Council advances first reading to rezone old Eureka Mill site for multifamily housing with solar component

Chester County Council on April 7 approved first reading of CCMA 25-15, a rezoning request by Andrew Cope to change the former Eureka Mill site (tax map 079-01-08-004) from limited industrial (ID-2) to multifamily residential (RG-1).

County Administrator Michael Hester described the project as an opportunity to bring attainable housing to the area while reusing a brownfield portion of the site for solar panels. Hester said the residential units would be built around — not on — the brownfield footprint, and that the developer, JM Cope, is undertaking cleanup work and seeking grants to remediate portions of the site. Hester added the county still holds bond funds from a prior cleanup effort that could assist remediation.

During public comment before the hearing, developer representative Wes Drummond said the site comprises about 27 acres, of which roughly 8.5 acres are slated for phase 1, with approximately 60 multifamily units planned; Drummond also described rooftop solar to "back feed power to those multifamily units." He told council the multifamily layout is similar to a development the team built in Rock Hill.

Councilmembers who grew up in the area supported cleanup and reuse of the site and noted the potential to restore community assets such as ball fields near Roundtree Circle. The Planning Commission had recommended approval by a 5–0 vote; council voted to uphold that recommendation on first reading. The rezoning will return for second and third readings before final adoption.