Kennett Square's south end appears to be in the middle of a renaissance shepherded by the Pia family.

The deceased leader of the family, Louis -- who founded South Mills -- has good reason to be proud of his sons and grandchildren. With Magnolia Place near full capacity, Mike Pia, Jr., of Kennett Square Realty, recently announced a sister development called Cannery Row, named after the John Steinbeck novel published in 1945. Situated on the site of the old SunnyDell Mushroom Cannery, it is now part of Cannery Row Properties LP Partnership. With four buildings, it will have 11,000 square feet of retail space, 5,000 square feet of office space, 3,000 square feet for a restaurant, and 6,700 square feet for more offices and creative space.

The development will include 13 two-story luxury apartments and a dog park, and serves as a bulkhead for the Red Clay Greenway.

The Cannery Row project is part of a $150 million growth plan, and an example of cooperation between Kennett Borough and Kennett Township.

(Uncle Irvin's column is his opinion only, and is not a news story.)