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Residents urge West Chester officials to consider ordinance limiting vape shops near schools and parks
Summary
Two residents told the Smart Growth Committee they want zoning or ordinance changes to prevent vape shops such as Smoke Daddy from opening within roughly 500 feet of schools, parks and bus stops; staff said the borough cannot eliminate a lawful use but can add setbacks or other prescriptive rules and recommended legal review and planning‑commission input.
Residents urged the Smart Growth Committee to explore zoning or ordinance changes after a new vape shop opened near a neighborhood school and a park.
"It's a vape shop ... less than 500 feet from Saint Agnes. We have Veterans Memorial Park right behind it, and literally all the kids are getting on the bus in front of the smoke shop," Lola Bergensock, a neighborhood resident, said during public comment.
Mark Umile, another resident who said he filed an official complaint, described bright neon signage and smoking paraphernalia displayed in the storefront window visible from the bus stop and the nearby school. "It just doesn't seem like it fits," he said, urging rules that would prevent similar sitings in residential neighborhoods.
Aaron Flook, the borough's building and code director, said zoning cannot lawfully eliminate a use that was previously permitted as a continuing use, but the council can adopt prescriptive regulations such as setbacks (for example, 500 or 1,000 feet), limitations on the number of like uses within a distance, or other controls to protect sensitive locations.
Committee members recommended referring the matter to a work session and asked staff and the solicitor to draft options and a memorandum on possible approaches. The committee did not adopt an ordinance; members agreed to add the item to a future work session agenda and consider planning‑commission review.
Next steps: staff and the solicitor will prepare options and the committee will determine whether to send a draft to the planning commission and to full council for action.
