MoreThanTheCurve.com recently reported that the Borough of Conshohocken is considering purchasing the former car dealership along the 1100 block of Fayette Street for a unified public safety facility.

The former dealership was part of a decade-long effort by Provco Pineville Fayette to redevelop the property as a Wawa with gas pumps; however, it abandoned the plan in 2021 after Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court found that the zoning amendment passed by the borough council in 2017 was spot zoning.

Since 2021, Provco hasn’t submitted any new zoning applications, land development plans, or publicly spoken about the property. However, we now know which businesses they were trying to bring to Fayette Street.

During a public meeting on June 5th, Ray Sokolowski, who is managing the potential purchase of the dealership on behalf of the borough, stated that the developer had tried to secure Trader Joe’s for a market on the property. Sokolowski continued that the grocer considered the opportunity but declined because it wanted to have a minimum of 100 parking spaces (which wasn’t possible on the property). Another use that was explored was self-storage, however, this wasn’t persued due to the need for zoning relief. Sokolowski is the borough’s executive director of operations/emergency management coordinator.

Conshohocken’s borough council voted in February 2024 to create a zoning overlay that was partially crafted to attract a market to the former dealership. If the grocer is using 100 parking spots as one of its determining factors, it is unlikely that a Trader Joe’s will ever make a home along Fayette Street (unless an entire block gets bulldozed).

However, we now know that Trader Joe’s is interested in Conshohocken. As MoreThanTheCurve.com has reported, BET Investments has made two presentations before Plymouth Township’s council regarding the partial redevelopment of the Conshohocken-Ridge Corporate Center at the intersection of Colwell Lane and Ridge Pike in Conshohocken (Plymouth Township). This unsubmitted plan would involve knocking down three of the five office buildings and replacing them with retail space and apartments above. The retail space is to include a market and is described as one that features its own brand of products. That sounds very much like Trader Joe’s but could also be Sprout’s. Sprouts is a tenant of BET’s Promenade at Upper Dublin in Dresher.

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