It’s not often that developments and apartment complexes represent a return to nature, but that’s exactly the driving force behind the Hankin Group‘s latest project.
Keva Flats in Exton already boasts 242 luxury units, with 96 more apartments to be added when Phase II of the development is completed in fall 2026. Yet while these living spaces feature centrally within the multimillion-dollar project, they are not the heart of it. For the Hankin Group, its commitment of $2.4 million to floodplain restoration in Chester County is the driving force behind it all.
The project, already underway in the Lionville Run stream channel, will benefit residents, West Whiteland Township, local developers and the Hankin Group as the proprietor of Keva Flats.
“This project is a triple win for us,” says John Weller, the director of planning and zoning for West Whiteland Township. “Stormwater control, floodplain management and stream water quality are all major concerns for the Township as they have a direct impact on our residents’ quality of life…Hankin Group’s floodplain restoration not only addresses all three of these issues but also adds more local housing and improves our community’s environmental resiliency.”
Public beautification is also an obvious benefit for local residents, who will witness nature reclaiming its natural boundaries with human help while also handling stormwater from summer deluges and winter snow runoff. Local developers will have less reason to construct storm management facilities or basins, cutting future costs to build in the area.
Neal Fisher, Hankin Group’s vice president, explains, “This floodplain restoration project will pull out approximately 50,000 lbs of sediment out of the stream channel on an annual basis, and the Township gets that credit (from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection) as pulling it out because they’ve invested in the project.”
From the Hankin Group’s perspective, it’s reaping developer benefits. It no longer needs to concern itself with building stormwater management in future properties in the area. Above-ground basins can be used for parking lots, other buildings or more apartment space.
“By restoring the wetland, floodplain and stream to how it existed hundreds of years ago before settlement, we are creating a win-win situation, delivering benefits to our residents, the local community and the environment,” Fisher explains.
Though the Hankin Group has a philanthropic arm that frequently handles these kinds of lofty projects, its in-house team still needed to partner up with an environmental firm specializing in ecological design.
Enter LandStudies, a female-owned company out of Lancaster. LandStudies conducted a study in 2022 that found Lionville Run’s on-site stream and floodplain had been naturally degraded over time.
Thus, the Hankin Group contracted LandStudies to design the restoration plans, Allan Myers as the site contractor and RGS Associates as stormwater management engineer and land development engineer.
Week in and week out, the Hankin Group’s contractors are planting a wide variety of native trees, shrubs and flowering vegetation to draw local pollinators like birds, bees and other insects to the area. The plantings are also a draw for larger animals and humans around local walking trails. By the time the vegetation takes hold and the expansive floodplain is restored, the stream channel’s depth will be reduced from five or six feet to five or six inches.
Construction is still ongoing for the restoration and, though the additional 96 apartments won’t be completed until 2026, the floodplain work should be completed by the end of 2024.
By fall 2026, Phase II will be fully finished and the Keva Flats development will number 338 units across a 19-acre campus in Exton. The 96 additional apartments will be housed within two new buildings, one at the northeast corner of Waterloo Boulevard and one at the southeast corner along Lincoln Highway. These luxury apartments will feature spacious balconies, smart lock entry, white quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, oversized kitchen islands and more.
Beyond the beautiful landscape created by the floodplain restoration, the Keva Flats also offers a state-of-the-art fitness club and yoga/Pilates studio, resort-style pool with sun deck, grill stations, fire pits and lounges, 11,000-square-foot clubhouse, outdoor multi-sports court and rooftop terrace. It’s all helping to make Exton one of Chester County’s most attractive towns.
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