Community Corner

King Street Developer: 'I'd Like To Break Ground This Fall'

The construction of apartments, shops and hundreds of parking spots will take 20 months to complete, according to developer Eli Kahn.

In two years, East King Street will look very different, according to developer Eli Kahn.

Standing before a crowd comprised mostly of businesspeople Wednesday night, Kahn described his vision for the five acres east of Church Street.

That vision includes 190 rental units, approximately 24,000 square feet of first-floor retail space, and 400 new parking spaces, most of which will be underground. An artist's depiction of the finished product was displayed on two large boards behind him.

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Kahn had been invited to speak in front of the Malvern Business and Professional Association by its president Ken Neeld. A crowd of about 50 people turned out to the borough meeting room to learn about the progress of the redevelopment project.

E. Kahn Development Corporation acquired 13 parcels on the block and has been planning for years to redevelop the property. The project had been delayed, he said, by the bad economy, but is back on track now thanks in large part to its "green" attributes.

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"This seems to be hitting all lenders in their sweet spot. If all [goes] well, I'd like to break ground this fall," Kahn said. "I believe this will transform that whole end of King Street, and hopefully it will bring a whole new group of people to King Street—people who want a walkable environment.

"They want to walk down the street, drop their dry cleaning off and get some coffee. They want the small-town life experience."

Kahn, who recently moved to Malvern Borough, said there would be a small amount of office space, but was focused more on the residential and retail components. He described the "ridiculous frontage" retailers would have on King Street combined with on-site parking as a rarity in a small borough.

After letting the crowd know that he's interested in hearing from potential commercial tenants, he opened it up to questions. Among the paraphrased questions and answers:

Question: Are you talking to national chain businesses?

Answer: A toy store and a women's accessories store, but the national chains can be very inflexible and tough to accomodate. Focus now is on a good coffee shop.

Question: Where, exactly, will this development be?

Answer: Everything east of [Buckwalter] frame shop, down to Rusticraft fence, with the exception of two twin buildings, which will be wrapped around.

Question: Will it be one building or two?

Answer: Two buildings, with a shared pool.  Buildings will feature varying materials used for facades, including brick, stone and siding, and a varying roof line to make it look like a series of separate buildings.

Question: Will there be a grassy area, perhaps for pets?

Answer: There will be a little grassy area in back.

Question: Will apartments be age-restricted, or allow children?

Answer: No age restriction, but it won't be geared toward people with children. For example, there will not be a playground.

Question: What will be the cost of rental units? Will this be an affordable option for people who want to live in the Great Valley School District?

Answer: There will be several types of apartments, ranging from about $900 to $2,000 per month. It will not be entry level, in terms of price point. No condominiums at this point.

Question: What were the results of the traffic study?

Answer: In a nutshell, if the borough wants to lose on-street parking at Warren and King, and/or Bridge and King, there is a possibility to install turning lanes. But that probably won't happen. There will be crosswalks installed at various intersections.

Question: Will you be doing something about the rodents currently living in the buildings set for demolition, to ensure they don't relocate to nearby residences?

Answer: Good question, we'll look into that.

When all questions were asked and answered, Kahn closed by saying, "This borough is such a gem, such a sleepy little community. Once the rest of the world discovers it in terms of shopping and downtown environment, it will start to come alive."


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