Chester planning commission recommends conditional approval for 742 West Front Street warehouse project

The Chester Planning Commission on a unanimous voice vote recommended that city council approve a proposal to consolidate 14 lots into a single 3.03-acre parcel and build a 57,695-square-foot warehouse with 7,000 square feet of office space and 63 parking spaces at 742 West Front Street.

The recommendation, made during the commission’s meeting after a review of staff and engineering comment letters dated June 27, 2025, includes multiple partial waivers from the city’s Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and conditions requiring the applicant to resolve utility connections, property acquisitions and provide required construction and maintenance agreements before the plan is recorded.

Planning staff said the applicant has agreed to pay a fee in lieu for seven trees because required shade trees cannot all be accommodated on site. The fire marshal reviewed the submission and required that fire-suppression system plans and hydraulic calculations be submitted with the building permit. The Shade Tree Commission reviewed the proposed species and accepted the applicant’s revised planting plan for trees at the corners of the property’s West Front Street frontage.

Anthony Capanigro, an engineer with Kimberly Horn & Associates, presented the application and described six waiver requests from subdivision and land-development standards. "We do have six waivers associated with the application as well," he told the commission, and…