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Resident urges West Chester planners to tighten stormwater rules and protect required parking
Summary
At the June 8 Planning Commission meeting a resident urged changes to stormwater exemptions (citing §94-106 B and §94-308) and warned that incremental small developments can cumulatively overwhelm drainage; commissioners acknowledged the concern and pointed to code sections for methodology review.
Ann Carol, who identified herself as living at 506 South Franklin Street, told the West Chester Borough Planning Commission on June 8 that the borough should reconsider a stormwater exemption she cited as §94‑106 exemption B and reexamine the runoff release-rate table referenced as §94‑308. "We don't have two‑year storms anymore," she said, arguing that what the borough calls a two‑year or one‑year event is now more like a five‑year storm and that multiple small developments that each fall under a 500‑square‑foot exemption can add up over time.
Commission members responded that the borough's stormwater peak‑control requirement includes calculation methodology and that staff and commissioners can review that section to determine whether the current assumptions remain appropriate. A staff member pointed commissioners to the code section that details methodology and best‑management practices for stormwater control.
Carol also urged stronger protections for required parking, asking that plan sets include a clear note that spaces required by zoning must remain designated for parking and not be converted to storage. Commissioners and applicants discussed typical garage use and acknowledged that homeowners sometimes use garages for storage, which undermines the intent of parking requirements.
Why it matters: Commissioners said they will review the cited code sections and that technical reviewers (including borough consultants) will weigh in on any proposed changes. The public comment flagged two persistent policy issues — small‑scale cumulative runoff and enforcement of parking designations — that the commission said it would examine further during plan review and potential code updates.
The meeting record shows the commission accepted the comment for follow‑up; no ordinance or formal amendment was introduced at the session.
Next steps: Commissioners indicated they will reexamine the stormwater calculation methodology referenced in the code and consider whether changes to exemptions or the release‑rate table are warranted; staff will advise whether draft language or research should go to Smart Growth or a future work session.
