Herrin for Mayor's BOROUGH BRIEFS

 

September 12, 2017

 

Welcome to the third issue - all about development at the corner of Gay & Church Streets,

and a resolution to go 100% renewable in the Borough!

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~Dianne

Dianne@Herrinformayor.com

What's Happening with these Vacant Buildings?

 

The vacant buildings along Gay and Church Streets are an eyestore, and like you, I want to see good redevelopment at this corner. There is a somewhat long history here, but here's the current status: Several months ago, the property owner/ developer Eli Kahn presented his "plaza plan" to Borough Council for a second time. The majority members of Borough Council support this plan in concept. For more information about the plaza plan, click here.

 

This Wednesday 9/13 at 7:30 pm, the Borough Council Smart Growth Committee will consider two requests from Mr. Kahn:


1-Allow construction of a maximum 60-foot building "by right" with no new parking requirements. Currently, developers can build 45-foot buildings in the HO-60 "overlay district" of our town center "by right," meaning they can proceed without any special approvals from Borough Council. Taller buildings must meet a series of "conditional use" standards,

 

 

which include certain setbacks, energy-efficient ENERGY STAR construction standards, and parking requirements. Mr. Kahn wants to change our zoning regulation so he can proceed with his ~60-foot building without having to meet these standards - namely, parking. A zoning change, however, cannot be applied only to this development, as this would be considered "spot zoning," which is not permissible. So, two important discussion points will be: What section of town should be included in this "60-feet-by-right" proposal? How would the developer and the Borough address the additional parking needs?

 

2-Time extension. Mr. Kahn has asked the Borough to extend the time allowed for the plan approval process so he does not have to resubmit the plan and start the clock over again while this zoning request is being considered. 

 

For a copy of Wednesday's Smart Growth Committee agenda, click here.

West Chester: Ready for 100 Clean Energy!

 

At Wednesday's Smart Growth Committee meeting (7:30 pm), the committee members will also consider a proposal from the Borough's Sustainability Advisory Committee to pass a resolution supporting the development of a viable plan to move our community to 100% clean renewable energy. Phoenixville just pased a similar resolution, and communities all across the country are taking these same steps. And, communities like Greensburg, Kansas, Rock Port, Missouri, and Aspen, Colorado, are already powered by 100% clean renewable energy!

 

Why? There are three very good reasons!

 

First, the cost of clean energy technologies has plummeted; the cost to install solar panels has declined by more than 70% since 2010, and prices are continuing to decline. 

 

Second, clean energy programs create good jobs and boost the economy. Solar employment opportunities are growing 12x faster than the rest of the U.S. economy, and solar wages are above the national median. 

 

Third, in the absence of climate action at higher levels of government, we must take action at the local level. The recent weather events in our country show how climate change is increasing the violence and unpreditabillity of our weather, and how devastating this is to our communities, our lives, and our economy. Early estimates of the combined damage from the pair of record-breaking storms in Texas and Florida could reach $290 billion, and this doesn't account for the wildfires and extreme heat burning up the American West, or the 9 major disasters—including drought and floods—that hit the country from January to July. West Chester will not be immune to climate-related crises.

 

I will stand up for a clean West Chester and for our children's and grandchildren's future. Please come to the Smart Growth Committee meeting this Wednesday to show your support for this initiative! 

 

<img height="22" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e9922_0769ff30a359428f90b3864c78f4b682.png_256" width="22">

Paid for by Dianne Herrin for Mayor Committee. 

Content generated by Dianne Herrin.

Dianne@Herrinformayor.com

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