How to get a first-time home buyer grant in the Philly region
First-time home buyers may be able to get a grant to help cover down payment and closing costs. There are housing agencies that specialize in helping first-time buyers through the process and offer financial assistance. Grants provided by the federal government and administered through local agencies help buyers who meet certain criteria cover the costs of a down payment and the closing costs. Learn more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/12/2022

Who lived in your house in 1950? Check the census to find out
On April 1, the National Archives unveiled a new website offering details from the 1950 Census. Users who want to look up a family member can search by geographic location and name. Users who know the street or neighborhood they want to search can select “enumeration district” (ED) maps for each county that correspond to specific neighborhoods.
Source: Daily Times; 4/9/2022

Housing Equity Perspectives: A Fair Housing Month Panel Discussion
The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania will host a panel discussion centering on addressing the barriers and challenges to attaining equitable and fair housing in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The panelists will discuss a variety of perspectives on diversity, equity and equal opportunity in housing. The event will take place on Zoom on Friday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. Register here.
Source: Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania

In ‘red hot housing market’ some mobile home owners feel squeezed
A West Goshen mobile home park was purchased by an investment company, Walkart Inc., that residents say is trying to change the county zoning laws to close down a community that’s been home to 60 manufactured homes since 1957. Walkart, which could not be reached for comment, wants to build luxury apartments in its stead. “They just want this property to expand their stranglehold on the rental communities of West Chester,” said Jon Zang, a resident of the mobile home park who pays $550 a month for his lot, compared to average rent in the area of $1,700 monthly for a one-bedroom apartment. Mobile home parks provide affordable housing for low-income residents — including seniors on fixed incomes — who can own their homes while renting the land underneath. The average cost of a manufactured home in 2019 was about $82,000, according to a report by the Manufactured Housing Institute, a trade organization representing the industry. But in an exploding housing market, that land is increasingly in demand for other projects, or park owners propose major rent hikes or changes in leases. Residents have few protections under a patchwork of state laws. Congress might be expected to step in since some mobile home parks are bought by private equity firms that use federally subsidized loans that carry low-interest rates, but there’s been little movement in Washington. During the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, some of the most frequent filers of evictions on a county-by-county basis were owners of mobile home parks, according to data collected by Eviction Lab. Read more here.
Source: Penn Capitol Star; 4/9/2022

Philly’s biggest mall owner wants to build thousands of apartments on its properties
Facing more than $2 billion in debt and a wounded mall business, the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) wants to become a developer and put 5,200 apartments on six mall sites as a way to raise cash and bring shoppers and diners onto its properties. CEO Joseph F. Coradino said he’s pivoting by necessity: “I used to be in the mall business, and now I’m in the real estate business.” PREIT, the region’s biggest mall owner, has proposed or discussed putting apartments in Exton Square Mall, Willow Grove Park Mall and Plymouth Meeting Mall. Housing prices and rents are soaring due in part to unmet needs. Freddie Mac, the giant mortgage buyer, last year put the national housing shortage at almost 4 million units, triggered by the construction decline after the 2008 Great Recession and extending through the pandemic. PREIT’s strategy reflects those of other mall owners, who are replacing department store anchors with health-care facilities, hotels, entertainment centers, gyms and apartments. But PREIT faces significant challenges as it seeks zoning approvals in suburban municipalities where officials are concerned about sewer capacity, traffic, population density, burdens on local schools, and the broader vision for the properties. PREIT has little room to maneuver as it runs a gauntlet of zoning and township meetings. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020. Though it emerged the same year, it still has debts of $2.3 billion, a good part of it mortgages on mall properties.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/6/2022

NAR asks Supreme Court to protect consumers from lawsuits when making floor plans
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to protect American consumers from a recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. According to NAR, the court's ruling misrepresents federal law and would invalidate decades of legal precedent by allowing copyright infringement lawsuits to be filed against homeowners who make or display floor plans of their own homes. The brief was introduced alongside 18 groups representing consumers and professionals throughout the U.S. real estate industry. “The U.S. housing market accounted for roughly 18% of our country's GDP in 2020," said NAR general counsel Katie Johnson. "The Eighth Circuit's decision not only puts countless consumers at risk of costly, burdensome litigation for making a floor plan of their own home, but it also strains a key sector of America's economy and threatens a critical tool of transparency for potential home buyers." Congress specifically allowed for homeowners to create "pictures” or "other pictorial representations" of architectural works without fear of liability when crafting the Copyright Act of 1976. NAR's 2021 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report found that roughly two-thirds of home buyers listed floor plans as "very useful" in the online home buying process, ranking behind only "photos" and "detailed property information" as their most valuable resources.
Source: Nar.realtor; 4/7/2022

Bucks County launches ‘Conversations’ podcast
Bucks County government has launched a podcast called “Bucks County Conversations.” The podcast is hosted and produced by Bucks County Department of Communications digital media specialist Charlotte Reese and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the county website. Reese said the series is designed to reach residents easily and give them insight into county government. Recent episodes have covered capital projects and diversity, human services assistance, the new human trafficking ordinance and an overview of the planning commission.
Source: LevittownNow.com; 4/6/2022

Lower Southampton to adopt sewer lateral inspection ordinance
Lower Southampton Township planned to adopt Ordinance No. 598 at a public meeting on April 13, creating a program to inspect and repair sanitary sewer laterals. The Suburban Realtors Alliance has shared its concerns about the ordinance with township administrative and elected officials. “As drafted, we do not believe the ordinance complies with the PA Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act,” said SRA CEO Jamie Ridge. “We have urged council members to amend the ordinance prior to its passage.” If passed, a private lateral inspection will be required prior to the sale or resale of any single-family dwellings located in the township to demonstrate the private lateral servicing the property is sound and free from inflow and infiltration and that no illegal storm or surface water discharges exist or may exist during rain events. For residential properties, the proposed ordinance states that an application shall be made at least 30 days before the date of sale. A certified contractor shall notify the township at least 48 hours before the scheduled televising, so that the township may witness and review the results of the televising. Multi-family, commercial and industrial properties will be required to inspect the sewer lateral within one year of the adoption of the ordinance, or at time of sale and/or transfer of the property. Thereafter, retesting and certification of the lateral(s) for multi-family, commercial and industrial properties shall occur at five-year intervals, or upon sale and/or transfer of property, whichever is earlier.
Source: Lower Southampton Township; 4/2022

Six-mile detour for segment of County Line Road
A four-year, $11.2 million project to upgrade a segment of County Line Road between Route 611 and Lower State Road is underway. Road closures are to be expected through the summer of 2026. Drivers will be detoured onto Lower State Road, Street Road and Route 611. It is expected to impact approximately 20,000 vehicles per day. County Line Road will be closed and detoured in both directions between Park Road and Fairmount Avenue until early 2023 to replace a masonry arch bridge over an unnamed section of Neshaminy Creek. The replacement was fast-tracked after the bridge was damaged during Hurricane Ida. In early spring 2023, construction will move to the westbound lanes of County Line Road between Kansas and Bradford roads. PennDOT said it must widen County Line Road with two 11-foot travel lanes and five-foot shoulders, plus install traffic signals, curb ramps that are accessible for those with physical disabilities, and guide rails.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 4/11/2022

Newtown planners to recommend denial of proposed Wawa
Provco Pinegood LLC has proposed a 5,585-square-foot Wawa convenience store and gas station at the Newtown Bypass and Lower Silver Lake Road. The Newtown Township Planning Commission recently deadlocked at three votes in favor of the plans and three votes against. A tie vote results in a de facto recommendation of denial, according to solicitor Jerry Schenkman. The land development plans will now head to the board of supervisors for review and action.
Source: The Reporter; 4/8/2022

Updated plans call for fewer apartments at Quality Inn site in West Goshen
After West Goshen supervisors told a builder last year that a 290-apartment proposal was not a good fit for the site of the Quality Inn & Suites at 943 S. High St., new downsized plans by the builder call for 167 units. Sam Tarantini, managing director of Branchport Capitol, pitched construction of 80 one-bedroom, 37 studio and 51 two-bedroom apartments for lease at market rates, with no student or Section 8 renters. Tarantini is a contract purchaser and would only buy the property on a contingency basis. Supervisor Shaun Walsh asked the developer if construction of storage units only, without building apartments, is a viable option and was told that it was not. The property is currently not zoned for apartment usage, and the township’s zoning map would have to be amended to accommodate the developer’s plans. Residents attending the supervisors discussion about the property spoke about the possible impact on their quiet neighborhood. Current zoning would allow for retail, medical offices, a fitness center or warehouse uses. Police Chief Joseph Carroll said the Quality Inn, which includes a bar and restaurant, requires an unusually high level of police attention.
Source: Daily Local; 4/7/2022

No new taxes as county boosts salaries
Chester County commissioners approved salary increases and pay grade adjustments for county employees for the 2023 budget that will not cause any rise in the property tax rate. The compensation plan announced to the county’s 2,450 full- and part-time employees will increase the salaries of all of the county’s non-union workers, from corrections officers to clerks in district courts, county librarians and emergency call takers and dispatchers. The vote came after a massive study of the county’s pay system that verified what had long been suggested — that the county was bleeding members of its workforce by the dozens and was in danger of not being able to staff vital positions, including corrections officers at Chester County Prison and deputy sheriffs in the county Justice Center. The new system will mean salary increases of at least 3% for all employees who are not in bargaining units, estimated at about 2,100 workers, according to county staff. Those who bargain collectively with the county will see their salaries reviewed separately, officials said. The cost to the county of the upgrade will be $7.4 million, about $5.6 million of which will be counted in this year’s $688 million budget.
Source: Daily Local; 4/11/2022

Study reveals what Kennett residents want to see in 22-acre NVF parcel
It’s been more than a decade since Kennett Square officials began working on a plan to develop the last undeveloped parcel in the borough. The 22-acre National Vulcanized Fiber (NVF) property off Mulberry Street still needs remediation because it is located at the former Nozesky junkyard. More than 25 years ago, 2,000 drums contaminated with pentachlorophenol, a carcinogen, were dug up by the Environmental Protection Agency. Last week, results of a survey asking residents what they want to see in the property was released. In a nutshell, they want to see attractive and attainable housing options, including pocket neighborhoods and some open space. Of the 815 responses, 419 were from borough residents and 297 came from people who work in Kennett. The average age of the respondents was 50. Nearly 40% of Spanish-speaking respondents said that $150,000 is the maximum affordable price they would pay for a home, while 60% of English survey respondents put this figure between $350,000 and $500,000. The maximum affordable monthly rent is between $1,250 and $2,000 for English-speaking respondents, and between $600 and $1,000 for Spanish-speaking respondents. Overwhelmingly, respondents said they want to see a diversity of housing options at different price points, a mixed-use community with commercial spaces that encourage walkability, and green space. About 53% of respondents said they would like to see pocket neighborhoods at the NVF site, 35% want single-family, detached homes with low density, and 23% want single-family detached homes with high density. Only 19% want to see duplexes.
Source: Daily Local; 4/6/2022

Final preservation piece in place at Bryn Coed Farms
The final piece of a “conservation community” in northern Chester County fell into place recently with the sale and preservation of a lot at the Bryn Coed Preserve — once the largest remaining unprotected swath of land in the Philadelphia area — by a private buyer. The entirety of the land is now protected from development forever, according to a press release from Natural Lands, the regional land conservation organization that put together the effort to save the former farm from development. Part of the plan called for the sale of just over 900 of the property’s 1,505 acres to private buyers who would agree to strictly limit the number of homes or buildings that could be constructed on the lots. The sale of those lots would then fund the organization’s purchase of the land for conservation. Natural Lands president Oliver Bass estimated that there were 39 lots divided from the acreage, one of the largest being a 72-acre parcel that was purchased by West Vincent Township for use as a municipal park. All buyers had to agree to preserve the land and not subdivide it further; only two structures are allowed on each property — a home, perhaps, and an accessory building, such as a barn with a living space attached. Bryn Coed Preserve, located on St. Matthews Road, is free and open to the public.
Source: Daily Local; 4/10/2022

Upper Oxford puts property owners on notice about high grass and weeds
Upper Oxford Township posted a public notice — which municipal officials commonly use to advertise upcoming meetings and votes — to remind property owners of the provisions of Ordinance No. 1991-4. The ordinance states that no properties in the township should have grass, weeds or any vegetation whatsoever not edible or planted for some useful or ornamental purpose, that exceed a height of fifteen 15 inches. Nor shall any noxious weeds prohibited by the Noxious Weed Control Law or by regulations of the Department of Agriculture be permitted to grow within Upper Oxford Township.
Source: Daily Local; 4/8/2022

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