Having a mix of housing options is important to West Whiteland Township, said John Weller, the township’s director of planning and zoning. The township wants to attract residents with good-paying jobs no matter whether they buy or rent, since the township’s principal revenue stream is the earned income tax. “Property tax is a big chunk, but earned income tax is a bigger chunk,” Weller said. The township has had “a tremendous amount of residential development” over the past decade, Weller said. Although the township still has more owners than renters, the share of the population who rent is increasing. Owners lived in 65% of the township’s homes in 2023, down from 72% in 2018, according to Census Bureau data. West Whiteland is home to a smaller census-designated place, Exton, which is the site of a lot of the township’s development. Renters lived in about 69% of the housing units in the community of almost 6,000 people in 2023, according to Census Bureau data. That’s up from 60% in 2018. In March, a developer bought the Exton Square Mall with plans to tear down most of it and build 376 rental apartments and 243 for-sale townhouses. In a news release, the CEO of Abrams Realty & Development said its proposed mixed-use town center “is not just a redevelopment; it’s the realization of a true town center, designed to enhance quality of life while delivering economic and social benefits to the community.”
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 7/7/2025