By Richard L. Gaw

Staff Writer

In advance of its Dec. 16 presentation to the New Garden Township Board of Directors and an expected overflow audience of township residents who will be arriving with questions and concerns, J.P. Morgan Chase recently submitted a visual overview of its proposed White Clay Pointe development, which if approved, will occupy nearly 200 acres along Route 41.

The proposed design will feature a footprint that will include both residential and commercial components, stretching from Reynolds Road to the south, Sunny Dell Road to the west and Sharp Road to the north, that will include a total 356 residential units – 182 single-family homes, 60 townhouses and 114 apartments.

On its southern end, the planned development will include 95 lots that will be used as town homes and single-family homes. The town center will include 222,000 square feet dedicated to commercial development and three mixed-use buildings that will be used for retail, offices and apartments. Two buildings, sized at 26,000 square feet, will include 42 apartment units each, and the third, sized at 18,000 square feet, will include 30 apartments.

In addition, JP Morgan Chase's plans include a 65,000 square-foot retail food store, a potential 55,000 square-foot indoor training facility and a possible outdoor multi-purpose athletic field.

In conjunction with the township's recent purchase of the St. Anthony's property and its commitment top providing open space and trails, the plans for White Clay Pointe include several patches of open space, as well as streams, ponds and trails, some of which border the northern edge of the St. Anthony property.

On the north side of Route 41, plans call for an 87-home, semi-circular development with two cul-de-sacs and a club house with two entrances off of Sharp Road. Just to the south along the arterial space between Sheehan Road and Route 41, JP Morgan Chase's plans call for the construction of a 5,000-square-foot Wawa convenience store.

The proposed development will also include two traffic lights – one at the corner of Route 41 and Sunny Dell Road, and the other at the development's main entrance on Route 41.

The property had previously been owned by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT).  When it was originally pitched by PREIT representatives to the township more than 15 years ago, White Clay Point was designed to be a 187-acre mixed-use project that would provide for 84 acres of retail space, 52 acres devoted to a town center, and 51 acres dedicated to the construction of 83 single detached units that were planned to be built adjacent to the Hartefeld development and golf course, near Sharp Road. Potential tenants that were mentioned throughout its many hearings before the township were Kohls, Walmart and Sam’s Club; in addition, a convenience store and gas station were planned for the other side of Route 41. The project also called for road improvements to Sunny Dell Road, Sharp Road, Sheehan Road and the widening of Route 41, as well as some improvements on Route 7. 

In April 2019, PREIT sold the undeveloped land parcel to JP Morgan Chase for $11 million – $8.25 million cash and $2.75 million in preferred stock. JP Morgan Chase is a global financial services firm that has assets of $2.6 trillion and global operations.

The presentation by JP Morgan Chase will be held as part of the township's Board of Supervisors meeting, and will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Township Building.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].