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Sketch plan for Rose Street townhouses prompts concerns over narrow alley and emergency access
Summary
A sketch plan to consolidate seven parcels into six townhouse lots at 413–423 Rose Street drew favorable comments on infill and design but raised safety and access concerns: the alley (Doran Street) providing rear parking is narrow and may not safely accommodate fire apparatus; staff urged acquisition of the vacant parcel at the alley end or other design changes.
At a May 13 sketch-plan review, the Chester City Planning Commission discussed a proposal to convert seven existing parcels on Rose Street into six lots for attached townhouses. Staff said the concept generally meets dimensional requirements for the R3 district and showed a design with front porches, sidewalks and two parking spaces per unit accessed from a narrow rear alley (Doran Street).
Engineer Rachel D. Dominicus (Rad Environmental) told the commission the applicant would consolidate undersized lots into six compliant parcels and clarified that building plans are preliminary; she said the first-floor labeling was a carryover from prior drawings and that the main living and kitchen would be on the primary floor in later submittals. The applicant expressed willingness to pursue acquisition of a vacant parcel at the alley's end to create a through route and improve access.
Collier's engineering strongly cautioned that the alley is deficient for two-way traffic and that the sketch, as shown, would be unsafe for fire apparatus without changes. As the engineer stated, "The current sketch is unsafe," recommending either acquisition to create through-access with one-way signage, selective widening, restricted on-street parking in key locations, or demonstration of fire-truck turning movements in a formal submission.
Staff also requested clearer information on unit widths, first-floor functions and parking maneuvering diagrams for a full preliminary/final submission. The item remained at sketch-plan stage for further refinement; no formal vote was required for sketch-plan review.
