Investors have turned one of Great Valley’s vacant office buildings into a suburban rarity: 24 studio apartments and eight single-bedroom apartments. The units, located north of the Exton Mall site in West Whiteland Township, are equipped with kitchens, bathrooms and washer/dryers, and they’re being marketed as months-long hotel accommodations for consultants and visitors to nearby employers. The owners, a group led by Main Line real estate lawyer David McFadden, broker John McGee and investment partner Chiu Bai, hope the building, which they’re calling The Flats On 100, will be a model for repurposing unused space in suburban office, industry and retail zones. “Office buildings are being given away these days. What do we do with them when there’s no demand for office space?" McFadden said. “At the right discount, developers can afford to turn them into something sustainable that people want.” West Whiteland’s “town center” designation allows a wide range of uses. The partners chose what McFadden calls “hotel-apartments.” He compared it to locally based Korman Communities’ AVE Living, with its furnished apartments at Philadelphia’s Navy Yard and other local sites.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 1/11/2026