West Chester council adopts parks and recreation master plan addendum

West Chester Borough Council voted on Feb. 18 to adopt an addendum to the borough comprehensive plan: a recreation and parks master plan update prepared by Johnson, Meer, Moran and Thompson Incorporated titled “Parks for All: the West Chester Borough park, recreation, and open space plan.” The hearing and adoption were conducted under the municipality planning code.

Solicitor staff told the council the borough complied with procedural requirements, including public advertising (Feb. 3 and Feb. 10, 2026), a 45‑day notice to adjacent municipalities and to the West Chester Area School District (sent Oct. 23, 2025), and a review by the Chester County Planning Commission, which submitted a letter on Dec. 3, 2025. “You’ve met those requirements and the resolution would be right for somebody to move forward,” the solicitor said during the hearing.

Council moved and seconded the resolution and approved it by roll call. The planning commission had previously recommended the plan at its Jan. 12, 2026 meeting; county staff’s comments were characterized by borough staff as largely stylistic and not requiring substantive redrafts of the plan.

The resolution adopts the parks and recreation plan as an official addendum to the borough comprehensive plan. Council members said the adoption is intended to guide future parks investments and project prioritization; staff will incorporate the addendum into the borough’s planning documents and follow up on any implementation steps identified in the plan.

The council did not record additional, itemized funding commitments as part of the adoption. Next steps announced at the meeting included clerk‑staff integration of the resolution into borough records and subsequent project‑level work to follow the plan’s recommendations.