The Borough of Conshohocken announced on Friday, February 4th that the borough council will vote on a proposed ordinance that would allow for the eminent domain of the Outbound Station property at 2 Harry Street. During the February 2nd meeting, the borough council took the step of voting to advertise the ordinance.

During the February 2nd meeting, the Borough Manager Stephanie Cecco mentioned that the property could be used for a history museum, but that the required public use was not settled. In the text of the proposed ordinance, the public use is described as follows:

The property interest condemned herein shall be for public purpose only,
including, but not necessarily limited to, public open space, parks,
recreation, and public parking.

The property has been owned by Joe and Barbara Collins since 1978 and the building itself is a former train station. They originally had an antique shop in the building and in more recent years it has been a series of cafes.

The couple had no intention of redeveloping the property and in 2021 signed an 18-year lease with The Couch Tomato. The restaurant has locations in Manayunk and West Chester and has a menu featuring gourmet pizzas and salads.

One thing to point out. The property that is being discussed just includes the building. Almost all of the surrounding grass and the parking lot in that area are under different ownership.

You can read the entire proposed ordinance here.

More to come.