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Residents and students press West Chester council for housing, parking and safety action after student’s death
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Summary
At a April 15 West Chester Borough Council meeting, students and residents urged the borough and West Chester University to address off‑campus housing limits, rising rents and commuter parking; councilors urged attendees to make their views heard at the university master‑plan hearing on April 27 and approved the consent agenda 7–0.
About three dozen students and borough residents pressed the West Chester Borough Council on April 15 for clearer solutions to off‑campus student housing, rising rents, commuter parking and neighborhood safety following the recent death of a student, Garrett Nicholas.
Council President opened the meeting and said the borough is encouraging West Chester University to add more on‑campus housing, adding, “we are trying to encourage them also to create more housing on campus,” and urged residents and students to attend the university’s continued master‑plan presentation on April 27.
Why it matters: Students and long‑term residents described competing demands on a limited housing supply in a borough where speakers said the average home price now exceeds $600,000. Councilors repeatedly framed the problem as a supply‑and‑demand issue driven by university enrollment, higher interest rates and constrained neighborhood capacity — and said meaningful new housing on campus or new garage capacity will take years to plan and build.
Students and residents pressed councilors for short‑term relief. “Given the demand of continued off‑campus housing by students, what is being done by the council to prevent displacement of long‑term residents while still being able to continue accommodate for the growing population of West Chester students?” asked Nathan Shalek, a West Chester University student. Councilors replied that the borough has limited authority over private landlords and is focused on encouraging university housing additions and longer‑term public‑works projects to ease neighborhood parking pressure.
On rents, Cole Griffin asked whether the borough can limit rent increases. Councilors said West Chester has no local rent control, adding that landlords set rents in the private market unless state law changes. “We don't have rent control here,” one council member said.
Parking and short‑term technology changes drew questions as well. Jennifer Calixto asked whether the switch from FlowBird to app‑based payments affected revenue; Ramsey, the parking committee director, said revenue has increased since removing meters and that the borough is transitioning to ParkMobile, which has yielded positive early feedback.
Students described the effects of limited commuter parking. “As a commuter, I had a difficult time parking,” said Zach Crane, a junior, prompting councilors to describe a potential long‑term public‑works site on Lacey that could become a neighborhood lot or future deck to relieve pressure in the dense southeast area.
Safety and police: Several speakers connected housing and parking concerns to safety. Nicole Rutledge asked if the borough could install speed bumps or additional lighting after the death of Garrett Nicholas. Councilors said they would await the investigation’s findings before recommending specific changes, and warned that PennDOT typically prohibits speed bumps on state roads such as High Street and that any change to state highways requires Commonwealth approval. Council members noted other measures already taken, such as pedestrian bump‑outs installed on High Street to improve visibility.
Competing perspectives emerged about policing and student behavior. Matthew Seidita, vice president for risk, health and safety of the Interfraternity Council, read a statement from Nicholas’s mother urging empathy: “Please let these kids have fun while they can...they are not criminals,” he read. Councilors acknowledged the tension between resident safety complaints and concerns from grieving family members, saying the truth likely lies between those perspectives and urging continued engagement among students, police and the borough.
Procedural note: The council approved the consent agenda by voice and roll‑call vote, recorded as seven approvals and no dissent (7–0). A motion to adjourn carried and the meeting closed at 7:30 p.m.
What’s next: Councilors invited students and residents to the West Chester University master‑plan hearing on April 27. Council members said longer‑term solutions — additional on‑campus housing, parking infrastructure and regulatory changes — will require coordination with the university, state agencies and multi‑year planning.
