In Exton area, an explosion of building activity
West Whiteland Township has 23 projects in various stages of completion. Many are for new housing units.
WEST WHITELAND » Call it the development of Exton, 2.0.
The area is undergoing a renewed interest with development that has the township buzzing with new projects.
From a new supermarket – a Whole Foods, which the township has been told will open in January – to a post-operation rehabilitation facility, with plenty of housing in between, the Exton area is a hot spot for building again with more than 20 projects in the ground or on the drawing board.
“There’s a lot happening now,” observed Mimi Gleason, West Whiteland’s township manager. “A lot of it is because of the economy, the pent-up demand, and a lot of it is because the three supervisors we have now wanted to encourage redevelopment.”
The completion of the Exton Square Mall in 1973 helped put the Exton area on the map and through the decades leading up to the 2008 Great Recession the township saw steady growth with the development of other retail centers like Whiteland Towne Center, Fairfield Place, Festival at Exton and Main Street at Exton.
While some of the projects before the township or recently approved are small – parking lot expansions and modest additions – others are substantial.
Much of the new construction is centered on housing, including:
• Kava Flats (Marquis at Exton) – A Hankin Group project of 240 apartments in five buildings along Lincoln Highway between Otto’s Mini and Whiteland Towne Center;
• Lochiel Farm, a Bentley Homes proposed subdivision of 140 townhomes and the renovation of two existing historic structures for single-family homes next to SS. Philip and James near Ship Road;
Some of the projects before the township or recently approved are small – parking lot expansions and modest additions – others are substantial.