Outdoor dining returns to West Chester after delays | Inquirer Chester County
Plus, Tredyffrin residents continue to seek answers about a CHOP nurse’s murder.
Hi, Chester County! 👋
With warm weather comes outdoor dining, but that springtime perk came a bit late to West Chester due to a change in the permit process. Also this week, Tredyffrin residents continue to wonder if police could have done more to prevent a woman’s murder last month, East Whiteland is looking to update its data center zoning, plus, we take a look inside the historic West Chester home featured in Marley & Me, which recently hit the market.
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Outdoor dining in West Chester hit an unexpected hurdle this season that had nothing to do with unpredictable spring weather. Borough restaurants wanting to provide outdoor dining faced delays in getting necessary permits due to a change in the application process.
While business owners were aware of the changes, which include information about disability accessibility, some said it was unclear what documentation was actually needed, The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz reports.
The hold-up meant a loss of potential revenue for eateries like Teca, where outdoor dining can double business, owner Roberto Guadagnini said.
The change held up over 20 permits in the early days of spring, but as of yesterday, 22 had been issued, with seven still pending, according to officials.
Schultz has the latest on where things stand.
📍 Countywide News
Chester County’s population continued to grow last year, according to newly released U.S. Census data. Chesco added about 2,600 residents, giving it the highest gain among Philadelphia’s collar counties.
Kevin Creighton was named captain this week by the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, where he will support operations and administration in a command role. Creighton has spent over three decades in law enforcement, including most recently as captain and director of operational training for the Pennsylvania State Police’s Bureau of Training and Education.
💡 Community News
Tredyffrin Township residents continue to wonder what more could have been done to prevent Megan Nieberle’s death, one of just three homicides in the township in the past decade, according to police data. The 53-year-old mother of three and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia nurse was fatally shot in her car in on March 7 and died the next day. Read more from The Inquirer’s Jesse Bunch.
East Whiteland Township is looking to amend its zoning ordinance to better regulate data center proposals going forward. The “curative amendment” process comes after pushback on a data center proposal at a remediated Superfund site near the Malvern Hunt neighborhood. The process won’t impact the current application, but does put a temporary 180-day pause on new data center applications.
East Vincent Township’s planning commission is hosting an in-person and virtual meeting tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. to discuss a revised conditional use plan for a data center at the former Pennhurst site after the developer submitted updated plans. The planning commission previously voted to recommend that the township’s board of supervisors deny the proposal.
The mural painted on the side of the former Friends Association building in West Chester may soon be gone after the building’s new owner is reportedly exploring plans to remove it. The painting, showing a person’s face with an outstretched hand framed by homes, was commissioned by the homelessness prevention organization and created by West Chester University student Noah Burns. Though Friends Association would like to see the mural remain, there’s little officials can do given it’s a private building, The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz reports.
Over a dozen households in Newlin and West Bradford Townships are eligible to get water filtration systems this summer after a discovery three years ago that the former Strasburg Landfill was contaminating the well water. The communities will also get a public waterline next summer.
A new Super Wawa is opening tomorrow at 806 E. Baltimore Pike on the border of East Marlborough and Kennett Townships. The new store sits less than a mile down the road from another Wawa, but this one serves traffic heading east. There will be a ribbon cutting and grand opening tomorrow morning.
A new convenience store and gas station could be coming to North Coventry Township. The township’s zoning hearing board is hosting a public hearing tomorrow at 7 p.m. about a proposal to build a nearly 5,000-square-foot convenience store with 12 gas pumps, outdoor seating, and 70 parking spaces on 4.55 acres along South Hanover Street, Kutz Drive, and Temple Road. A small part of the site sits in a residentially zoned district as well as an area designed to protect public water wells, requiring additional approvals.
Family Service of Chester County is opening its new Trauma-Informed Youth & Family Counseling Center at 1001 E. Lincoln Highway in Coatesville on Friday. Founded in 1947, Family Service’s mission is to provide low-barrier access to counseling, case management, youth services, and family programs.
A historic West Chester home featured in the 2008 movie Marley & Me recently hit the market with an asking price of $2.3 million. The stone farmhouse, once part of a dairy farm, spans nearly 5,000 square feet and sits on 15 acres, where there are also several sheds and a barn. Take a peek inside.
Anton W. Bilski, 25, of Landenberg, has been terminated from his job as a Chester County 911 dispatcher after being charged with possessing child pornography.
Heads up for drivers: Yellow Springs Road between Kimberton and Lower Pine Creek Roads in West Pikeland Township will be closed Monday through April 21 while PennDot replaces piping. Work will take place between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Starting tomorrow, Valley Township will be milling and repairing roadways, followed by paving next week. See all the impacted roads here.
Registration for Malvern Borough’s new summer camp is now open. Camp UMLY will have two one-week sessions in July for kids ages 6 to 8. Learn more here.
Tickets for Phoenixville’s popular annual tribute to 1958 film The Blob go on sale for Colonial Theatre members tomorrow before opening to the public on Friday. This year’s Blobfest weekend kicks off July 10. New this year is a “Dinner en Blob” event on July 12.
Doing some spring cleaning? There’s a free shredding event at Malvern Fire Company Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There’s another event for shredding and electronics recycling from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the West Goshen Township Municipal Complex.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Owen J. Roberts School District is hosting a town hall today at 6 p.m. at the OJR Service Center to discuss school updates.
Applications are open now through April 24 for Tredyffrin/Easttown School District’s redistricting steering committee as it looks to redraw boundaries ahead of Bear Hill Elementary School opening next year. Learn more here.
A team from West Chester Area School District’s B. Reed Henderson High School won the Chester County Intermediate Unit’s 2026 academic competition on March 24. The winners of the college bowl-style event will represent the county in the state championship on May 1.
Philadelphia Eagles starting safety Andrew Mukuba will visit Octorara Area High School and Reeceville Elementary School on Friday to discuss autism acceptance and belonging during Autism Acceptance Month. He’ll kick things off at Octorara at 1 p.m., where there will be a Q&A session, before heading to Reeceville Elementary at 2:30 p.m., where he’ll speak with students.
🍽️ On our Plate
Malvern’s The Buttery is kicking off its first-ever dinner service tomorrow night and will have daily offerings of menu items including Neapolitan pizzas, seasonal salads, and shareable plates.
Root Down Brewing Company released a new beer last week in collaboration with the Schuylkill River Heritage Center to honor the 133-year-old Phoenix Wheel being resurrected in Phoenixville. The borough brewery’s American pale ale is a 5.3% ABV with notes of grapefruit, pine, floral hops, and mixed berry. It’s available on draft at Root Down, as well as at fellow Phoenixville businesses Bluebird Distilling and Stable 12, and in cans.
🎳 Things to Do
🎭 Shakespeare in Love: See the popular 1998 rom-com starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes get adapted for the stage. ⏰ Thursday, April 9, 7 p.m. 💵 $13-$16 📍 The Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville
🏃🏻♀️➡️ John Doyle Run/Walk: Lace up your sneakers and hit the trails for a 5K walk and run or a 10K run benefiting East Coventry Township’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation Committee. ⏰ Saturday, April 11, 9 a.m. 💵 $35 📍 Ellis Woods Park, Pottstown
🗓️ Opening Day at the Mill at Anselma: The mill will open for the season with blacksmith demonstrations, bread baking, and live music. ⏰ Saturday, April 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 💵 $5 for children and seniors, $10 for adults, free for kids 4 and younger 📍 The Mill at Anselma, Chester Springs
🍺 Pints on the Preserve: The recurring event returns for the season with East Branch Brewing Company pouring beers at ChesLen Preserve. ⏰ Saturday, April 11, 3-7 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 ChesLen Preserve, Coatesville
🏡 On the Market
Located in Olde Bulltown Village, this home — and the community it’s part of — blends past and present. The Elverson development sits among the French Creek Golf Club fairways and features reproduction period estates like this one. The home’s first floor features a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen with an island and a Lacanche range, and a dining room with a fireplace, vaulted ceilings, and exposed fieldstone. There’s also a butler’s pantry and a flex room with a full bathroom. There are three bedrooms on the second floor, including the primary suite, and additional living space on the third floor, which also has a full bathroom. Outside, the home has a brick patio, a deck, and a detached two-car garage.
See more photos of the property here.
Price: $2.25M | Size: 3,993 SF | Acreage: 0.44
🗞️ What other Chester County residents are reading this week:
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.