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Westchester University submits campus master plan; borough to review conditional‑use implications
Summary
Westchester University filed a campus master plan that will be reviewed by West Chester Borough as part of a conditional‑use process; the plan covers housing, instructional space, circulation and stormwater and proposes additional undergraduate housing capacity.
Borough Manager Metrick told the Public Safety Committee that Westchester University has completed and submitted a campus master plan that the borough must review through a conditional‑use process under the zoning code.
The manager said the plan addresses housing, instructional space, traffic and stormwater management and is intended to guide future land‑development applications. Portions of the university campus sit in West Chester Borough, West Goshen Township and East Bradford Township, and Metrick said the plan will therefore be reviewed by all three jurisdictions.
Metrick described the university’s stated enrollment intentions, saying it has told borough staff it is not planning to increase undergraduate enrollment and that future growth focus would be on graduate students. He summarized the university’s housing goal as providing housing for at least 50% of undergraduates, which the manager said would total roughly 7,000 beds; he said current on‑campus beds are in the low 5,000s and that the master plan includes a proposed dorm on the north campus superblock that could add between 600 and 700 beds.
The manager said the borough’s planning consultant, Tom Committe Associates, has returned a review letter and that the planning commission will discuss the master plan on May 19 and May 27. He said staff will include the item in June committee work sessions and provide preliminary comments to the university before the university’s summer break; the university has granted the borough an extension of review to August.
Why it matters: The master plan will guide future land‑development applications on parts of campus that cross municipal boundaries and could affect housing supply, traffic and tax‑roll considerations if the university acquires private properties along High Street.
Next steps: The planning commission’s May meetings and June work sessions will generate initial recommendations; a conditional‑use hearing is expected to begin in August, per the timeline presented to the borough.
