The owner of the Quaker Park office campus, located at 1001 East Hector Street in Conshohocken (Whitemarsh Township), an entity associated with Buccini Pollin Group, has submitted a sketch plan to Whitemarsh Township that outlines a proposal to redevelop a portion of the campus’ parking lot. A sketch plan is an informal document that is submitted to a municipality to garner an initial reaction to a development or redevelopment proposal.
The sketch plan shows a five-story building that would include 115 apartments, 5,400 square feet of retail space, and 96 parking spaces on the ground floor. The building would also feature 6,600 square feet of amenity space and a 7,800-square-foot outdoor deck.
The building is shown situated on a portion of the parking at the corner of East Hector and Lee streets. A lab building on the other end of the property would be demolished and replaced with parking, according to the plans.
The redevelopment is being proposed under the Spring Mill Mixed-Use and Transit-Friendly Design Overlay that was adopted in December 2024. In a memo to the township supervisors at the time of adoption, the township’s zoning officer, Charlie Guttenplan, stated the intent of the rezoning as follows:
The general intent of the new zoning is to encourage transit-friendly development recognizing the proximity of the Spring Mill (SEPTA) train station and Schuylkill River Trail, and encourage access both visually and physically to the river. Finally, it is designed to encourage more mixed use development to serve the existing and future population in this area. This zoning will apply to sites to be redeveloped as well as undeveloped in-fill sites.
The Spring Mill neighborhood and riverfront area on the Whitemarsh side of the border with the Borough of Conshohocken is currently the site of numerous redevelopment plans and construction projects (most of which were already approved before the rezoning or the rezoning wasn’t applicable).
Apartments and condos are approved for 401-433 Washington Street, which straddles the border with the Borough of Conshohocken. The condo portion is under construction. A new rowing center for Villanova University is under construction at 601 Washington Street. River Place Townhomes is nearing completion at 901 Washington Street. At 1001 Washington Street, a proposal to construct townhouses on the former David’s Bridal office building has been approved and is currently in the land development stage (note that its approval is contingent on a revision of the flood map that FEMA has not yet approved).
Going up East North Lane, Alliance HP, the owner of the Spring Mill Campus, successfully subdivided the two large parking lots situated between East North Lane and Righter Street in 2023. It was stated at the time that no redevelopment was immediately planned, but a residential community was the eventual future for one of the parking lots.
The sketch plan will likely be presented during a meeting of the township’s planning commission, but has not yet appeared on an agenda.
More to come.
Rendering – Buccini Pollin Group