Freaking Weston is back. I knew it would be and development is inevitable here but West Whiteland’s planning guy talks in circles, and I have always wondered if he was really there for residents?
I haven’t had a chance to read through it, but I am distinctly unsure how many houses they’re talking about. And are they all single-family home or are we talking twins and townhouses?
I don’t trust anything and I certainly don’t trust this township planning employee and I’m sorry not sorry on that regard. I can have these opinions.
And they NEED a traffic signal at Weston Way and King because residents will never be able to get out of driveways and roads in East or West Whiteland.
This photo is several years old.
People can participate on Zoom and I strongly encourage everyone to do so.
This plan is right on W. King Rd. right in West Whiteland over the East Whiteland boundary. It is across the street from the land that Eli Kahn bought from Johnson Matthey for warehouses. that land in particular needs definite careful environmental testing. And I hope that parcel is not big enough for a data center or a mega warehouse.
But first things first and what we’re seeing now is Weston. If you don’t participate where you live, you can’t complain about the outcome.
I took the above photo around August 18, 2025. In Delaware a LLC was filed August 21, 2025. On August 22, 2025 the deed transferred from the old dude from Ambler and his buddy. It kind of took until now for Chester County to upload everything. I have been checking rather frequently.
Note that Downingtown address for where mail goes for this new 401 Clover Mill LLC:
Oh wait? Really? County Propane which is a great company incidentally is owned by the guy Harry Miller who owns Regal Builders and all of the constant years long guyak or chiacchiere surrounding Lloyd Farm in Caln, right?
Allow me to set the stage. A few months ago I was told a name of rumored interest in the Joseph Price House. That name was Justin Olear. Why did I remember that name? From Lloyd Farm and Regal Builders and isn’t he Harry’s nephew? According to Regal’s website and a 2018 post on their website, he is isn’t he?
What is Lloyd farm and Lloyd Farmhouse? How quickly people forget. Next are shots someone did for some zoom thing according to Cheryl Spaulding who has led a courageous battle to preserve Lloyd Farmhouse which did not look like this when the developer purchased the property did it? Also below is a screenshot of plans for part of this property in Caln Township. Main Line Health is adding some sort of campus, but not a hospital.
But what I do not know is what happens to the farm house? People have been watching it just ROT for years, and the land was part of a William Penn Land Grant as in the gent who settled PA, right? And Caln residents have not forgotten that a demolition permit was filed in 2019 for Lloyd, have they? And who was the media trying to get a comment out of then? Harry Miller and Justin Olear?
Also interesting is people who live in Caln have been told that Justin Olear wants to preserve the Lloyd farm house at this point. He is now the president of Regal Builders, and I was told that he (Olear) wants to preserve the Joseph Price House a few months ago when I first heard his name in the Joseph Price of it all. I have literally been holding my breath hoping it was sold to someone who will preserve it and are we here? Remember, the Joseph Price House is a federally state and locally recognized historic asset.
Time will tell but the house is sold. I am hopeful that she stands a better chance of survival now. I don’t have a problem with someone restoring this for an office as an adaptive reuse
I actually drove by on Monday and they were ripping off one of the add on wood frame additions that had been rotting. Here are a couple of rear photos from March 2025 and the deed transfer, and thanks for stopping by.
I drove past the historic Joseph Price house at Clover Mill and S. Whitford Rd. in West Whiteland today.
It continues to fall into more and more disrepair. Yes, it is technically a historic asset and it is federally, locally, and state recognized as being such, but that basically isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on in Pennsylvania.
This house is built from the most fabulous looking funky green stone that was quarried nearby at the time. I think it is called green serpentine limestone from what I remember.
This house is a wonderful quirky example of Victorian architecture. it is called a rural Queen Ann Gothic style. Built around 1878 and altered around 1894.
Supposedly a developer is in the process of acquiring the property, only it doesn’t show a transfer occurring yet.
At this point in time if this developer is indeed buying this property, it would be nice if they stepped forward into the light and told us they were saving it or whatever they’re planning for the property.
It is also important to note that I do not trespass on this property. Everything was viewed from across the road.
This is not Bella who was lost near Grove Road. She was found and her owners never took the PawBoost down. This is another old dachshund who has one tooth incidentally – if you know whose dog this is please call 484-485-0706 ASAP – this is an emergent situation- old dogs do not do well and last long at shelters. Right now she is in someone’s house and is safe.
You can watch the meeting on Zoom – but right now they’re having serious technical difficulties again and they need to fix the audio for Zoom and there are people waiting to get on.
This is the planning commission meeting this evening and below are the rest of the photos my friend took a few minutes ago of the revised drawings, I guess they are.
UPDATE: situation is resolved, and no one was hurt as per my information.
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Wherever Southern Drive is, other than West Whiteland Township, please stay out of the area and if you are in the area stay in your homes, there is serious police activity, and an emergency alert went out that is the equivalent of a shelter in place. My late father always said crazy things happen in extreme heat. Please be careful everyone.
So today I was sent proof that West Whiteland Township is making good on their word to secure the historic Joseph Price House at 401 Clover Mill Road on the corner of S. Whiteford in Exton. West Whiteland Township has a property maintenance code that they enacted I guess within the last couple of years so it appears they went over and they had their public works board up the parts of the Joseph Price house that had basically deteriorated, rotted or were broken into. So the house is secure for now and I am told township/police are keeping an eye on it and isn’t that great?
Joseph Price House boarded up
I’m guessing that you all remember I wrote about this again recently right? It’s just when the urban explorers tell you a historic house needs to be boarded up, you know it’s bad, right?
That ownership tags back to a property in Ambler, but not the Borough of Ambler. Here’s an aerial shot of that house:
Interestingly enough, this is another old house and according to Montgomery County was built around 190 one. Sometimes they aren’t particularly accurate so it could be a little earlier and ironically close to the same period of the Joseph Price house correct?
Now the owner of record has lived there longer than 2002, actually the property dates back to being purchased in Ambler around 1985. Anyway, when you look at the aerial shot, you see all those old cars right? What’s so interesting? Is the old cars that West Whiteland has wanted them to remove off the Joseph Price house property, right? And does the Joseph Price house have anything weird on the roof?
So is that a sad coincidence the both properties appear to have old car corpses?
And there is one more coincidence. The Township Manager of Lower Gwynnedd is the former manager of West Whiteland and Tredyffrin. As the Saturday Night Live Church Lady would say, “isn’t that special?”
Also there is this lovely act in PA called Act 135. Could West Whiteland Township put the Joseph Price house into a conservatorship to save the house ?
This afternoon was the long awaited ribbon-cutting of the new West Whiteland Township Public Works complex on Valley Creek Boulevard.
It was a nice afternoon with members of the public and public works. Yes I was supposed to go…and I forgot. Life gets busy and I just plain forgot. Thanks to Bill Rettew of The Daily Local I have photos to share with everyone!
Congratulations West Whiteland Township!
Chair of the West Whiteland Supervisors Raj Kumbhardare provides remarks at the ribbon cutting ceremony. (Bill Rettew photo)
I have literally lost count of how many times I have written about this house. I’m speaking about the Joseph Price House in West Whiteland Township, Chester County. Located at the corner of Clover Mill Road and S. Whitford Rd. in Exton the address is 401 Clover Mill Rd.
This is a historic asset that is rotting day by day, week by week, year by year. This home is owned by two older gentleman that I assume bought it as as an investment property only nothing has ever happened. It just rotted.
This house is known as a rural or Queen Ann Gothic. It was built in 1878 and altered in 1894. It is constructed of quarried green serpentine limestone that was quarried locally.
I have known of several people in the past few years who have tried to make a deal with the owners to buy it and save it.
It could have so many adaptive reuses, it could also be a single-family home again. I think it would make a great boutique bed and breakfast AND as there is one down the street so there is a market for this.
The urban explorer known as Abandoned Steve had written about this house in the fall and there was a video. The video has since disappeared.
Coming March 2025 from Abandoned Fantasies
I really wish the video had not disappeared because it gave an accurate account of what the interior of the house was like as well as the fact that it was not a secured location. Sure houses can be empty, but don’t they also legally have to be secure?
I received a tip from another urban explorer letting me know that the interior of the house seems to be getting cleaned out. Not necessarily cleaned up but cleaned out so that could mean any number of things.
At the top of the wish list is it’s being cleaned out to sell.
At the bottom of the wish list is it’s being cleaned out so someone can file a demolition permit.
Using AI, Abandoned Fantasies shows how this beautiful house could just disappear if not saved.
Also on the list is just the thought wrinkling my brain is someone simply stealing from this house because it’s not secure? (I mean, obviously it’s not secure if urban explorers aren’t really having any difficulty entering the premises, right?)
Now, honestly? I would not enter the premises unless I had someone in an official capacity with me and I had permission. I’ve actually wanted to do that for years to photograph the inside before it disappears. Because I really feel unless something happens, it will disappear.
The Joseph Price House is a very unique and special piece of County history and architecture.
In the fall when I saw the video from Abandoned Steve Exploration, I forwarded that video to someone on the West Whiteland Historic Commission whose response was nothing short of snotful after I contacted them a week later to make sure they had received the video after not even receiving a courtesy acknowledgment of receipt of it. I found that rather disappointing personally, but hey, I tried. I do believe that that this historic commission overall is interested in preserving this property. Obviously I just contacted the wrong person.
There have been quite a few urban explorers in and out of this house. None of them want to see the house disappear. Every single one of them says how fabulous this house is and how it could be saved.
As a matter of fact, one has sent me video snippets and there are videos coming the third week in March called Abandoned Fantasies. They are combining actual footage of the house with software that shows you what the house might look like if it was renovated and restored. It takes urban exploration to the next level and I hope it encourages people to have a vision of what can happen if you restore an old house.
Coming March 2025 from Abandoned Fantasies
So I’m voicing concern yet again this morning about this beautiful house.
The Joseph Price House needs to be saved. It’s pretty much that simple.
#thisplacematters
I was sent this photo – very decrepit from the rear also obviously not secure so what if kids get in and I bet they have gone in.
If the house is being cleaned out for some reason, I hope the things that were original to the house like some of the furniture that I have seen in urban explorer videos and photographs are not just disappeared forever.
By Bill Rettew | wrettew@dailylocal.com | Daily Local News UPDATED: February 14, 2025 at 12:08 PM EST
I would like to know WHERE in the Daily Local News article that Vista Today’s Ashley Pierce who works as paid full time staff (Communications and Membership Coordinator) at the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce sees that the reporter actually said that West Whiteland blocked demolition and development of the decrepit Exton mall? Because someone with a communications position one would hope had a better grasp of just plain reading an article?
What happened last week was a public hearing for an ordinance amendment in West Whiteland pertaining to a West Whiteland Township zoning ordinance, correct?
Quite literally the recommended motion was to tweak the zoning, right? It was advertised etc properly, correct? Wasn’t it discussed at a meeting towards end of 2024? Aren’t municipalities allowed to tweak zoning? And again, where did West Whiteland say they were blocking a demolition or development? Where did the reporter in The Daily Local say that? Does Ashley Pierce have imaginary friends she plays with still too?
You know sometimes I think Vista Today and the various other publications under their umbrella are ok, but the thing is this; what are they actually writing and researching? Are they just a news aggregator? It’s confusing, right? When they first started they did have some original content but now not so much?
So they aim to make a positive impact? How is oddly interpolating what a local paper’s reporter wrote and not accurately representing what West Whiteland did a positive impact? Funny how a news aggregator is becoming the news but not necessarily perhaps how originally intended?
Here is a YouTube that Vista had in their piece:
And I found this video from a couple of months ago:
Now when this mall was in it’s heyday, I was on the Main Line. We went to King of Prussia or took the train into Philadelphia. I do remember coming out here for stores in a strip mall. It has been too long but it was I want to say it was when Exton Crossing was built because a friend of mine at the time had an older sister who when newly married was living in Exton Station which was new at the time and not completely built. I don’t remember what strip mall, honestly. I think maybe where the Kohl’s is today.
Anyway, I think Vista Today owes West Whiteland and the Daily Local reporter an apology. Maybe they should go for more original content versus sharing everything from everyone else all of the time?
Here are two recordings from the West Whiteland Zoom on this that were made the night of the contentious meeting:
And dayummmm, West Whiteland JUST put out a press release on this. After I share that I will post things I found pertaining to the Exton Mall in deeds etc. It’s not just one parcel. And do any of you see new ownership reflected yet? I didn’t so I guess it is still in process? Whatever, this is kind of mall drama and the sad thing is an ordinance change is not prohibiting development or a mall demolition is it? And a final note is simply to ask if it is well past time for the Building and Planning guy Weller to retire?
