residents of the borough.
“We’re Collegeville residents who are passionate about the vision and passionate about the town,” he says.
That’s especially true for the 400 block of Main Street, where Silverback has purchased half of Chow Bistro, installing a seasonal barbecue stand nearby. Sapovits and his partners also want to put a taphouse near the portion of the Perkiomen Trail that feeds into town. “We’re looking at a beers, bikes and barbecue model,” he says.
Sapovits has spent a lot of time in Vermont, where such approaches are common and quite successful. He’s hoping it will work in Collegeville—and that he can replicate it throughout Pennsylvania, which has plenty of small towns with nearby trails.
“We’re not a school that’s on TV for football. Prospective students should see that we’re part of a vibrant community where they can make friends.”
—Ursinus College President Robyn Hannigan
Sapovits isn’t alone in his hopes for Collegeville. The borough is all in, as evidenced by the planning it’s done over the past few years. So is Ursinus College, whose leadership see a revitalized town as a great way to increase awareness of the small liberal arts school and improve the student experience. “Our goal is to turn Ursinus outward and become a resource for the town,” says Ursinus’ president, Robyn Hannigan. “We want to help make Main Street vibrant. We’re not a school that’s on TV for football. Prospective students should see that we’re part of a vibrant community where they can make friends.”
The partnership between Ursinus and Collegeville took root in 2017—and it aims to follow the pattern that’s prevailed in other towns throughout the region. New business owners and developers are encouraged to convert existing properties into mixed-use concerns that have retail on the bottom and a modest number of residential units above. There will also be increased parking and expanded sidewalks designed to invite foot traffic.
The vibe in a revitalized Collegeville should be different from that of nearby towns like Phoenixville, which has a heavy restaurant and bar vibe, and Skippack, which caters to older residents. It’s a plan designed to be family-friendly—and it has some parameters. For one, buildings can be no more than four stories high. “We want there to be something to do for kids of all ages,” says Cathy Kernen, president of Collegeville’s borough council. “Now, if people want to go to dinner, they have to go to Phoenixville or Skippack. We want there to be things to do in Collegeville so people who live here don’t have to leave.”
Hannigan has been at Ursinus since July 2022, and she understands the value of a walkable downtown. The college has worked with the borough to secure $4.5 million in state and federal grants, consulting on a master plan that’s been vetted by residents. On the Ursinus campus, the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, with its extensive outdoor sculpture garden, is already a draw. During the summer, the college hosts movie nights that are popular with families.
Ursinus’ current enrollment is about 1,500, and Hannigan says the school could comfortably accommodate about 200 more students. She points to Franklin & Marshall University’s partnership with Lancaster, Alvernia University’s relationship with Reading and how Drexel has used its campus to revitalize its corner of University City. “They’re all anchor institutions that have taken their roles seriously as partners with their hometowns—not just as local colleges but as development partners and economic drivers,” Hannigan says.
For its part, the borough has created a Main Street steering committee, which is working with a business development committee to generate ideas for the 400 block. Plans are in place for wider sidewalks, new trees and fire hydrants, crosswalks, and more street parking. “We want an old-fashioned street where people can walk—and lots of events where they can meet up with neighbors,” Kernen says.
Sapovits and his partners are investing their own money for now, and they’re cautiously hopeful that everything will coalesce. “We’re putting our money where our mouth is to improve the town,” he says. “But other pieces have to come together.”
In Narberth, as Tim Rubin embarks on an ambitious spate of apartment and commercial development projects, he’s looking to strike a balance. “I want to bring in new things to the borough without radically changing the culture and vibe,” he says. “Narberth is a special place on the Main Line. It’s set back off Montgomery Avenue and is an old-school town. It has a Mayberry feel to it.”
Rubin references a 20-year national trend that’s become familiar in our region—town centers that provide residents with turnkey lifestyle options practically at their front doors. But unlike endeavors in King of Prussia and Newtown Square that were built from the ground up, Rubin is talking about something more organic. After all, Narberth has been around for more than 125 years.
Rubin was raised on Conway Avenue. His mother grew up in Narberth, and his father was a mailman who used to frequent the Greeks tavern, a local institution since 1922. “My family tree goes back to 1905 here,” he says. “I’m very familiar with old Narberth.”
Though Rubin’s plan isn’t a complete overhaul by any stretch, there’s enough newness to spark concern among veteran “Narbs” like Rob McCallion. “Everybody thinks Narberth is so great, and they want to move to Narberth,” says McCallion, who grew up in the borough and returned in 1995 to raise his family. “But as soon as they get to Narberth, they want to change Narberth. It’s losing its small-town appeal.”
Over the past several years, the business district has lost Mapes 5 & 10, Ricklin’s Hardware, McShea’s Restaurant & Bar and the American Family Market. “The bigger issue is not the construction,” says Todd Bressi, who’s been chair of Narberth’s planning commission for six years. “It’s how does a town that has an old-fashioned downtown retail environment survive when the world is changing?”
“If they’ve lived in Narberth, they think, ‘This is what it is, and it should always be that way.’ That’s not true. Narberth is a town—and towns are living, malleable, changing things.”
—Mayor Andrea Deutsch
Then again, nothing stays the same forever, and Narberth—with its walkability, proximity to great schools and easy rail commute to Philadelphia—has become an increasingly appealing option, especially for young families looking to escape the city. According to Zillow, the average home price in the borough is now $751,336, up 5.5% over the past year. Redfin reports that the seven homes sold there in October 2024 had an average price of $875,000, an increase of 13% since 2023.
Mayor Andrea Deutsch has lived in Narberth since 1997. “Narberth is one thing in people’s minds,” she says. “If they’ve lived there, they think, ‘This is what it is, and it should always be that way.’ That’s not true. Narberth is a town—and towns are living, malleable, changing things.”
Narberth is quaint—it’s classic. “It’s like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” says Emily Stewart, an artist who lives just outside the borough (“Nearberth”). “It’s a come-as-you-are place with hometown pride. It seems like you’re stepping back in time.”
Through her Narberth Public Art effort, Stewart is attempting to “build community through art”—and she embraces its personality. “There’s a small-town aspect you don’t have in a lot of places.”
And if anyone can appreciate that, it’s Rubin. “We have no goal to buy everything in Narberth,” he says. “But we have been in the right place at the right time.”
Rubin’s RIR Management Services is a third-generation concern with a portfolio that includes properties all over the Main Line. For him, the best manifestation of “synergy” in Narberth combines new residential units and retail within the established confines. He references the borough’s “bulletproof demographics” as a big reason why new commercial concerns will thrive, pointing to the local success of the Ohio-based Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, one of 80 locations around the country.
An RIR project planned for the old Ricklin’s spot will have 16 apartments and likely a street-level restaurant. A former Citizens Bank will likely have retail on the ground floor and apartments above. “Developers go through giant strides and huge costs to make things feel authentic—Narberth has that already,” Rubin says. “It has that charm, and we want to preserve that.”
Right now, Narberth’s population is about 4,300, down from around 5,000 in the 1970s and ’80s. There’s definitely room for new residents—and rest assured businesses will welcome them. A realtor and 25-year borough resident, Ed Ridgeway has been the head of the Narberth Business Association for more than a decade. To him, it’s not about buildings. “It’s about the people,” he says. “I’m very optimistic about the changes.”
Ridgeway references the vibrancy of nearby Ardmore and its luxury apartment boom. “Every step of the way, people were complaining and criticizing every move, but it’s a great place to be and there are plenty of things to do,” he says. “You can’t please everybody.”
Now in his third year as president of the Narberth Council, Fred Bush is thinking less about upcoming construction headaches and more about the finished product. “I realize that people miss the businesses,” says Bush, who’s lived in Narberth since 2016. “But some of the one-story buildings are in poor condition. I’m looking forward to the new businesses coming in.”
Bressi and the rest of the planning commission don’t have the authority to approve or deny anything that’s been proposed for Narberth, but he is worried about what the borough will look like in a few years. “People are concerned about the changes in the retail landscape,” he says. “Nobody is happy that many of the anchor stores have disappeared in recent years. There’s a concern about how the new businesses will change the character of the town.”
On the residential side, the Narberth council has succeeded in gaining historical status for many houses, limiting renovations. But not every home qualifies. “We’re seeing small bungalows replaced by big houses,” Bressi says. “That’s a hard thing for a small borough to manage.”
McCallion is more direct. “It used to be a down-to-earth place,” he says. “It isn’t as much anymore.”
Ridgeway begs to differ. “If your mindset is that Narberth used to be great and now it’s not great anymore, you’re totally wrong,” he says. “You’re trapped in the old idea that there was a perfect time. You want to preserve that in amber.”
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