TNT Diner Tumbles For New Hatboro Apartments

HATBORO, PA —First the old CVS property was demolished for a new apartment project. And now the old TNT Diner is gone.

The old diner was demolished this week as construction crews clear the way for the borough's second apartment complex planned under its mixed-used Town Center ordinance.

Down York Road, the former CVS property —once an eyesore for over a decade —is now a structure towering over the downtown business district as residents will fill apartment units with a retailer on the first floor.

This week, on The Real Voices of Hatboro Facebook community page, some wondered just what was going on at the old diner.

The parcel at 21-23 and 37 N. York Road calls for 102 residential apartments and 4,732 square feet of first-floor retail/commercial/office use space.

Some posters are thrilled that Hatboro is taking these bold steps to remake the downtown district image and draw more foot traffic to support local businesses.

"I think it will be an exciting change for the borough," one poster said. "More people bring in more potential customers. A higher volume of potential customers makes the borough a more desirable place to start unique businesses. I think the borough is in a growing spurt," one poster said.

Some posters, though, are complaining on that page —and other Facebook borough community pages —about the borough being buried by apartments.

"They are ruining the suburbs," one poster said.

Others have stated at public meetings that the apartment projects will wipe out the borough's small-town character.

The old diner property is the second that came before the Hatboro Borough Council under its Town Center Ordinance, which allows for mixed-use residential and retail development.

The developer has proposed a three-story building featuring 102 residential units, 4,732 square feet of first-floor retail space, and 3,142 square feet of a first-floor amenity area that would only be for those living in the apartments.

In its revised plans, the developer presented the planning commission with three new artist renderings that fit the borough's historical "look."