West Chester Borough is moving toward approving West Chester University's sweeping campus master plan, though officials are attaching conditions to the green light, according to the Hello West Chester podcast on WCHE 95.3 FM, which aired Monday, Aug. 24.

The conditions themselves have not been made public.

Borough Council has not released details on what restrictions or requirements it will impose on the university's buildout.

The plan in question is the EwingCole Master Plan, a five-to-10-year blueprint for renovations and new construction within the Planned University Campus District, the portion of WCU's footprint that falls under Borough jurisdiction. WCU introduced the plan to Borough Council in late March during the first session of an ongoing conditional use hearing, according to the Daily Local News.

The centerpiece: demolishing Lawrence Hall to build a new six-to-eight-story dormitory with 700 to 780 beds, plus a dining hall and student services on the lower floors. While that construction is underway, 128 temporary beds would go up on the M1 Lot near Swope Music Hall.

Planning consultant Conrad Talley of EwingCole presented the projects to council, focusing on work expected within five years. Beyond the new dorm, the plan calls for complete renovations of the Science Center, the Old Library (including ADA compliance upgrades and new landscaping), the Francis Harvey Green Library, Recitation Hall and Anderson Hall.

The housing numbers tell the story of why the university wants to build. As of fall 2024, WCU housed 5,289 students in 5,383 beds, a 98 percent occupancy rate. Housing consultant Rob Kellner of MGT Specialist Educational Services calculated that 2,388 students would move back to campus if beds were available. He recommended building 750 to 1,100 new beds in the next five years, noting that bond underwriters prefer to fund projects they are confident will fill. If beds fill immediately, Kellner said, the university should build more incrementally.

Councilwoman Lisa Kearns was told during the March hearing that bed construction was more a financial issue than a demand issue.

Several elements of WCU's broader vision fall outside Borough Council's authority. The Sykes Student Union expansion sits in West Goshen Township. South Campus housing additions in East Bradford Township would add floors to 11 existing residences in phases, creating 220 new beds. Geothermal expansion is also planned mostly in West Goshen.

Plans to close Church Street to vehicular traffic and raze College Arms to add hundreds of beds were not part of the conditional use hearing because they sit outside the PUC District.

The Borough has not announced when the next conditional use hearing session or final vote will take place.