Committee reviews 10 short‑term‑rental applications; zoning hearings, parking flagged

West Chester Smart Growth Committee members were told the borough had received 10 applications for short‑term rentals from six applicants and that the Zoning Hearing Board has seven hearings to schedule.

Sally Reiner, director of building and housing, said one property owner, identified in the meeting as Mr. Zukin, had submitted three applications and had granted the zoning board a continuance. “Right now, the Zoning Hearing Board has 7 hearings to schedule,” Reiner said, summarizing the current calendar.

The committee debated whether the borough solicitor should attend the hearings. Reiner described the permit process and the sequencing: a use must first be approved by the Zoning Hearing Board; only then can an owner apply for a short‑term‑rental permit and pass the rental inspection. “Once the use is approved by the zoning hearing board, then they can begin the application for their permit for the short term rental, which is a separate process,” Reiner said.

A solicitor (attorney speaking to the committee) recommended the solicitor generally not attend special‑exception hearings, saying the special‑exception standard is intended to be “black and white” and that an applicant who demonstrates the ordinance criteria should receive the permit. “Whenever a special exception is being heard by the zoning hearing board, we would tend to recommend the solicitor not attend,” the solicitor said. The solicitor added attendance is more appropriate when the applicant is “rejecting the zoning officer’s determination” and the committee wants counsel to oppose that appeal.

Committee members raised parking as a recurring concern. Reiner said the short‑term‑rental ordinance requires one parking space per short‑term rental or proof of a monthly garage permit; parking will be checked again during on‑site inspection before a permit is issued. “They will not qualify for the permit if they don't meet the parking requirement. And, yes, we will be going out and doing an inspection before the permit is issued,” Reiner said.

Committee members also discussed coordination between building and housing, the parking department and code enforcement to ensure parking diagrams are accurate and that on‑site inspections catch any misleading applications. No formal motion was adopted to change the process during the meeting; committee members asked staff to continue with the current sequence (Zoning Hearing Board decision, then permit and inspection) and to coordinate enforcement and parking verification.

The committee did not adopt a new policy on solicitor attendance for every hearing; the solicitor's advice was recorded and will inform case‑by‑case decisions at upcoming hearings.