Reflecting on 5 Years of Landscapes3 — Vision and Map
Posted September 20, 2024
For our final month highlighting the achievements of Landscapes3 in its first five years of implementation (2019-2023), we'll be discussing the plan's Vision and Map sections. Unlike the six goals of Landscapes3, the vision and map provide a visual guide for growth and rural resource protection to help achieve the county's overall vision.
Looking back to 2019, the county saw a number of notable achievements that supported the Landscapes3 vision and map. In fact, a variety of comprehensive plan updates and adoptions took place that year including Avondale Borough (examining housing needs), London Britain Township (focusing on maintaining rural character), North Coventry Township (addressing senior housing), and West Goshen and Westtown Townships (both supporting affordably-priced housing).
In 2020, there were more comprehensive plan updates in Parkesburg Borough, West Brandywine Township, and Valley Township — all helping to balance growth and preservation within their communities. Additionally, the county saw the completion of the 44 West Plaza in West Chester Borough, a highly anticipated multi-use building with a public plaza and innovative urban design, as well as the Blue Rock at Elverson's 28 affordably-priced townhomes. The county also created a new Environmental and Energy Advisory Board to focus on making facilities, vehicles, and operations more sustainable.
Through the height of the pandemic in 2021, the vision and map continued to be implemented in a variety of ways. The county's Vision Partnership Program (VPP) celebrated its 25th anniversary and funded a Clean Energy Transition Plan for Phoenixville, as well as the Unionville Area Regional Comprehensive Plan. The 200-unit Woodlands at Greystone development in West Goshen was completed featuring preserved open space and historic properties, and the 230-unit mixed use Weatherstone Town Center in West Vincent was also completed.
Moving along to 2022, the county saw more completed developments, including 50 affordable rental units for seniors in the Phoenixville Commons, and industrial developments such as the John Rock Building, Ridgewood Corporate, AGC Chemicals America, and J.D. Eckman — totaling over 270,000 square feet and representing the expansion of industrial jobs across the county.
In 2023, the VPP funded the completion of a Heritage Interpretation Plan for the Harriet Tubman Scenic Byway Commission in the Kennett area, and a new A+ Homes Starter Initiative focused on municipalities and the need for more affordably-priced housing within their communities. Proposed residential units, which previously declined during the pandemic years, recovered in 2023 with just over 4,000 units proposed, with apartments leading the way.
Overall, development trends show that the county's urban and suburban landscapes have undergone substantial development with higher densities in the last five years, which was not the case in previous decades.
In terms of square feet, eighty-nine percent of new building occurred in the Landscapes3 growth areas, and approximately 5.2 million square feet of non-residential development was constructed from 2019-2023. Furthermore, ninety-one percent of new homes occurred in the growth areas, with nine percent in rural resource areas (versus twenty percent from 2005-2015). There were an estimated 11,000 new homes constructed across the county.
It has surely been a busy five years in Chester County! Learn more about the Landscapes3 five-year assessment.