By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

At the Oct. 20 New Garden Township Board of Supervisors meeting, Ray Jackson returned to his familiar spot at the podium to deliver his third presentation on White Clay Point, a proposed 220-acre mixed-use development along Route 41, a topic that has stimulated conversation and concern among thousands of township residents.

Just as he had done on July 21 and Aug. 18, Jackson, the managing partner of Stonewall Capital, LLC, unveiled the latest proposal for the planned $26.8 million project before a large audience at the Township Building. The biggest change seen in the revamped design is in the form of various housing types, which will include 35-to-40-foot-wide single-family homes; 24-foot-wide three-story stacked townhomes; and 30-foot-wide two-story villas.

The revamped plan calls for 622 residential units, equal to the previously submitted design.

Jackson also introduced Bill Creeger, vice president of land acquisition in the Pennsylvania and Delaware division for the Lennar Corporation, who was chosen as the proposed development’s builder. Based in Florida, it is the second-largest home construction company in the U.S.

Creeger provided price points for each of the proposed homes types: lower-level stacked townhomes – called “attainable” – will be priced from the low-to-mid $300,000 range; townhomes will be priced from the high $400,000s to the low $500,000s; villas – targeted to retirees wishing to downsize – priced at the mid $500,000s; and single-family homes, priced in the mid $600,000s.

On the retail side of the proposed complex, Jackson said that the company is currently in conversation with a long-term medical rehabilitation center to occupy the site, as well as Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc., a nationwide natural and organic food supermarket that operates more than 400 stores in 24 states and several quick-service restaurants. 

Resident concerns

Similar to Stonewall Capital’s two previous visits to New Garden Township Building, the bulk of the presentation on Oct. 20 was reserved for residents’ feedback, the tenor of which ranged from those seeking clarification of facts to some who expressed vehement disapproval. One of the largest talking points dealt with how the proposed development and its residents will impact Reynolds Road, which borders White Clay Creek on its southern end.

Michael Norris – a candidate for the township’s Board of Supervisors - said that he has spoken with several township residents about the potential traffic hazards that may arise by adding an entrance/exit to the development from the road. He said that given the anticipated traffic increase that the development would cause on Route 41, he feared that the road would become a cut-through for those wishing to get to Delaware.

“I am a candidate for the Board of Supervisors, and I have been out canvassing, and this is one of the biggest concerns for anyone who lives anywhere near Reynolds Road,” Norris said. “I realize that you guys have to have a certain density to make the project work, but the other thing is that there is a lot of upset in that community. This is a rural area, and when you add this level of density to it, it represents a big change to how people are going to live.”

“We did not want [the Reynolds Road] connection,” said Ryan Humphrey of Stonewall Capital. “We were trying to assuage the township’s desire to have access from Reynolds Road into [New Garden Hills Park]. If you want us to do away with that, let us know. We’re happy to get rid of it.”

A Reynolds Road resident expressed concern for the potential impact of chemical run-off from the proposed development on his 330-foot-deep private well.

“Contamination from the exhaust of 1,400 cars, the contamination from nitrogen fertilizers and the use of pesticides,” he asked the board. “I do not have access to public water. I have my well and that’s it. How are you going to protect our wells? If all of a sudden, I get nitrogen into my water system, what do I do? Do I call you and you gladly dig me a new well?”

“I understand your concern,” said township Solicitor Winifred Sebastian. “Maybe this is a better private conversation.”

“No, it’s not,” the resident responded. “You’re proposing 600-plus units to go up there, and 600-plus units means 600-plus lawns which means 600-plus people mowing their lawns and 600-plus lawn services and dumping everything imaginable in there, and it all runs downhill.

“So I get a poisoned well and what do I do? I come back to this esteemed body and say ‘Gee, I have a problem now?’ Then what are you going to do? You’re going to say, ‘That’s not my problem.’ I will bring up this conversation and say that I did ask you to force [the developer] to test the wells in the area for their specific levels of chemicals – “

“I understand that this issue is not closed for you, but it seems to me that you have expressed your concern, and they have expressed theirs,” Sebastian responded.

One township resident pointed to the proposed design of White Clay Point projected on the meeting room’s screen.

“What are you doing to us here?” he asked. “Somerset Lake and all of this beautiful area around here is going to be congested with all of this. I protest…I protest.”

Next steps

Given that the township sold its wastewater system to Aqua Pennsylvania and the need to update stormwater requirements, Jackson said that Stonewall Capital is currently seeking to amend the settlement agreement for the property, which was established in 2007 and approved a concept plan for the site that is not applicable to White Clay Point.

He said that Stonewall Capital is also investing between $5 million to $7 million in traffic improvements that will be required for the proposed development, as well as investment in preserving historical structures near the site and facilitating stormwater upgrades that will be necessary at New Garden Hills, which is adjacent to White Clay Point.

“The amendment to the settlement agreement will allow us to pursue our concept plan, and then we will go through the normal course of the land development process,” he said. “We have already submitted an application and will be processing our engineering plans and resubmitting them to the [New Garden Township’s] Planning Commission probably within the next month to two months.”

Creeger said that the projected timeline for the project – after approvals – will begin with land development work next year, with the entirety of the construction taking six to eight years to complete.

To learn more about the proposed White Clay Point development, 

visit www.whiteclaypoint-pa.com.

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