Bryn Mawr a 'Vibrant' Town, Commissioner Counters

This is Part 2 of a series of articles about the business district in Bryn Mawr.

Earlier this week, I wrote about a longtime Bryn Mawr business owner who said that the town was "dead." The article spawned a lot of comments and reaction, including from Scott Zelov, the Lower Merion commissioner who represents the town.

Contrary to the shop owner's opinion, Bryn Mawr is a "vibant town with a lot going on," Zelov told Bryn Mawr Patch as he waited for a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.

Just a few of the items he cited: an expanded and renovated Ludington Library, which serves 1,000 people daily, 28 new townhomes on Pennsylvania Avenue that sold within a year, a new and expanded Acme, an expanded Bryn Mawr Hospital and a collection of new businesses like Zoe's, *nDulge and Mrs. Marty's Deli. And, of course, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, which has 6,000 members and is one of the largest art house movie theaters in the country.

"I think that's a pretty good list," he said.

Parking has been fingered as a source of problems for the town, but Zelov said that there are a number of small lots, and a main lot, with meters that accept multiple coin currencies, "smart cards" and have a 10-minute free time for those who only need to park for a few minutes.

"Sometimes it's challenging to walk the sidewalks, but the businesses want to be here," he said. Another challenge, he said, are some of the students who live in the downtown area. Most are fine citizens, but some cause problems.

"Students need to be more aware of their impact on a community with families and longtime residents," he said.

As for the business owner's complaints from the first article in this series, Zelov agreed with him that the demands from consumers for services and products change over time. "There are other types of businesses thriving in Bryn Mawr," he said.