City of Philadelphia working through law firm to discover unpaid business income taxes
Realtors and real estate brokers across southeastern Pennsylvania have begun receiving notices from the law firm Goehring, Rutter & Boehm (GRB Law) announcing they are working on behalf of the City of Philadelphia “to discover businesses that are not filing Business Income & Receipts Tax (BIRT) returns and may owe taxes.” Suburban Realtors Alliance staff have verified through Philadelphia’s Department of Revenue that GRB and other collection agencies are indeed contracted by the city, and are working to verify whether outstanding BIRT is owed by real estate professionals who have transacted property in Philadelphia. To learn more about the BIRT, visit the Business Taxes page of the city’s website

Suburban Philadelphia is one of nation’s most competitive rental markets, report says
A new report from RentCafe ranks the suburban Philadelphia area rental market as the 15^th most competitive large rental market in the nation due to high demand and limited supply. RentCafe defines the suburban Philadelphia rental market as: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Berks counties in Pennsylvania; Cecil County in Maryland; Kent and New Castle counties in Delaware; and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic and Cape May counties in New Jersey. RentCafe assigned suburban Philadelphia a “rental competitivity index” (RCI) of 85, based on metrics that include: apartment occupancy rate; average total days vacant; prospective renters per vacant unit; renewal lease rate; and share of new apartments completed during the same timeframe compared to the existing overall supply at the start of the fourth quarter of 2022. The national RCI score at the start of 2023 is 60, which is considered a moderately competitive market. Two other Pennsylvania markets made the top 20 nationally in RCI: Greater Harrisburg with a score of 111, and Pittsburgh with a score of 80. Overall, eight of the nation’s 20 most competitive large-markets for renting are in the Northeast. Small rental markets were also ranked, and the Allentown-Bethlehem area in Pennsylvania emerged as the third-most competitive small market at the start of 2023, with an RCI score of 124.
Source: CPBJ; 3/21/2023

City expert predicts the future of commercial real estate
Greg Lindsay, an expert on the future of cities, talked with 2022 Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (PAR) president Chris Beadling about nomad cities, mixed use properties, the everywhere office, technology and mobility in a PAR webinar. Beadling asked Lindsey about the biggest changes commercial real estate has seen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “Obviously, we’re seeing the normalization of hybrid work,” Lindsey said. “It’s really interesting watching the evolution of remote work. There’s a set of data showing, for example, that people are slowly returning to the office.” Lindsey thinks small cities will benefit the most from COVID-19 changes. He said that most people prize smaller, walkable cities that have an urban feel and character to them, but don’t have the downsides that come with city living. He noted that as millennials age they are looking for places to raise their children, leading them to places like Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, though he did point out that he thinks “Philly is the most underrated city in America” when it comes to cost of living versus amenities.
Source: PARJustListed; 3/29/2023

PennDOT posts transportation survey
PennDOT is conducting a survey and encouraging the public to share opinions, interests and concerns about transportation, particularly what is needed in local communities. Public input is an important part of PennDot’s 12-year transportation program update process, and it is also used to inform other state and regional transportation plans and programs, such as Pennsylvania’s long-range transportation plan.
Source: PennDOT

Lower Makefield looks at options to remedy structural deficit
Lower Makefield Township officials are looking at a variety of ways to address a structural budget deficit. Although the township is in a strong cash position with many millions of dollars from the sale of its sewer system, among other cash infusions, its expenses exceed revenues from regular recurring sources like property taxes. Supervisors Chairman Fredric Weiss said “everything is on the table at this point.” Possible remedies listed on a board of supervisors’ agenda earlier this month included a home rule charter, special purpose real estate taxes, a local earned income tax, and expense/service reductions. Weiss said a special meeting will likely be held soon. Watch the Lower Makefield Township website for upcoming agendas.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 3/21/2023

Bensalem approves hotel at Parx Casino complex
Bensalem Township Council recently approved plans for the Parx Casino Hotel to be built at the casino complex on Street Road. The 13-story hotel will include a restaurant on the top floor, a coffee shop, a spa, a fitness center, and a convention center/banquet hall that will have a maximum capacity of 800 people. The hotel is a multimillion-dollar project that will bring new jobs to the area, according to Mike Meginniss, legal counsel for the project.
Source: Lower Bucks Times; 3/27/2023

Watch: Webinar covers U&O issues in Bucks
The Bucks County Association of Realtors (BCAR) hosted a webinar on Use & Occupancy Tips for Bucks County Realtors on March 29. The webinar was hosted by Suburban Realtors Alliance (SRA) president/CEO Jamie Ridge and SRA board chair Maryellen O’Brien. The 40-minute virtual meeting reviewed SRA services, trends in municipal U&O permit processes, and best practices during resale inspections. Watch a recording of the webinar on Youtube. Access to SRA services is a member benefit for all BCAR members, and includes use of the municipal database, weekly news briefs and advocacy services.

April 14 court date set for competing Central Bucks School Board voting maps
The two competing petitions to redistrict the electoral regions of the Central Bucks School District will get their day in court, as President Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. of the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County issued an order to schedule a hearing for Friday, April 14. The hearing was originally scheduled for Feb. 9 but canceled due to a full bench recusal of the Bucks County Court. The full recusal eliminated the possibility for either map to be selected for use in the 2023 election. The school district is currently divided into nine regions that are to be equally populated based upon census data. Every four years voters cast a ballot for a candidate running to represent their region for a four-year term, however not all nine seats on the board are up for election at the same time. The school board’s voting map proposal reapportioned electors through a redraw of the nine regions. If it had been adopted, the redraw would have kept thousands of voters from casting a vote for director until 2025. The proposed map from CBSD Fair Votes creates three regions and provides three school board directors to represent each region, and would provide voters an opportunity to vote every other year for a candidate to represent their region on the school board. The hearing will be before Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Senior Judge Cheryl Lynne Austin at 9:30 a.m. on April 14 in Courtroom 410 of the Bucks County Justice Center, located at 100 N. Main St. in Doylestown.
Source: Bucks County Beacon; 3/14/2023

Central Bucks legal fees estimated to reach $1 million
Central Bucks School District recently revealed details of the price tag for the Duane Morris law firm, the district’s legal counsel hired to defend against allegations of discrimination toward LGBTQ students. The district’s chief of operations, Tara Houser, revealed the district is estimated to amass at least $1 million in legal fees — much more than the $250,000 reported last week. Central Bucks hired the firm to represent the district in connection with the ACLU of Pennsylvania’s federal complaint alleging the district created a “hostile environment” for LGBTQ students. The U.S. Department of Education is investigating the district. The firm is also conducting an internal probe into the allegations within the ACLU complaint and two other complaints that were filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, according to its letter of agreement to the district dated Nov. 1. Read more here.
Source: WHYY; 3/23/2023

Middletown zoning hearing board approves apartment complex expansion
The Middletown Township Zoning Hearing Board recently approved an expansion of the Orchard Square Apartments at 1801 Old Lincoln Highway, near Neshaminy High School. Under the approval, the project must include year-round buffers between the complex and neighboring Fairhill and Granite roads. The project will consist of five two-story buildings with a 4,851-square-foot clubhouse and swimming pool for the use of tenants attached to one of the structures. The proposed complex addition includes a total of 36 one-bedroom units, 28 units with two bedrooms and eight units with three bedrooms, leaving the full complex at 76 units with one bedroom, 72 with two bedrooms and eight with three bedrooms. Final approval by the township supervisors is necessary before construction can begin.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 3/23/2023 & The Reporter; 3/28/2023

West Chester apartments and retail planned at former Burger King property
Plans were submitted to West Chester Borough to build 125 apartments, 9,200 square feet of retail space, and 170 parking spots on a 1.3-acre lot at 410 S. High St. Property owners Gary D. Saluti and Suzanne Dunphy, along with equity owner High Street 410, plan to construct up to three stories of living units for a 145,460-square-foot multi-use building. The former Burger King building measures about 4,900 square feet. A below-ground garage will hold 114 vehicles, and 31 cars will be housed on the ground level, with 25 bonus spots leased to residents requiring more than one parking space. No renderings of the building’s design have been submitted yet. The borough planning commission viewed the preliminary plans and will decide whether or not to recommend the project to council members to vote for or against preliminary approval at the June 20 council meeting. Council might then vote on whether to give final approval at the September meeting. Borough ordinances would not allow students to live in the planned apartments. The living units would be offered at market rates.
Source: Daily Local; 3/22/2023

‘Jumpstart’ Coatesville launches to support aspiring developers
Jumpstart Coatesville is a community development program that will train, mentor and help provide funding to aspiring real estate developers in the City of Coatesville. The program focuses on removing blight through scatter site rehabilitation, and creating a mix of affordable, workforce and market-rate housing while avoiding gentrification through steady growth and keeping wealth local. Jumpstart aims to create opportunities for local residents to invest in the revitalization of their own neighborhoods. The investments will create safer neighborhoods and raise property values through blight reduction. Jumpstart will also help first-time investors become more attractive to lenders, which will help increase diversity and change the face of real estate development. In 2017 the median sold price of a residential property in Coatesville was $76,000. In 2021 the median sale price jumped to over $110,000 — nearly a 50% increase. Property values were predicted to increase by another 11% in 2022. Jumpstart Coatesville will encourage city residents to take advantage of a pivotal point in Coatesville’s revitalization through real estate investment and development training.
Source: Daily Local; 3/22/2023

Oxford Borough receives grants for stormwater, transportation improvements
Oxford Borough recently received several grants, including a $105,104 Chesco Chesapeake Communities Action Plan (C3AP) grant to support the borough’s stormwater best management plan projects. The C3AP outlines methods to reduce nutrients and sediment to improve the water quality of local streams and to reduce pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay. Through a partnership with the Community of Love Lutheran Church, the borough will implement a bio-retention wetland project on church property. The borough is also receiving a $150,000 Multimodal Transportation Fund grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to support road and streetscape improvements along Mount Vernon Street. The project will also include the replacement of underground water lines and construction of a rain garden and traffic-calming bump-outs. The bump-outs will improve stormwater conveyance and help the borough meet its MS4 pollutant reduction requirements. 
Source: Chester County Press; 3/28/2023

Kennett Collaborative announces new ‘collaborator’ program
Kennett Collaborative’s new “collaborator” program launched on March 5 to coincide with the nonprofit’s 37th anniversary. Anyone can become a 2023 collaborator with a donation of $150 or more, and enjoy benefits like discounts at participating Kennett businesses, early access to ticket sales for Brewfest, Winterfest and Summerfest, and monthly collaborator emails with “first to know” updates from around town.
Source: Chester County Press; 3/28/2023

Willistown’s historic Kirkwood Farm sold to M. Night Shyamalan
A 218-acre estate in bucolic Willistown has been sold to film writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, who lives in the township. Local conservationists are hopeful about reports that the new owner intends to preserve the farm as open space. “We are really excited about the prospect of this land not going to a developer,” said Kate Etherington, president of the Willistown Conservation Trust. Etherington said the next step in preserving the land would be a conservation easement. Kirkwood Farm, located on Providence Road, south of White Horse Village, has pastures, old-growth trees, hills and a stream. The residences, some of which are fieldstone, were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. The property was sold to Shyamalan by descendants of oil magnate William Rockefeller Jr. for $24 million on March 16, according to records.
Source: Daily Local; 3/24/2023 & Malvern Patch; 3/29/2023

Has your Chester County buyer received notice of a reassessment?
Has your buyer received notice of a county reassessment after purchasing a property? If so, the Suburban Realtors Alliance would like to hear from you at sra@suburbanrealtorsalliance.com, as we try to understand the criteria and methods Chester County uses to determine which properties require a new assessment. The Alliance has engaged in discussions with county officials on the topic previously. In 2021, we reported that the Chester County assessment office observed a significant increase in purchases by LLCs that make improvements to properties and sell them, all without filing requisite permit applications with local municipalities. The assessment office now reviews all property transfers for LLCs, and in some cases the assessments for properties are being adjusted accordingly. Recently, however, we have heard reports of reassessments of homes in which no LLCs were involved. One common thread with the latest reassessments is that the county is using MLS photos to determine whether improvements have been made to the property. If a newly finished basement, addition, or remodeled kitchen or bathroom is seen in the photos, the county conducts a reassessment of the property.