By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

For more than two decades, the area known as White Clay Point along Route 41 in Landenberg has existed as both an eyesore of neglect and a goldmine of economic potential – a forlorn splotch of trees and fields that has attracted courtships with real estate developers who have all since come and gone.

At the New Garden Board of Supervisors’ July 21 meeting, the property’s latest visionary – Stonewall Capital, LLC of Maryland – gave a nearly two-hour presentation before a packed audience of township residents that presented plans to develop White Clay Point, a 220-acre “transformative mixed-use development project” that is bordered to the north by Sheehan and Sharp roads, by Sunny Dell Road to the west; by Reynolds Road to the south; and the area immediately to the west of Route 7.

The plans for he proposed development will consist of 263 single family detached homes; 90 20-foot-wide townhomes; 200 24-foot-wide townhomes; and 112 stacked townhomes – all at a per unit price tag estimated to be between $300,000 and $900,000.

The proposal also calls for the creation of a walkable street grid that connects homes, civic spaces and park land; and 75,000 square feet of commercial space that is projected to have one grocery store, proposed to be between 20,000 and 30,000 square feet; four retail units; and a Wawa convenience store.

$26.8 million investment

In addition, Stonewall Capital, LLC is proposing to make a $26.8 million investment in the following projects related to the development, all at no cost to the township: 

• The development of a 12-acre indoor youth sports facility, estimated at $6 million; 
• An investment of nearly $1 million in creating access trails to nearby New Garden Hills; 
• In partnership with Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater Inc. (Aqua PA), the development of a new on-site pump station, rehabilitate sewer lines and enhance its disposal capacity, an estimated $12 million investment; 
• In coordination with PennDOT, planned roadway enhancements that will include new site access on Sunny Dell and Reynolds roads; a realignment of Sheehan & Sharp roads; upgrades to the Sunny Dell Road and Route 41 intersection; and the widening of Route 41 in each direction - a combined estimate of $5 million;
• The conversion of the historic barn on Sheehan Road as a potential site for a farmer’s market and public venue, estimated at $1.7 million; and
• The restoration of the historic Rowan House on Sunny Dell Road, estimated at $1.08 million.

New Garden Township Manager Christopher Himes told the audience that the White Clay Point site remains a “high priority” for the township, given its potential to serve as a catalyst for township enhancements; to meet the needs of the township’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan that calls for economic growth along the Route 41 corridor; and to provide additional housing, recreational and entertainment opportunities. 

Ray Jackson, managing partner of Stonewall Capital, LLC, said that when his team was first introduced to the township’s staff, he asked to hear their vision for the property.

“I asked them, ‘What do you all want to see here?’” said Jackson. “I heard that there needed to be integration to [New Garden Hills]. I heard that there were traffic concerns. I heard that there was some concern about density and attainable housing. They wanted some diversification of housing. We talked about the retail component – as well as the integration of a potential youth sports complex.”

Jackson said that Stonewall Capital, LLC was initially drawn to the project because of the idea to build an indoor sports facility in White Clay Point – which is in keeping with a recent action by the township to amend its zoning ordinance to open the way for a “stadium/arena” to be built. The company is no stranger to developments that incorporate sports facilities; it developed Southfields of Elkton, a 65-acre mixed-use development in Cecil County that includes a 56-acre sports park. If approved, the White Clay Point facility will be privately run by a sports management company that will be named in the future, and not by the township.

In his mention of the key issues that could potentially face the creation of the planned development - such as heavy traffic and creating a viable sewer system infrastructure in accordance with Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater Inc. (Aqua PA) – Jackson said that the company will “be diligent in our efforts here.”

A Stonewall Capital, LLC representative said that the company is also committed to conducting a full soil remediation process on the property.

The July 21 proposal served as the latest reimagination of a piece of Landenberg real estate that for many years served as the site of the Kaolin Mushroom farming operation. For several years, the site was owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), who attempted unsuccessfully to create a mixed-use development there, that saw the company and the township battle through numerous draft proposals and conditional use hearings. In 2011, an amendment to the settlement agreement changed the commercial layout to a “condominium” plan, one that drew resounding opposition from residents, many of whom galvanized their protest not only against PREIT but the township.

In 2019, PREIT sold the property to JP Morgan Chase for $11 million, and in December of 2019, a JP Morgan-led group, in partnership with Wilkinson Homes, provided an updated mixed-use development plan and then filed a land development application with the township in May of 2021. By the following year, the development concept had fizzled, as no new plans were submitted to the township.

Residents express concerns

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Jackson and other Stonewall Capital, LLC representatives heard from area residents, some of whom expressed their concerns that a development of this size would create a backlog of traffic that would not be supported by the roads that form the proposed development’s borders. 

“You talk about making improvements on roads and the one that needs it the most, you haven’t said a word about,” one resident said. “Reynolds Road will not take that traffic.” 

Adding another lane in either direction of Route 41, “just won’t cut it,” another resident said. “That is a major east-west highway, and right now, the capacity on it is not efficient, in my opinion.  Even adding some lanes and this development would add more capacity to a roadway that is already underdeveloped.”

Don Sandusky, a resident of the Somerset Lake development and the chair for the Somerset Lake Committee, expressed concern that the water and sediment run-off from the proposed development could have a debilitating effect on the retaining pond that leads to the lake.

“This is more than a ‘private lake,’ it’s a critical ‘throttle valve’ for the entire White Clay Watershed,” he said. “Over the last 20 years, our community has been paying to dredge the sediment to the lake, at no small expense, Furthermore, we have been applying algaecides to take care of the nutrients that flow downhill.”

Sandusky appealed to Stonewall Capital, LLC to enlist the Somerset Lake Committee to help “achieve the charter and the goal of the lake,” which is to be a habitat for wildlife and migratory species.” 

Projections and timelines

While the July 21 presentation served as the introduction of the proposed development, its plans will go through the standard land development and subdivision process with the township, which are likely to include modifications to the original design. At present, the proposed timeline will include a review of the project by the Planning Commission on July 23; a review by the Board of Supervisors at their Aug. 18 meeting; a completed design submitted in September; a follow-up review by the Planning Commission on Oct. 20; and a review by the supervisors on Nov. 17.

Jackson said that if Stonewall’s proposed White Clay Point development receives approval from the township based on these dates, the project could begin construction in two years.

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