West Chester has a plan for much of its last available commercial land.
After imposing a moratorium on new construction in nearly five square miles of the township last October, officials now have a vision for how they want the area to continue developing — and eventually redevelop.
“It's a really important time in West Chester's history where we've gone from basically a greenfield, fast-paced development cycle to now,” said Community Development Director Jeff Uckotter. Greenfield refers to a totally undeveloped area, and Uckotter says few remain in West Chester. “So, the township really wants to be discerning, and the township wants quality.”
The results of the yearlong planning process, centered around West Chester’s Union Centre Boulevard, are several proposed zoning changes to the existing Central Business District.
There, Uckotter said the township is especially focused on leaning away from automobile-centric businesses such as car washes, gas stations and dealerships. It’s also creating stricter rules for the types of businesses that may build or redevelop in the area to help create a buffer between incompatible land uses.
“We have, right on Union Centre, a corridor of what we've kind of termed ‘livability amenities,’ which is like restaurants and salons and doctors' offices,” said Township Administrator Lisa Brown. “But then right next to that, we have these large industrial buildings.”
To aid the buffering, the township also moved to create two overlay zoning districts just outside of the Central Business District: Union Centre West and Mill Creek.
Overlays impose specific regulations on an area in order to control its look and feel, Brown said. Overall, she said many of the changes in all three zones focus on aesthetics, such as landscaping, signage and architecture..
Uckotter added the overlays are meant to complement the business district’s “beating heart” by making it so heavy industrial uses — such as smelters, truck terminals or concrete slurry plants — are no longer automatically allowed “by right.” Rather, those types of proposals would have to go through the township’s planned unit development process, which requires consideration from both the zoning commission and trustees.
“[If] it was some unicorn, certainly the town township could consider it,” Uckotter said.
Uckotter said they also made similar township-wide changes to create consistency across the township — and continue to ensure the moratorium area isn’t impacted by heavier industry.
“One example is the prevailing winds. If someone has a smokestack to the west, it will travel east towards the CBD,” Uckotter said, referring to the Central Business District.
Overall, the zoning changes address 80% of the moratorium area. Brown said that’s a sign the decision to halt new construction in such a large area was well worth it — especially because documents show less than 4% of commercial parcels in the township are still available, many of them visible from Union Centre Boulevard and Interstate 75.
“There was some question about, ‘Well, that's a lot of land. Is that too much for the moratorium?’” she said. “But really through the project, we have shown that the area was appropriate.”
But Board of Trustees Chair Ann Becker said the changes aren’t just about guiding future growth. Union Centre Boulevard is close to 30-years-old and also approaching redevelopment, she said.
“That's the key turning point for a community. It's easy to build new, but when you have expectations of redevelopment, that's what keeps a town, a city growing and continuing to develop over time,” Becker said. “I’ve always thought of zoning as a way for a community to control their destiny.”
Up to this point, Becker said the township mostly consulted with business leaders about the moratorium area and were less communicative with residents.
Still, residents and business leaders alike will have the chance to share their thoughts on the proposal at a public hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 17, starting at 5 p.m. inside the administration building at 9113 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd.
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