What's a 'paper street?'

The fall/winter edition of the Valley Township newsletter has an article explaining what a “paper street” is.

A “paper street” is a street or an alley that only exists on paper. These streets or alleys are shown on recorded subdivision or development plans but have ultimately not been laid out, constructed, or accepted for dedication by the Township. While the creation of a new paper street is not common, many of the older neighborhoods in the Township have paper streets shown on plans from decades past or even more than a hundred years ago. These paper streets may appear to be part of a yard or open space at the rear or side of a yard or at the end of a paved street. 

Generally, when a paper street is not constructed and dedicated to public use for a period of 21 years, the Township can no longer accept the street or alley, and the property reverts back to the ownership of the abutting property owners along the center of the paper street.

Click through the Page 9 of the newsletter to read more about the responsibilities and rights of residents living near paper streets.

Residents living on "paper streets" might benefit from knowing the basics of Act 75 of 2021, which provides for road maintenance agreements between property owners in the absence of a written agreement. Prior to Act 75, such buyers often had difficulty securing financing federally backed mortgages.