PREIT AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION
It's coming down to the wire for the folks at Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) who want to build a large development at the Wyeth site. There is some serious opposition from the business community and the companies that have plants and operations next to the site.
At Tuesday's planning commission meeting, the commercial neighbors rolled out their big guns, hiring two attorneys and a land planner who made a one-and-a-half-hour presentation. The downtown business community was represented by the West Chester Business Improvement District who also gave the proposal the thumbs down. A vote came up to deny PREIT's ordinance that would govern the new development and that was voted down 3-2. From the way it looked, Planning Commission members Anne Carroll and Walter Hipple were convinced the plan in its current incarnation would not be good for the borough. But planning commission members Chuck Swope, Gavin Speirs and Joyce Sanyour seemed more confused about the motion put forth by Carroll. So it looked like they voted it down because they just weren't convinced.
But there were only five members there. Next month, it could be the whole board.
Planning Commission vice-chairman Sanyour was trying to move things along by asking the PREIT contingent if they were willing to compromise. At one point, she suggested that they get together with the industrial neighbors. Folks from PREIT said they had met with the neighbors, but it was uncertain if they just meant the residential neighbors.
The planning commission is only an advisory body. Even if they vote against the plan, borough council will have to make a decision. I remember going to the April 30 public meeting at the Chester County Historical Society where the project was rolled out. It seemed to me that regular folks who just reside in the borough or the surrounding townships were excited about the prospect of new restaurants and shops.
At Tuesday's planning commission meeting, the commercial neighbors rolled out their big guns, hiring two attorneys and a land planner who made a one-and-a-half-hour presentation. The downtown business community was represented by the West Chester Business Improvement District who also gave the proposal the thumbs down. A vote came up to deny PREIT's ordinance that would govern the new development and that was voted down 3-2. From the way it looked, Planning Commission members Anne Carroll and Walter Hipple were convinced the plan in its current incarnation would not be good for the borough. But planning commission members Chuck Swope, Gavin Speirs and Joyce Sanyour seemed more confused about the motion put forth by Carroll. So it looked like they voted it down because they just weren't convinced.
But there were only five members there. Next month, it could be the whole board.
Planning Commission vice-chairman Sanyour was trying to move things along by asking the PREIT contingent if they were willing to compromise. At one point, she suggested that they get together with the industrial neighbors. Folks from PREIT said they had met with the neighbors, but it was uncertain if they just meant the residential neighbors.
The planning commission is only an advisory body. Even if they vote against the plan, borough council will have to make a decision. I remember going to the April 30 public meeting at the Chester County Historical Society where the project was rolled out. It seemed to me that regular folks who just reside in the borough or the surrounding townships were excited about the prospect of new restaurants and shops.
posted by Anne Pickering at
2:05 PM
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