Exclusive: Major development with 270 houses proposed for King of Prussia

Source, Philadelphia Business Journal, Natalie Kostelni

A housing development has been proposed for an 80-acre parcel in King of Prussia, which is believed to be among the last large properties in the township that is undeveloped.

Referred to as the Glasgow Tract for the company that owns it, Glasgow Inc., the property is located in a prime location bound by DeKalb Pike, which is also referred to as Route 202, Ross Road and Henderson Road. Plans filed and under review with Upper Merion propose a dense development of 65 single-family detached houses and 206 townhouses. Leo M. Ross Park is located within the boundaries of the parcel and appears that it would need to be relocated to make way for the development. There is also a pond on the property that is incorporated into the plans.

Based in Glenside, Glasgow does heavy and highway construction and also produces materials for its projects from quarries and factories it owns. For example, it has an asphalt plant off Flint Hill Road in King of Prussia and what it refers to as the McCoy Quarry at 550 E. Church Road in King of Prussia. The property under consideration for the residential development was used as a part of the McCoy Quarry.

Glasgow has a quarry and asphalt plant off Moorehall Road in Frazer and recently sold land that it owned nearby to Toll Brothers Inc. The Horsham residential developed paid $6.25 million for 39 acres at Wilburdale Road and Flat Road in East Whiteland. Toll had originally proposed 47 single-family houses and it is now building 37 units with 10.6 acres of open space, according to the township.

An attorney representing Glasgow in its approval process with Upper Merion couldn’t be reached for comment.

Upper Merion, where King of Prussia is located, has been undergoing a tremendous amount of development activity in recent years. While new single-family and townhouse projects have gotten build, much of that development has involved the construction of new apartment projects and 2,939 new multifamily units were added over the last five years, according to King of Prussia District.

The build out of the Village at Valley Forge has also brought forth new commercial and institutional projects such as a new hospital for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and an outpatient facility for Main Line Health. More projects are on the way as developers take advantage of new mixed-use zoning for Moore Park off First Avenue.