A PLACE FOR EVERYONE

West Chester Township offers new residential options for a lifetime

West Chester Township gained popularity in the early 1990s as a traditional suburban community with beautiful homes and neighborhoods in a safe place with great schools. The Township’s easy access to I-75 and location equal-distant from Cincinnati and Dayton was also a plus for families.

Of course large swaths of privately-owned farm property and undeveloped property still remained; and how the community would ultimately develop was yet to be determined.

West Chester Township’s 36 square miles are fairly evenly divided between residential and commercial/industrial uses. Striving to meet the demands of changing demographics and lifestyle choices, developers and Township leadership have now supported the same diversity experienced in our commercial development, in West Chester’s residential development.

“It’s all about offering options and meeting market demands,” said West Chester Community Development Director Aaron Wiegand. “Residential developers are seeing the audience change to include renters-by-choice, retirees wishing to downsize, young professionals who crave walkability and more.”

West Chester is seeing a renewed surge in residential development that follows the traditional single-family home model of the suburban community, but also responds to these changing interests.

There are currently six new traditional single-family home developments in various states of approval and/or construction in West Chester accounting for more than 400 homes. The Westfall Preserve by Fischer Homes and Bel Haven Phase 3 by Epcon are patio homes catering to empty nesters and those 55 and older.

Appealing to an audience who wants to be close to work, dining, and lifestyle opportunities, there are also three multifamily residential communities being added to the Union Centre –Downtown district. Developers are banking on demands from young professionals, couples without children and empty nesters who want to be close to the action, and without the burdens that can sometimes be a part of home ownership.

The most high-profile of these developments is the Residences at Clocktower by Hills Properties. The 335-unit complex will fill a large, vacant property across from The Square @ Union Centre and the MidPointe Library. The Residences will highlight proximity to the events on The Square as one of the benefits of living in their community.

Hills Properties also developed The Savoy and will build another 295-unit complex on the southwest corner of Union Centre Boulevard and Cincinnati-Dayton Road.

Allen Lofts, LLC. is building a 300-unit complex on Allen Road, east of The Savoy.

Named seven times as “One of America’s Best Places to Live” by Money Magazine, West Chester is committed to being the place where people can live their best lives – their whole lives.

From Krispy Kreme to Barnes Aerospace; from remodeled retail centers to more than 1 million square feet of commercial space. Corporate investors continue to find value and are “in good company” in West Chester.

The more than 3,600 businesses in the community generate about $8.1 million in property taxes, in addition to the millions of dollars generated in TIF payments that are applied to Township projects.

It’s all about the access – access to customers, access to a quality workforce, access to suppliers and access to transportation.

“Along with being considered one of America’s best places to live, West Chester has been identified as a great place to do business for decades,” said West Chester Community Development Director Aaron Wiegand. “New companies seek us out and existing companies find success and expand here.”

A decades-old retail center on Tylersville and Cox roads got a big facelift in 2020 and gained retailer Ross Dress for Less and Krispy Kreme. Midland Atlantic purchased the center with flagship retailer Big Lots and kicked things up a notch with new landscaped entrances, store fronts and signage.

Residents are always excited about the new dining and retail options in the community, but probably know less about the diverse and fascinating industries that make a home here in West Chester.

“One reason for West Chester’s success has been its diverse local economy,” Wiegand said. “This is not a one-industry town, but instead a diverse collection of producers, designers, and innovators representing nearly every industry imaginable.”

West Chester Township recently celebrated with Barnes Aerospace as the company expanded its West Chester presence. A global leader in the manufacture of complex fabricated and precision-machined components for the commercial and defense aviation industries, Barnes first came to West Chester in 1998 when the company purchased a 45,500 square-foot facility. The facility has undergone several expansions with the most recent bringing the company to 108,700 square feet of manufacturing space.

When NorthPointe Development acquired developable property

Who’s Getting Tax Breaks?

West Chester is often asked why companies are always getting tax breaks. In reality, of the more than 3,600 companies doing business in West Chester there are only nine that are part of an abatement package.

Through TIF, West Chester has supported some public infrastructure as part of a commercial development, building a road, a multi-purpose trail, bridge over a culvert, etc.; but has not extended abatements. TIF projects are intended to support wider community west of State Route 747 near Union Centre Boulevard, it was with some speculation. The developers believed if they built it, companies would come. With more than 1 million square feet under roof, occupancy rates continue to exceed expectations. infrastructure needs in addition to supporting the needs of businesses. The Square, the library and Beckett Park were all TIF projects to name a few.

The West Chester Trade Center development is now home to GE Additive, Fameccanica, Suburban Ford Accessories, Aeroflex, Innomark Communications, TSC Apparel, Hammacher, Shlemmer & Co. and others.

West Chester traditionally does not extend abatements to residential or retail-type developments. Things taken into consideration when negotiating an incentive package: jobs/payroll, value of the investment, willingness to negotiate a payment with Lakota School District.