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Committee asks planning commission to study zoning changes to encourage homes, notes dark‑skies initiative
Summary
West Chester’s Smart Growth Committee asked the planning commission to revisit ordinances to encourage for‑sale homes over larger apartment projects and discussed dark‑skies lighting standards and possible comprehensive plan updates.
At the March 12 Smart Growth Committee meeting, members directed the planning commission to revisit zoning and development rules to make it easier to build owner‑occupied homes and to consider form‑based controls to limit large apartment footprints.
Committee members discussed lot sizes, build‑to lines, maximum building coverage, floor‑area ratios and other tools that could favor single‑family and townhouse development over higher‑density apartment projects. The group also discussed updating parts of the borough’s comprehensive plan and noted the planning commission’s earlier work on build‑to lines and a fee‑in‑lieu process.
Chair Nicole Schimone said the planning commission had identified parking and building height as past pain points and had taken steps to clarify requirements. Committee members asked that the planning commission return recommendations on code changes that would encourage more saleable homes rather than “a gazillion apartment buildings,” as one member put it.
The committee also noted the borough’s Dark Skies Initiative, adopted in 2018 by the planning commission and borough council, and referenced recent local projects (Everhart Park, the Knox Building) that used lower‑intensity, downward‑directed fixtures. Staff said four cobra‑head fixtures were replaced at Everhart Park at a cost of about $800 each; the borough’s newer street lighting uses Wi‑Fi controls and some recent projects have incorporated low‑intensity exterior lighting consistent with the initiative.
Members discussed whether ownership limits could be imposed to prevent single owners from assembling large contiguous parcels; legal staff indicated the borough can regulate building form, footprint and bulk but that restricting the amount of property any one private party may hold is legally uncertain and would require solicitor review. The committee asked staff to summarize the conversation and coordinate with the planning commission for recommendations and possible public engagement before forwarding to council.
