Chester County Planning Commission

New county actions and initiatives that impact Western Chesco

By Brian O’Leary, Executive Director Chester County Planning Commission

While this past year has continued to present challenges across the nation due to COVID-19, one thing has remained consistent here in Chester County – we continue to adapt and plan for the future. In fact, there were numerous initiatives that took place in 2021 which can positively impact the future of our Western Chester County communities, and we would like to highlight a few.

With climate change at the forefront of many discussions in recent years, Chester County wasted no time by jumping into action to draft a new Climate Action Plan. This plan, which was formally adopted by the Commissioners in October of 2021, highlights actions and advocacy that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency at government facilities and throughout the county. The plan supports the “Protect” goal in Landscapes3, and can be found at: https://chescoplanning.org/Environmental/ ClimateAction.cfm.

Looking at the economy, the Chester County Agriculture Development Council released a draft of the Chester County Agricultural Economic Development Strategic Plan in December of 2021. This plan provides a range of recommendations for the county’s farming industry, focusing on six strategic areas: Agricultural Markets, Business & Financing, Education & Outreach, Labor & Workforce, Land Access, and Zoning & Land Use. Each of the areas features a set of recommendations with an overview of priorities and metrics, as well as details on the key actions, partners, and funding sources. See the plan at: https://www. chescofarming.org/AgTaskForce.cfm.

Western Chester County saw 52 new subdivision and land development proposals in 2021, including one in East Brandywine, one in East Fallowfield, one in East Nantmeal, three in Highland, ten in Honey Brook, one in Sadsbury, six in Valley, six in West Bradford, five in West Brandywine, three in West Caln, two in West Fallowfield, three in West Nantmeal, and five in West Sadsbury Townships. This also includes three in Elverson and one in Honey Brook Boroughs, as well as one in the City of Coatesville.

Overall, the county went wild with nearly 4.7 million square feet of proposed nonresidential building area – the most by far in the last decade. This was led by nearly 3 million square feet of industrial space, which is three times the highest amount seen over the past ten years. The county’s western region municipalities accounted for approximately 25 percent (or 739,000 square feet) of this space. Although warehousing was the bulk of the industrial space, new manufacturing facilities saw significant increases ranging from large steel rolling mills and paper plants, to smaller welding shops and fabricators.

Speaking of large steel rolling mills, the old Lukens Steel Plant completed its first year of operation under new ownership as Cleveland Cliffs Steel this past year, contributing to this notable increase. This plant, which is 120,000 square feet and located in Valley Township, can produce approximately 800,000 tons of raw steel annually. The facility refines more than 450 different steel types and, together with the Conshohocken facility, produces some of the widest and thickest steel plates in the industry. Learn about the steel mill at: https://www.clevelandcliffs.com/ operations/steelmaking/coatesville.

The Chester County G.O. Carlson Airport (386,519 square feet) in Valley Township also contributed to the significant increase in industrial proposals.

When it comes to paper plants, a global producer of renewable, fiber-based packaging and pulp products, International Paper, plans to build a state-of-the-art packing plant in West Sadsbury Township, with construction set to begin in the spring of 2022. According to State Representative Tim Hennessey in a local article, “the Atglen plant will be the first box plant International Paper will have built in the U.S. in more than 30 years.” The plant is anticipated to employ about 150 new people.

In terms of getting around, it was great to see construction start at the Coatesville train station. Also, Chester County adopted a Complete Streets Policy in November of 2021. The policy provides guidance for how streets may be planned, designed, retrofitted, and maintained in order to facilitate travel in a safe, convenient and comfortable manner for all users regardless of their transportation mode. It is applicable to all public roadways that are either state or municipally owned, and located within the county. See the policy: www.chescoplanning.org/transportation/PDF/ CompleteStreets.pdf.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Chester County has seen great progress this past year in western Chester County and beyond. As the days go on, we plan to continue adapting for the future of Chester County as we carry on through these unprecedented times.

The Chester County Planning Commission can be reached by phone at 610-344-6285, by email at ccplanning@chesco.org, or by mail at 601 Westtown Road, West Chester, PA 19380. Get all the latest updates online at www.chescoplanning.org, and be sure to subscribe to our eNewsletter!