In Ardmore, a Longtime Parking Lot is Being Transformed Into Greenspace

by KYW's Pat Loeb

Construction has begun on a new park in Ardmore (Montgomery County), Pa. that puts a new twist on an old theme.

(Joni Mitchell, singing:)  "They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot!"

Forget that old formula, says Lower Merion commissioner Scott Zelov:

"Today we are unpaving a parking lot and making it paradise!"

Yes, the soon-to-be Linwood Park has been, for many years, a parking lot. The Christian Science church across the street which owned it decided to sell it, and neighbor Wallace McLean feared it would become dense housing:

"I made the suggestion we use the (township's) greening fund, because this is the last open space in Ardmore village. So it was just great to see it happen."

At the recent groundbreaking, Commissioner Zelov (wearing light-colored jacket in photo) said the township was also able to get county and federal funds for the project:

"Everybody's going to forget that it was a parking lot when it becomes a beautiful neighborhood park for families and kids."

And neighbor Shelley Vado is thrilled:

"It's something that's always been a little bit of an eyesore -- just a plain parking lot -- and we're excited to see a beautiful park."

(Photo by KYW's Pat Loeb)