On Wayne’s Restaurant Row, a high-stakes rebuild – and a year (or more) of disruption

If you think North Wayne Avenue – Wayne’s unofficial Restaurant Row – is busy now, take a look at what’s on the drawing board.

Blueprints moving through Radnor Township’s approval process would reshape the heart of the street, replacing two century-old buildings with a three-story mixed-use project – and forcing a temporary shutdown of one of its most popular destinations.

The proposal, by Malvern homebuilder, entrepreneur and Compass Realtor Joe Smogard, calls for demolishing 118 and 120 N. Wayne Ave.— home to live music venue 118 North and the now-vacant Omega Dry Cleaners – and constructing a new building with ground-floor retail, second-floor offices, and four one-bedroom, luxury apartments with rooftop decks and a green roof above.

If approved, this would be the first ground-up infill redevelopment on North Wayne Avenue – and likely not the last. Radnor’s comprehensive plan encourages precisely this kind of dense, retail-plus-residential, transit-oriented development in downtown Wayne.

But first comes the disruption.

118 North goes dark – temporarily

118 North, the live music venue, restaurant and bar that opened in 2018 and quickly became a local staple, would close for at least a year during demolition and construction—possibly longer.

Smogard insists it will return.

He says he has extended the venue’s lease “until it’s done” and plans to build out a slightly smaller, purpose-designed space for 118 North on the new building’s first floor.

“If anyone can return [118 North’s] business and performers like it was never closed, it is Ken Kearns,” Smogard says.

Kearns – a key partner in 118 North – is a familiar force around town: founder and producer of the annual Wayne Music Festival, president of the Wayne Business Association, and a partner in Ardmore Music Hall, Villanova’s Refectory and other ventures.

A ‘passion project’ – with a personal footprint

Smogard, who paid $2.3 million for the properties two years ago, calls the project a long-term investment in Wayne—and in himself.

“This isn’t a money-making project for me; it’s a passion project,” he says. “I love the area and bought the buildings so I can put all of my businesses in downtown Wayne.”

He also envisions “another passion project” at street level: an arts-and-antiques shop showcasing local artists alongside curated vintage pieces.

The plan could clear a key hurdle as soon as this week, with a “preliminary/final” application before the Radnor Planning Commission Monday night. The planning board has been scrutinizing the proposal for more than a year.

Several steps remain: zoning variances and a final greenlight from Radnor commissioners.

While township code allows three stories on North Wayne Avenue, the project requires variances for such issues as parking, loading, stormwater management, buffering from neighboring properties, and access via a narrow rear alley. At least two have been granted so far.

Smogard estimates it could be another year or more before construction begins.

‘A lot of pain before it gets better’

For neighboring businesses, the timeline – and the scale of the work – is the real concern.

Reactions range from reluctant resignation to outright alarm.

“It’s really going to disrupt the businesses on North Wayne,” says Chris Todd, whose restaurant and bar has been a neighborhood fixture for 25 years. “Growth is important to the town—but how painful is this going to be?”

Next door, Main Point Books owner Cathy Fiebach is bracing for the practical realities: blocked sidewalks, lost parking, and construction racket reverberating inside her store. She also fears unforeseen water seepage, dust and debris damaging books.

“Parking is tight enough around here,” she says. “I assume we’re going to survive it. But there’s going to be a lot of pain before it gets better.”

At the Tiger Shop, proprietor Dave Abraham worries about what heavy construction could mean for his 100-year-old building – and for business.

“This isn’t a light renovation,” says Abraham, who has owned the men’s clothier for 56 years. “They’re tearing down two buildings in the middle of the busiest street in Wayne. It’s going to be extremely disruptive.”

He predicts months of cranes, dumpsters, noise and a dozen lost parking spaces — along with the potential for unforeseen structural impacts to neighboring properties.

Parking, pressure—and existential fears

For neighboring restaurant owners, the stakes feel even higher.

“It’s going to be a disaster and an eyesore,” says Andy Dickerson, a partner in Teresa’s Café and Teresa’s Next Door. “I know progress has to happen, but it’s not going to go nearly as smoothly as they’re pitching.”

Dickerson fears construction could gut lunch business across the block and and raises the possibility of not renewing his lease. “This could shutter us.”

Like others, he points to Wayne’s already strained parking situation.

“Ask any resident — they hate parking in Wayne,” he says.

That concern is echoed by Michael Coppola, second-generation owner of Paolo’s Cucina, a 30-year staple on the avenue.

He and other merchants are adamant that residents of the new apartments – who would each get a parking space behind the building – will be regularly blocked in by trash trucks, deliveries and staffers who park there. “Buyer beware,” he says. Several businesses have long shared the already tight rear lot which is accessed only by a single-lane alley.

“You can’t keep piling more businesses in here without addressing parking,” Coppola says. He also questions whether the apartments make sense, suggesting the project could work without them.

“Wayne has a parking problem—a severe one,” he says.

A test case for Wayne’s future?

Some business owners see the project as more than a single redevelopment – they see it as precedent.

“This may be a test case,” Abraham says, wondering whether similar proposals will follow and the street will lose its historic charm.

For Smogard, the pushback is understandable – but manageable.

“Change is scary and North Wayne Avenue doesn’t see much change,” he says.

He insists he’s committed to minimizing disruption and investing in a high-quality build.

“When you have a big corporate developer who doesn’t care about the area, they’re looking for the cheapest way to maximize profit,” he says. “That’s not who I am.”

Smogard says he plans to be working – and building – on the Main Line for decades.

“This is a community I plan to be part of for a very long time,” he says.

If approved – and the tea leaves suggest that’s likely – the project promises (for good or ill ) a more modern, denser version of Wayne’s most vibrant block.

But first, the town will have to endure something new: A full-scale teardown in the middle of Restaurant Row.

***EDITOR’S UPDATE: Radnor Planning Commission unanimously granted preliminary approval to the proposed 118-120 North redevelopment plan Monday night, the first step in the township’s multi-step review and approval process. Residents and merchants who attended the meeting and questioned the plan were advised to participate in a Vision for Wayne, the current master plan update which welcomes public feedback on zoning in the business district.***