As Penn's campus plans its expansion eastward, many area businesses are bracing for change.
The University is formulating plans for its recent purchase of 24 acres of land east of campus from the U.S. Postal Service.
These plans, however, will not be implemented until a year or two after the acquisition is complete in 2007. Development of the area is expected to take approximately 25 years, according to Senior Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Omar Blaik.
The $50.6 million purchase could be home to many new residential and academic buildings, as well as retail venues.
Though existing businesses will become enclosed by the Penn community, rather than laying on its periphery, Blaik said their relationship with the University will not officially change.
"The distinction of on-campus and off-campus has been blurred over the past few years," he said.
Intermezzo Cafe and Lounge, located at 3131 Walnut St., expects the expansion will make students feel more safe about venturing beyond the current center of campus, bringing more foot traffic to businesses located at the fringe.
"Among undergraduates, there are a lot of warnings against going too far off campus," Cafe manager Jeremy Taitelbaum said. "The bigger the boundaries of the campus, the better for us."
Michael Caro, co-owner of the Walnut Bridge Coffee House, located at 2319 Walnut St., agrees that the area will see more undergraduates "either coming or going" to and from the new buildings -- and hopefully popping into his coffee shop for a quick shot of caffeine.
And though about half of his customers are affiliated with the University, they are largely graduate students or professors.
"We joke that we have [many graduate] students feverishly writing the papers and professors feverishly grading the papers, sometimes at the same time," he said.
Blaik said as new venues open on the postal lands, existing businesses "will not seem as isolated, but part of a bigger neighborhood."
These new developments may bring additional competition for the Walnut Bridge Coffee House, but Caro said he considers the overall growth of the area to be positive -- both in terms of his bottom line and also for the energy of the area.
Still, some business owners are keenly aware of the potential pitfalls of expansion.
Anne-Marie Lasher, owner of Picnic, a prepared foods takeout cafe and catering service located at 3131 Walnut St., said she worries she may lose business.
Currently, some of her customers walk past her venue from Center City to their campus offices. However, once offices open on the postal lands, fewer people will need to pass by her cafe to get to work.
"I see it as overall positive, but I do think there are potential drawbacks as far as my business is concerned," she said.
