This week, in an attempt to bring the new members of Borough Council’s Smart Growth Committee up to speed, Borough Manager Sean Mettrick provided a helpful overview of the major developments currently in the works in the Borough. If you haven’t been paying attention, it’s a lot.

“If these all get built, almost 530 new living units will be added in the Borough. With 2.2 residents per unit that’s a little over 1000 new residents coming to the Borough. That’s a 5 percent population growth,” Mr. Mettrick shared. “Changes are afoot.”  
Where exactly? Here’s your brief.  

Property: 611 E Nields St, aka “The Wyeth Property”

What is planned: Warehouses and a distribution center in West Chester’s industrial center. With two buildings totaling 523,653 sq. ft. on 27 acres, this is the largest project being undertaken in the Borough.  

Current status:  Borough Council approved preliminary plans for the project in October of 2022. Since then developers have been performing pre-construction and stormwater site work. Last month, they sent final plans to West Chester’s Planning Commission for review.

What’s next: The Planning Commission is expected to review the final plans later this month with recommendations due to the Smart Growth Committee in March or April.  

Property: 330 W Market St, aka “Mitch’s Gym”

What is planned: A 181-unit multifamily apartment complex. The five-story building will sit on 1.74 acres in the Town Center. There will be 209 off-street spaces provided for parking.

Current status: Borough Council approved preliminary plans in September of last year. The applicant submitted final plans in December and then revised those plans and resubmitted them earlier this month.

Next steps: The Planning Commission plans to review final land development plans at their March meeting. The Borough is still waiting on clarification from the developer on how it plans to meet its recreation/open space requirements for the property.

Property: 250 E. Market St., aka “Rubenstein’s”  

What is planned: A five-story, 219-unit multifamily apartment complex on 2.5 acres in the Town Center. 231 off-street parking spaces will be provided for resident use.

Current status: Borough Council approved preliminary plans in March of 2022. Since then it was discovered that the additional demand created by the apartments would breach the Borough’s sewer capacity. For the last nine months, the Borough and the developer have been working to devise a plan to extend sewer capacity to the area. Those plans have been submitted to the PA Department of Environmental Protection for approval.

Next steps: The DEP is reviewing the submitted solution, a process that can take up to five months. “It will be a while before you see final plans,” Sean told the committee.

Property: 410 S. High St., aka “Burger King”  

What is planned: Another five-story, multifamily apartment complex – this time with 128 units. The development will sit on 1.3 acres in the Town Center. There will be 149 off-street parking spots.

Current status: Borough Council approved preliminary plans in December. Developers are currently in the process of seeking permits from utilities, DEP, PennDOT, and other outside agencies.

Next steps: A legal case has been filed challenging Borough Council’s approval of the project. No action is expected on this project anytime soon.

Note: While the implications from these projects loom large, none are expected to be completed soon. In the meantime, Borough Council has suggested it revisit the zoning process to see what can be done to ensure resident expectations and Borough code better align going forward. If you would like to see updates made to West Chester’s zoning process, share your concerns with your Borough Council member. You can find out who that is here.

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Originally published on Feb. 16, 2024

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