Supreme Court ends CDC eviction moratorium
The U.S. Supreme Court ended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC’s) eviction moratorium Thursday night. In a 6-3 ruling, a majority of justices agreed that the stay on the lower court’s order finding the CDC’s eviction moratorium to be unlawful was no longer justified. In their order, the justices wrote, “The moratorium has put the applicants, along with millions of landlords across the country, at risk of irreparable harm by depriving them of rent payments with no guarantee of eventual recovery. Despite the CDC’s determination that landlords should bear a significant financial cost of the pandemic, many landlords have modest means.” The case was brought by the Georgia and Alabama associations of Realtors® and other property providers. In a statement, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) praised the ruling as the end of an "unlawful policy that places financial hardship solely on the shoulders of mom-and-pop housing providers." NAR reiterated its call to focus on getting nearly $50 billion dollars in federal rental assistance to the renters and landlords it was meant to help.
Source: NAR; 8/26/2021

As rental aid holdup threatens eviction catastrophe, Treasury loosens restrictions
The Treasury Department said Wednesday that state and local governments had disbursed just over 10% of federal rental assistance funds as of the end of July, indicating that millions could be at risk of losing their homes once eviction protections end. Treasury data show that bottlenecks continue to plague the $46.5 billion program that Congress first authorized in December to help keep tenants housed and landlords on solid financial footing amid a nationwide eviction moratorium. In an effort to streamline the release of the funds, the Treasury recently announced that governments could rely on self-attestations of income, financial hardship and housing instability from individuals seeking aid. Stockton Williams, executive director of the National Council of State Housing Agencies, called the new guidance a “game changer” that will expedite the process of getting financial assistance to people who need it. Read more here.
Source: Politico; 8/25/2021

Aqua seeks big rate increases for water, sewer bills
Aqua Pennsylvania, the Bryn Mawr company that has been buying up public utilities in the Philadelphia suburbs in recent years, is seeking to increase water bills for 445,000 customers by 17% and sewer bills by almost double that. Aqua filed a request with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) that would boost a typical residential water bill by 17%, or nearly $12, for a total monthly bill of more than $81. Residential bills for Aqua’s 45,000 wastewater customers would increase by 33%, or $18.44, for a total of nearly $74. The combined rate increase would raise Aqua Pennsylvania’s annual revenue by $98 million, about 18%, according to an Aqua spokeswoman. The PUC can take up to nine months to rule on a rate request. The claims that the rate increase is to recover $1.1 billion that it spent to upgrade its distribution and treatment systems, including a new $8 million laboratory opened last month at its Bryn Mawr headquarters. The announcement did not quantify the impact of its recent purchases of several municipal water and wastewater systems.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/23/2021

BCAR announces Realtor Relief funding for flood victims
The Bucks County Association of Realtors (BCAR) was awarded a $200,000 grant by the National Association of Realtors Relief Foundation to help individuals and families affected by the flooding that occurred on July 12 in Bensalem Township, Bristol Township and Bristol Borough. Qualified applicants can receive up to $1,000 to be used exclusively for the monthly mortgage expense on a primary residence or rental housing cost due to displacement from a primary residence resulting from the flood disaster. Residents can apply for assistance on the BCAR website by completing an application and uploading required documents. The application deadline is Monday, Sept. 30, and awards will be made on a first-come, first-served basis, or until the fund is depleted. Contact BCAR with any questions by email at info@bucksrealtor.com or by calling 215-956-9176, option “0”. Read more here.
Source: Bucks County Association of Realtors & Bucks County Courier Times; 8/23/2021

Falls approves 1M-square-foot warehouse at Keystone Trade Center
Falls Township supervisors recently approved the next phase of development at the Keystone Trade Center, the former site of U.S. Steel. The supervisors voted to allow NorthPoint Development LLC to begin construction of a 49-foot-high, 1-million-square-foot warehouse on 60 acres on the southwest side of River Road. When complete, the project is expected to include 15 million square feet of warehousing in 20 or more buildings, and create between 5,000 and 10,000 new jobs. The site was designated as a Keystone Opportunity Investment Zone last year by Falls, the Pennsbury School Board and the Bucks County Commissioners. The designation exempts the development from taxes on improvements to the land for a 15-year period through Dec. 31, 2035. Instead, the developer agreed to a payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreement, which requires NorthPoint to pay 110% of the pre-development taxes owed to the three taxing authorities each year.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/17/2021

Revitalization is making Dublin Borough a Central Bucks hotspot
With $25 million in planned redevelopment, Dublin Borough could be the next destination town in Bucks County. The repurposing and restoration of an old pants factory and the Dublin Tech Center, called The Square, is leading the way, and more is planned. An overall revitalization project spans over 17 acres along state Route 313 (North Main Street) and Elephant Road. Townhomes are being built outside of The Square, and Grandview Health is opening a medical outpatient building in the fall. There are plans to revitalize the old Dublin Diner, and a former Dublin service station is being repurposed into a food and drink market. Follow Discover Dublin Inc. on Facebook for information and updates.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/24/2021

Hulmeville celebrates its 150^th anniversary in 2022
Hulmeville will celebrate its 150^th anniversary as a borough in 2022 and will usher in the celebration starting this fall. A fun run and walk will be held Saturday, Oct. 9, ghost tours will be held every Saturday in October, and a holiday house tour is tentatively scheduled. A history book first written for the town’s 100^th anniversary in 1972 is being updated. For more information on upcoming events, visit the Hulmeville 150th anniversary website.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 7/27/2021

Northampton to hold public meeting for proposed Wawa
(Please take notice that this meeting has been postponed.) The Northampton Township Board of Supervisors will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the township building, 55 Township Road, Richboro. Supervisors will consider a preliminary/final plan of subdivision and land development for property located at 287 Holland Road, where Provco Pinegood Northampton plans to build a Wawa. Copies of the plans are available on the township website. The agenda for the public meeting will be posted on the township website at least one day before the meeting. Northampton Township has updated mask and attendance protocols for public meetings.
Source: Northampton Township; 8/17/2021

Chesco enters into regional power agreement to combat climate change
Chester County Commissioners have agreed to participate in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Power Agreement Partnership, which will explore the feasibility of a regional power purchasing agreement including Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery counties. The partnership will consider the benefits, implications and economies of scale involved in combining the electric needs of multiple counties, municipalities, and other institutions and authorities, as well as the potential to pursue development of a large-scale renewable energy facility, to be operated by an outside company or entity. “We have an obligation to find ways to fight the effects of climate change,” said Commissioners’ Chairwoman Marian Moskowitz. “By our signing onto this plan with our neighboring counties, we hope to encourage other counties, municipalities and even institutions to join with us. The more partners we ultimately have, and the larger the electric capacity involved, the more competitive renewable electricity costs can be.” Creating a larger renewable electricity demand would incentivize an energy developer to build a facility to feed electricity into the power grid, reducing energy costs. Another potential benefit of the partnership is the creation of green jobs and economic opportunity in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Source: Daily Local; 8/24/2021

County expected to grow more quickly than rest of region
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) recently announced its new population and employment forecasts for the region through 2050. While not experiencing quite as much growth as forecasted in the past, the Chester County continues to grow at a significant rate, leading the region in both number of residents added, as well as percentage growth. The new forecasts replace DVRPC’s previous 2045 forecasts, and include a population estimate of 645,673 residents by the year 2050 — a growth rate of 25.4%. The new forecast anticipates 373,664 workers by 2050 — a growth rate of 23.5%. The Delaware Valley region is seeing much slower growth overall, with an expected population growth of 7.6% and an employment growth rate of 6.9% by 2050. Through initiatives found in Landscapes3, the county has implemented strategies to help communities accommodate this growth while preserving Chester County’s character. The forecasts were developed by DVRPC staff in collaboration with planning staff throughout the member counties and cities. To learn more about Chester County’s recent population and demographics data, visit the planning commission’s data, maps and reports.
Source: Chester County; 7/26/2021

Schuylkill supervisors to consider soliciting changes, regional comprehensive plan
The Schuylkill Township Board of Supervisors will hold a public meeting to consider amending the peddling and soliciting ordinance and the adoption of the Phoenixville regional comprehensive plan. The amendments to the peddling and soliciting ordinance may be found here. More information about the Phoenixville Regional Planning Committee may be found here. The public hearing will take place Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m. as an in-person meeting at Township Hall, 111 Valley Park Road, Phoenixville, and virtually via Zoom. Information on how to attend virtually will be posted on the Schuylkill Township website.
Source: Mercury; 8/25/2021

West Brandywine to consider change to open space procedures
The Board of Supervisors of West Brandywine Township will hold a public hearing to consider and vote on an ordinance to rescind and repeal Ordinance No. 07-02 which adopted the township’s open space protection priorities plan. The supervisors desire to amend the plan from time to time without having to enact an ordinance. Pennsylvania Act 153 of 1996 does not require the enactment of an ordinance to approve an open space protection priorities plan and amendments thereto. In the future, the supervisors will approve the plan and amendments by resolution. The ordinance will be considered for repeal on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the West Brandywine Township Building, 198 Lafayette Road.
Source: Daily Local; 8/25/2021

West Pikeland supervisors to consider regional comprehensive plan
The West Pikeland Township Board of Supervisors will consider adopting the Phoenixville regional comprehensive plan at a special meeting. Copies of the plan are available on the township website. The meeting will take place on Monday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the West Pikeland Township Meeting Room, 1645 Art School Road, Chester Springs.
Source: Daily Local; 8/20/2021

Delta variant leads city firms to delay office openings
Many Center City firms were eyeing the week after Labor Day to have employees return to office work spaces. But many in the city, and the region, are pushing back return-to-office dates as the delta variant surges. Philadelphia has suffered 40% of the region’s COVID-19 job losses and had a 9.4% unemployment rate in June — higher than pre-pandemic levels. Paul Levy, president and CEO of the Center City District, said “the optimism was palpable” a month ago. The Center City District estimates there are 100,000 missing employees in Center City — workers not taking SEPTA, eating lunch out and shopping. There were various measures that indicated the city’s economy was recovering in late spring and early summer, but the delayed return of city workers is the latest setback in Philadelphia’s pandemic recovery. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/25/2021

Planned Germantown North zoning changes detailed online
The Philadelphia Planning Commission is leading a comprehensive look at the zoning in northern Germantown for the first time in over 40 years. The commission has created a virtual open house for the public to stay informed about the project. Zoning sets the framework for development, by controlling the size and shape of new buildings and how they’re used. The commission has produced a fact sheet showing the remapping area boundaries, which run from Rittenhouse Street to Johnson Street on the west, and Haines Street to Tulpehocken Street on the east. In 2018, the commission recommended zoning changes throughout Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill as part of the Philadelphia 2035 Comprehensive Plan. Now, it’s time to review the recommendations with community organizations, residents, businesses and other stakeholders. Subsequent revisions will be presented in October, and then a final set of recommendations will be made to city council.
Source: Philadelphia Planning Commission; 8/25/2021

A significant chunk of Philly’s CARES Act money is paying for police and prisons
Upwards of a third of Philadelphia’s first round of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds appears to have been spent on staffing costs for city police, prisons and the fire department. A little more than $276 million came to Philadelphia last year from the U.S. Department of Treasury as part of the federal CARES Act. How the city should allocate the “Coronavirus Relief Fund” money was far from clear, as the true costs of Philly’s COVID-19 efforts are still an open question — as is the full effect of the economic downturn on the city budget. Last October, city officials reported plans to allocate around $105 million of the relief cash to cover staffing costs for “public health and public safety.” Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration later acknowledged the oblique phrase encompassed the city's police department, fire department, department of prisons and department of public health. Read more here.
Source: WHYY; 8/25/2021

Philly cracks down on Kensington encampments as homelessness crisis intensifies
Drug activity and homelessness has intensified in the shadow of the El between the Somerset and Allegheny stops on the Market-Frankford Line. The situation toward Allegheny Avenue grew even more intense after SEPTA briefly closed the Somerset El stop in January. The area is the aortic valve of the region’s opioid crisis, where an estimated billion-dollar drug trade draws thousands from all over the region into the post-industrial neighborhood. Longtime neighborhood residents, business owners and some elected officials have been pushing Mayor Kenney’s administration to fix the untenable living conditions — especially those brought by widespread homelessness. Last month, the city announced plans to clear out two of the larger encampments: one just north of K&A, the other about a mile south on Lehigh Avenue. Official estimates vary as to how many people are living on Kensington’s streets. City housing officials say 300; police estimated over 650 people this summer. That’s anywhere from three to six times the mere 100 emergency shelter beds that were available in June, WHYY News reported. Housing justice advocates have criticized the city’s treatment of encampment residents in both Kensington and Center City, alleging that officials fail to provide adequate long-term housing options after shutting down their living sites. Read more here.
Source: Billy Penn; 8/18/2021

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