Overview
The Germantown Station Area Concept (SAC) is centered on SEPTA’s properties at 120-128 East Chelten Avenue and explores how future redevelopment can align with the City of Philadelphia’s plans for the station area, while supporting SEPTA’s Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) goals. The Germantown SAC outlines the site’s opportunities along with a conceptual development strategy. The SAC served as the foundation for a Request for Information (RFI) that was released Summer 2026 and will the basis for a joint development Request for Proposals (RFP). SEPTA is dedicated to a transparent, community-driven process to identify a joint development partner for a long-term property lease.
Timeline
- Station Concept Development: 2024-Early 2025
- Land Entitlements: 2025-2026
- Developer Solicitation & Selection: 2027
- Project Refinement: 2027-2028
- Permitting & Construction: TBD
Building a Best-in-Class Public Transit System
SEPTA’s Five-Year Strategic Plan (PDF) is our guide for transforming SEPTA from a back-to-basics to best-in-class public transit system. Covering fiscal years 2027 through 2031, it serves as a roadmap for daily action with measurable performance indicators and a commitment to transparently report on our progress.
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Features
The vision for Germantown Station promotes transit-oriented development that enhances the Chelten Avenue corridor, provides additional housing options and encourages increased SEPTA ridership. Redeveloping SEPTA’s long-vacant property at 120-128 East Chelten Avenue will create new opportunities in East Germantown. The concept for mixed-use redevelopment offers:
- New housing opportunities
- Expansion of Chelten Avenue’s commercial activity further east
- Stormwater management and new opportunities for public open space
- Improved streetscape
- Dedicated space for SEPTA maintenance, operations and commuter parking
Land Entitlements
In 2025, SEPTA and the City conducted public outreach to advance the Germantown Station Area Concept and a zoning remapping for the station area including SEPTA’s properties. The zoning for 120-128 East Chelten Avenue was proposed to be remapped from CA-1, auto-oriented commercial, to CMX-3, commercial mixed use, to encourage compatible redevelopment with previous planning efforts. Remapping is under consideration as SEPTA gathers additional information including though the RFI. CMX-3 is a floor area ratio (FAR) based zoning district that allows for more height and density through various FAR based bonuses that encourage public art, public space, mixed-income housing and transit improvements. CMX-3’s intent is to allow mid-rise, mixed-use development that is community- and region-serving.
Remapping the Germantown Station area has been recommended multiple times, including in the City of Philadelphia’s Upper Northwest (UNW) District Plan. The UNW District Plan recognizes Germantown Station’s potential in the overall revitalization strategy for Central Germantown, which is the subject of one of the plan’s focus areas. The plan calls for redeveloping vacant and underutilized properties around the station into mixed-use, mid-rise buildings. Changing the zoning from auto-centric low-density to mixed-use and transit-oriented districts is recommended to enable this redevelopment.
Request for Information
SEPTA released a Request for Information (RFI) on June 15, 2026, and that closed on July 10, 2026. The RFI sought additional information from the development community to gauge interest in the site, receive feedback on the housing affordability goal, solicit feedback on the redevelopment concept and better understand the impacts of the existing and proposed site zoning. The RFI responses will help advance the site zoning remapping and inform the joint development Request for Proposals (RFP).
Past Events
March 11, 2025, 4:30-6:30 pm
Germantown Station Area Concept Open House
Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library
68 West Chelten Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19144
Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 5:30-6:45 pm
Germantown Station Area Remapping Community Meeting
Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library
68 West Chelten Ave
Philadelphia, PA 1914
