West Chester Workshops - Part I (Posted April 1, 2006)
Although one participant wondered if the April Fool's day invitation was a joke, there was no foolin' around last Saturday when nearly eighty Borough officials, local developers and neighborhood activists assembled for the "West Chester Workshops" at Borough Hall. The two sessions -- one in the morning and the other right after lunch -- were hosted by Carolyn Comitta, chair of Borough Council's Planning Zoning Business & Industrial Development Committee (PZBID) and facilitated by her husband Tom, an experienced urban planner. The result was a brain-storming session on the future of the Borough and one of the best primers on municipal government ever held in the Borough. Carolyn Comitta (right) reads the charge to the attendees of the West Chester Workshop.
At the beginning of the morning session, Carolyn Comitta explained that the goal was to improve how the PZBID committee (which includes Chuck Christy, Ward 3) and Holly Brown, Ward 1) interacts with other Borough agencies. Then she turned things over to Tom Comitta who asked department heads and the chairs of each board and commission three questions: what is your mission, what relationship do you have with PZBID and what would you recommend to improve that relationship? The respondents included a majority of the people who make things go in the Borough, and their answers gave a pretty comprehensive lesson in Borough operations and the issues it faces. Director of Public Works Bob Wilpizeski said that his 36 employees are responsible for maintaining the Borough's infrastructure -- its streets, sewers, water mains and buildings -- and he'd like to see consideration of the demands placed on those systems when a new development project is considered for approval. Director of Parks & Recreation Shellagh Purnell described her office's mission as providing safe and entertaining recreation opportunities in the Borough. They interact more frequently with Council's Parks, Recreation & Environmental Protection Committee (PREP), but have advised PZBID on the suitability of assorted land parcels for use as public park land.
Director of Building, Housing & Codes Enforcement (DBHCE) Michael Perrone said that his office reports to PZBID and he is "intimately involved with everything they see and do." The mission of his department is to insure that the buildings and housing of the Borough are safe for their occupants, neighbors and passersby. He added that he attends all PZBID meetings, and in a small borough like West Chester, he also acts as the fire marshall and codes enforcement officer. He requested that PZBID create a comprehensive planning document for the entire Borough, and gave as an example the question of whether commercial buildings should be set back to provide parking in their front yards, as they are in the area around Borough Hall, or set close to the sidewalk with parking in the rear, as they are in the center of town. Chief of Police Scott Bohn described his mission as providing a safe and security place to live, work and visit. He explained how PZBID decisions affect his decisions on how to deploy police resources, and asked that future project approvals include consideration of how to provide adequate police resources. Mayor Dick Yoder thanked everyone for coming and emphasized his belief in long-range strategic planning. When asked about the restoration of train service to the Borough, he said that such a decision is dependent on agencies outside the Borough such as SEPTA.		The Borough is divided into seven wards, each with different needs. The University (shown in light gray) provides most of its own services.
The Superintendent of the West Chester Area School District (WCASD), Alan Elko, said that he has regular contact with the Borough manager and the department heads, and that since half of Henderson High School is located in the Borough, the school district has had to go before the Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board. The school district is interested in the redevelopment of the Wyeth property, or any other site that might receive residential development, since the school district will have to provide classrooms and teachers for students from new families. He added that the type of development is also an issue, since children of some economic backgrounds may require more remedial and other special services than other children. He concluded by observing that the Borough's Recreation Department provides after-school activities for WCASD students. The executive director of the Business Improvement District (BID), Malcolm Johnstone, described the BID's mission as improving the climate for commercial activity in the town center. He noted the uniqueness of West Chester's business district, which has only two national chain stores (Eckerds and Rite-Aid) among dozens of locally-owned businesses. His current priority is to get a hotel in the town center because this would provide the biggest boost to local business with the least impact on infrastructure and Borough services. He also stressed the importance of historic preservation, both as an economic resource and for its impact on infrastructure, but added that if the Borough is going to grow, it must grow "upwards"; i.e. by allowing the construction of taller buildings. Borough Manager Ernie McNeely explained that he has served West Chester for nineteen years and described his job as both the chief executive officer of the Borough and an "air traffic controller" who routes issues and concerns to the correct departments, committees, and boards or commissions. He described the Borough's long-range planning efforts, which included the 2000 Comprehensive Plan and the 2002 Urban Center Revitalization Plan which was updated in 2004. By state law, the Borough will renew its comprehensive plan in 2010, and this meeting was a first step in that direction. The chair of the Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB), Fred Gusz, also identified himself as a member of the BID board. The ZHB's mission is to examine applications for special exceptions and variances from land use laws and to decide what should be approved. By law, the ZHB is separate from the rest of the Borough government (although its members are appointed by Borough Council), so it has no direct dealings with PZBID. Instead, it interacts with Michael Perrone, the DBHCE director, who attends all Zoning hearings. The chair of the Historic Architecture Review Board (HARB), Walter Hipple, described his board's mission to accommodate growth and development while preserving the historic character of the Borough's historic district. Members of PZBID often attend HARB meetings and the reverse is also true, so the two groups have a close relationship. The HARB's priority is to prevent damage to the Borough's historic nature and a the moment, that would entail a reexamination of the Borough's height ordinance. [NOTE: Currently, the height limit is 35 feet in residential zoning districts and 45 feet in town center. A building may rise as high as 90 feet in the area bounded by Market, Gay, Bolmar and Walnut Streets, and 180 feet in the area bounded roughly by Walnut, Chestnut, Wayne, and Wollerton Streets, but only with the approval of Borough Council. The tallest structure in town right now is the spire on the Court House, which is 121 feet high.] Joe Zaber spoke for the Planning Commission, which examines proposals for development and redevelopment to see if they comply with Borough codes, and then makes recommendations to the full Borough Council which are usually reviewed first by PZBID. While there is no direct contact with PZBID members, the Planning Commission's current members include Diane LeBold, a former member of Borough Council, Walter Hipple from the HARB, and Roy Smith from the BID board of directors, so the Planning Commission has a good sense of what other bodies do and expect.
The director of the West Chester Public Library, Victoria Dow, explained that her facility has been at its present location for 118 years. She said that they have little direct contact with PZBID, but they have regular contact with the Borough's Recreation and Finance committees and the Public Works Department (which maintains their building). They have also had some contact with the Planning Commission in the recent past during the renovation of the library. She added that the library is affect by residential development because new housing generates new visitors to the Library. The chair of the Recreation Commission, Tom Walsh, said that his group acts as a sounding board for public input to the Parks and Recreation program, and they normally interact with Council's PREP committee and various Borough departments. His priority is to form a "Friends of West Chester Parks" group to help with fundraising and find volunteers for the park system. He also suggested that every board and commission produced detailed meeting minutes and forward them to Borough Council.		Particpants examine proposals from the morning session
That completed the reports from Borough departments, boards and commissions. At this point, Tom Comitta asked for suggestions from other members of the audience and began by reading an email from land planner Ray Ott calling for completion of the Borough's sidewalk inventory. Bill McLaughlin, a member of the HARB, commented that there is a special problem for people who want to walk from the Borough to the West Goshen Shopping Center. Tom Comitta added that his experience as a land planner has shown that in the absence of sidewalks, people create what he called a "desire line" -- footpaths worn into the turf where people walk regularly. Planners use "desire lines" to locate new sidewalks. The chair of the West Goshen Planning Commission, Jim O'Brien, pointed out that "West Chester is not an island" when it comes to planning, and offered his municipality's approval of additional on-ramps between US202 and US322 as an example of a decision that will have a (beneficial) impact on the Borough. He also cited the example of new residential development in East Bradford which has generated increased traffic in the Borough and West Goshen. Tom Walsh of the Recreation Commission spoke again, calling for strategic planning, remedial planning, interaction with other groups and "neighborhood groups which are beginning to form" and attention to environmental issues. [NOTE: Neighbors in the northwest recently created a new neighborhood group, but groups like Civic Action Southeast, Historic South Walnut Neighborhood Association, North Central Neighborhood Association, Southwest Association of Neighbors, and East End Neighborhood Association have existed for years.] Bill McLaughlin of the HARB, East End Neighborhood Association and Historic South Walnut Neighborhood Association asked for efforts to convince West Chester University to provide better control over students who live off-campus and proposed that the Mayor and/or police department report regularly to PZBID on efforts to control behavioral problems in the Borough's neighborhoods. Jim Jones of the Zoning Hearing Board said that some developers try to exploit confusion about the mandates of the four Borough agencies that deal with land use -- PZBID, HARB, ZHB and the Planning Commission -- and suggested that PZBID might clarify the divisions between the mandates to avoid instances where a developer uses approval by one body to argue for approval from a different body. Richard May of the Library Board and BID Board pointed out that in recent years, the Public Library chose to remain in the Borough while it expanded, while the YMCA chose to leave the Borough in order to expand. He suggested that PZBID study the two group's decisions to see what it takes to keep valuable services in the Borough. Local developer and landlord Stan Zukin asked PZBID to learn more about the problems faced by landlords. He noted the Borough's parking problem and said that rules requiring parking impede growth. He listed several longstanding problems including parking, revenue, the loss of residents over the age of 55 and the need for train service to Philadelphia. He expressed support for historic preservation but said it must be tempered to allow the construction of high rise buildings.
Particpants socialize at the West Chester Workshops	Bill Scott, past president of Borough Council, expressed his desire to have the public more involved in land use decisions through public access cable television and by providing meeting minutes on the Borough's web site. He cited the Neighbors of Marshall Manor web site as an example of what is possible. [NOTE: WCJIM.COM might also be considered a example.] Fred Gusz of the ZHB added two concerns: the loss of affordable housing for lower income residents and the need to employ experts for specialized questions such as street lighting design. John O'Connell called for a Borough strategic plan because the budget has increased by 40% in the past five years and he thinks the Borough needs to control spending. [He identified himself as the owner of the largest provider of off-campus student housing in the Borough and gave his business address as "South High Street."] Tom Comitta thanked him for his suggestion but observed that it should be directed to the Finance Committee, not PZBID.
Ed Manley of the Recreation Commission asked who served as the "gatekeeper" for land use decisions and recommended that PZBID establish an itinerary for development plans and proposals. He also asked why no officials of West Chester University were in attendance. [WCJIM's notes are not clear, but at this point Tom Comitta explained something significant. In the past, he has worked for the Borough on many occasions, but since his spouse was elected to Council, they have agreed that he will not work for the Borough for pay as long as she is on Council. He will volunteer, however, so his time spent preparing and moderating this meeting was all donated.] In the last few minutes before lunch, several people offered some additional suggestions. Scott Zukin, son and partner of developer Stan Zukin, expressed a desire to address environmental concerns and to place more public recycling containers in the town center, to add bicycle lanes and to provide incentives for the use of hybrid vehicles. Carolyn Comitta, the PZBID chair, said she wanted to add support for "green architecture" (i.e. building design that conserves energy and protects the environment) to the list. Karen Slossburg of the Southwest Association of Neighbors said that she wanted to increase the scope of West Chester's "urban forest" and to make the streetscape "greener" by planting more trees. Walter Hipple of the HARB added his support for more trees and lamented that while the Borough wins awards for its tree planting program, every time a large oak or sycamore comes down, it is replaced by a small crabapple tree. Lynne Carroll of the Library Board wondered if something could be done about delivery trucks that park on Gay Street with their motors idling while they unload, since it is a deterrent to people who want to sit outside and eat or talk. In response, Mike Perrone of DBHCE said that is an issue for the police department. Andrew Lehr of the Planning Commission repeated the need for improved technology to connect Borough government to its citizens and urged PZBID to consider providing public access cable TV. Tony Mastroianni said that HARB should be strengthened to give it jurisdiction over building design, particularly the color of paint used on building exteriors. Jim Beckerich asked for an ordinance that prohibits smoking in public places. Borough manager McNeely said that must go before the PREP committee. Finally, Carolyn Comitta thanked everyone for their input, reminded them that the second session after lunch would provide an opportunity for Borough residents and others to offer comments, and invited everyone to return after lunch. Stay tuned for "West Chester Workshops - Part II" with details about the afternoon session.