Let’s start by stating a truth that has been evident for a while now. West Chester University has a housing problem. At least it’s been obvious to all those not in University adminstration. The students knew there was an issue. After years of grumbling, last year’s housing rejection slips led to a series of on-campus protests that finally brought administration officials forward to discuss. The conversation, however, was heavy on rationale, light on solutions.

West Goshen Township knew there was a problem when they met three years ago with administration officials to discuss developing a “master plan” outlining the University’s proposals for addressing future growth. To date, no such plan has been presented. Now after years of inaction, WCU finds itself in desperate need of solutions.

A challenging couple of years

Since pandemic closures ended, WCU has seen at-capacity on-campus housing, back-to-back years of record-setting freshman classes, and rising off-campus rents. Rents in West Chester have increased by roughly $300 a month since 2021 making it increasingly difficult for students to secure affordable off-campus options. Together it’s a housing storm with immediate consequences.  Data shows drop-out rates among upperclassmen are on the rise.

All these factors have left the university in a tough space with few good answers – or at least few easy answers. All solutions are extremely costly. Buildable space is limited. COVID closures drove down enrollment figures throwing off expansion plans and leading to hesitancy around over-building, etc., etc. However, WCU’s ongoing indecision has now forced their troubles onto everyone else. This  point was made abundantly clear at last week’s West Goshen Supervisor Meeting.

“I know you have an urgent crisis but it doesn’t mean it’s our urgent crisis,” said West Goshen Supervisor Shaun Walsh, before reprimanding WCU officials for years of inaction.

Where do we go from here?

Last week, West Chester University presented to West Goshen supervisors their plans to install modular dorm units on the M-1 parking lot off of Matlack Street. In doing so they were requesting an amendment to the Zoning Code that would allow student housing in the Planned University Overlay District’s District Class 2. Housing is currently prohibited in this area.

As WCU attorney Brian Nagle described it, the units would provide “temporary housing to cover a shortfall of housing and a need for temporary housing to upgrade current facilities.” In other words, if we want West Chester to fix housing on campus, they are going to need a place to put students in the meantime.

The modular dorm community would include 20 smaller five-bed units and one larger 28-bed unit. There is also an amenities building with laundry, vending machines, and a communal study area. In total, the temporary community would provide housing for 128 upper-class students while the University works through long-term solutions.

While perhaps not everything a township could want, Mr. Nagle made the case it was pretty close. He pointed out the area is already paved and not adjacent to many neighbors. There is plenty of parking in the area so nearby facilities would not be impacted and the complex would be oriented toward High Street.

The Borough has previously requested students avoid traveling along Walnut St especially late at night. In addition to the modular units, WCU is also planning to add a late-night shuttle that will run from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. It will have five stops and go from downtown West Chester to popular on- and off-campus housing areas, like The Edge – and soon, the M1 lot. According to Mr. Nagle, the shuttle would run every 20 minutes in hopes of capturing “all the students coming out of the bar when they close.”

A familiar problem, a familiar solution

Modular housing is becoming an increasingly common solution for universities looking to accommodate quickly growing class sizes or house students during a building renovation. Tuft’s University added 150 dorm rooms via modular units in 2022 after admitting a larger-than-expected incoming class. Virginia State University used modular construction to add 268 beds last fall. The university saw it as an “affordable on-campus housing option” and a way to manage growing enrollment.  

Module solutions, while becoming popular go-tos for universities, have not buffered them from criticism for not properly planning, a finding I am sure West Chester can attest to.

“This is a problem of your own making,” said Mr. Walsh. “It’s been a problem for over three years and you’re just now starting on the Master Plan.”

Master Plans

Despite raising concerns about traffic, parking, and yes, planning it does appear as if Township Supervisors will give the proposed ordinance a hearing. Township legal council is currently working to amend the proposed ordinance to add provisions that will give Supervisors more recourse should deadlines start to slip. Once that is done a hearing is expected to be held on Apr. 2, although this is hardly a wholehearted stamp of approval to proceed. The modular development will still need to go through the building approval process where it can expect to face tough questions about parking, traffic, and resident disruption – none of which the University believes will be a problem.

The other thing to remember is – this is temporary.

“There will be more housing on campus. This is temporary,” Mr. Nagle told the supervisors in definitive statements.  “It will be on the locations designated on the master plan. Probably most of that is going to be in the Borough.”

A housing master plan is expected from the University in the fall.

Want more on how campus housing works and how we got here? This article is a pretty good breakdown (if I do say so myself.)

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Originally published on Mar. 1, 2024

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