Plans to redevelop the Exton Square Mall as a mixed-use destination got a cold reception at the West Whiteland Board of Supervisors’ Wednesday meeting.
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Abrams Realty & Development aims to start working on the 75-acre property in late 2026 with the construction of a 50K SF Main Line Health building, owner Peter Abrams said at a Philadelphia Business Journal event earlier this month. He predicted that the demolition of the 990K SF enclosed mall would follow sometime in summer 2027.
But West Whiteland Commissioner Brian Dunn didn't appreciate Abrams’ comments to the media about the project, which has not yet been approved by the board.
“It’s obnoxious, it’s disrespectful to the board, the township and its residents,” he said Wednesday. “I wanted to make that clear. Seriously.”
This came after ARD’s attorney, Marc Kaplin, and the project’s architect, Seth Shapiro, spent nearly an hour chronicling the progress they made with the West Whiteland Planning Commission, which approved the proposal last month.
The planning commission’s unanimous vote on the project came with major reservations from some members. The redevelopment was proposed shortly before West Whiteland amended its zoning code to prevent developments with that level of density in the town center zoning district. This means it was grandfathered in under the defunct ordinance.
Following Shapiro’s testimony, Board Chair Rajesh Kumbhardare moved to have ARD return and continue the hearing at the body’s Oct. 8 meeting. This brought pushback from Kaplin, who was eager to advance the development.
“We’ve got a project that’s sitting there and costing us interest,” he said.
But some of the public comments Wednesday night lauded the board’s decision to extend the hearing.
“I do not want my supervisors pushing through just to meet your timeline,” said planning commission member Ginny Kerslake, who begrudgingly voted to advance the project last month.
Abrams called West Whiteland officials “incredibly thorough and professional” in a statement provided to Bisnow Thursday.
“As developers who have made an enormous investment, we must multi task the grueling day to day job of bringing a project like this to fruition,” he said. “In no way is this intended to take anything for granted or to insult anyone.”
While Exton Square has been broadly panned as a dead mall, not everyone is happy to see it go.
Chester County resident Peter Mudd said the indoor shopping center is an important gathering place for senior citizens who use it to socialize and exercise, particularly during the winter months. He proposed preserving part of the enclosed structure.
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