Tuesday marked the end of an era for Chesterbrook as its once trend-setting mall turned fading eyesore, felt the bite of wrecking claw. Local residents and county officials turned out despite the heat, to watch the start of demolition work on the 122,000 square foot property which marked the beginning of a new $85 million housing and shopping development in the heart of the town.

Genuardi’s supermarket opened in 1981 and quickly became the anchor point for a huge shopping complex that has served the community for decades. Unfortunately with relatively low population growth in the town, increased nearby competition and no new housing built since 1987, the shopping center began to lose its shine.

The nail in the coffin for the center was when Safeway bought out Genuardi’s in 2000 and then closed it five years ago. With no supermarket to draw shoppers to the mall, the condition of the buildings started to deteriorate. This meant that interest further declined and tenants started to move out. With the shopping center 70% vacant, its boarded up façade became a sad sight prompting local residents to join behind a new plan to revitalize the property.

Seeing an opportunity, Robert Whalen of R.W. Capital Partners based in Plymouth along with Valley Forge Investment Corp., Reiser Land Development, Cornell Ventures, and Rockwell Custom Homes, decided to redevelop the Chesterbrook Village Shopping Center into 123 townhouses and a much smaller retail complex. Whalen, a Chester County native and Iraq War veteran, who is developing the project said “compared to the dilapidated center it is today, it’s very positive“

In all, 90,000 of the site’s 122,000 square feet will be demolished, though on Tuesday only the former Genuardi’s came down. Supporters say the project should help revive what was once considered the most innovative community in the region. RW Capital Partners said the $85 million project will reverse the declines seen at the center over the years and will bring in the first new housing to Chesterbrook in 40 years.

Whalen had nothing but praise for local residents and officials who backed the project straight away despite the potential for two years of hammering, dust and construction noise. “They did something unthinkable,” Whalen said. “They trusted a real estate developer to do the right thing.”

Local resident Lynn Mailey turned up to watch the start of the demolition process. “It’s only going to be an improvement,” she said of the new development, to be called Parkview at Chesterbrook. “It’s been deteriorating over the years, so it has to go.” Over time, the once grand shopping center had turned more into a convenience store she mentioned.

In addition to the new townhouse project, which is already proving popular with deposits put down on some units before they have even been built, the newly named Parkview at Chesterbrook will also have a 30,000 square foot retail space which will house, among others, the 13 remaining tenants in the mall. These include Citizens bank and Rite Aid which will have drive-throughs on either side. The others will be relocated into the smaller retail space.

“The development fits into one of Chester County’s economic goals: Revamp existing facilities that haven’t adapted to changing times“, County Commissioner Michelle Kichline said. “Instead of throwing up your hands and saying a site is moribund, we’re always excited to see when municipalities work together with developers to come up with smart usages of existing space.”

The demolition work is expected to take about three weeks before work on the project can begin in earnest with the entire development due to be finished in the summer of 2017.