PA will get $240M for clean water issues under bipartisan infrastructure bill
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that Pennsylvania will receive $240 million to improve water infrastructure, tackling lingering issues like environmental justice and contamination from “forever chemicals.” The money comes from the $1 trillion bipartisan bill signed by President Joe Biden last month. EPA head Michael Regan sent a letter to governors urging them to target resources to disadvantaged communities, make rapid progress on “lead-free water for all,” and address PFAS contamination — a major issue in Pennsylvania. The infrastructure bill does not cite specific projects it will fund. Rather, it authorizes blocks of money to be used for certain types of projects over a number of years. The money is given to states through a formula. Governors and state agencies decide which projects to prioritize. Overall, the infrastructure bill calls for a $50 billion investment nationally in water and wastewater infrastructure, the largest amount the federal government has made available for water, according to the letter Regan sent to governors. Within that, the bill calls for $15 billion to replace lead pipes, and $10 billion for PFAS contamination. Elizabeth Rementer, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said the $240 million in new funding will be administered by Pennvest, which uses a formula that will ensure funding goes to “communities with the most significant needs and least capacity to finance needed repairs and upgrades.”
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 12/6/2021

Southeastern Pennsylvania to get new area code
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Thursday announced the assignment of 835 as a new area code for the areas served by the 610 and 484 area codes. The 610/484 calling area serves Berks, Delaware, Chester, Lehigh and Northampton counties, along with a portion of Montgomery County. NANPA says the supply of available telephone numbers in the 610/484 area is estimated to be exhausted in early 2023. No new 835 numbers will be assigned in the area until the remaining 610/484 numbers are exhausted. At that point, all future phone number assignments will be made in the new 835 area code. Dialing will remain the same. Calls to and from numbers inside the 610/484/835 area will require dialing 10 digits. Calls to numbers in another area code will require dialing 1 followed by the 10-digit phone number.
Source: Daily Local; 12/4/2021

Research: Restricting Airbnb rentals reduces development
It’s well-known that one of the downsides of short-term rentals (STRs) is that they can reduce the availability of housing for long-term residents, thus driving up both rents and house prices for locals. In a previous study, Harvard Business Review (HBR) found that home-sharing through Airbnb alone is responsible for about 20% of the average annual increase in U.S. rents, leading many policymakers to take an understandably aggressive approach to regulating STRs. However, while the short-term impact is well established, the longer-term impact of the last decade’s boom in STRs is less clear. Could the immediate harm of services like Airbnb to the local economy be offset or even outweighed by the long-term increase in demand they create? HBR conducted a large-scale study analyzing a decade’s worth of Airbnb listings and residential permit applications in the U.S. The study identified a clear connection between STRs and residential permits. On average, a 1% increase in Airbnb listings led to a 0.769% increase in permit applications, suggesting that Airbnb can play a major role in supporting local real estate markets and thus boosting local tax bases. Given these findings, it follows that restricting STRs can have a significant, negative impact on local economic activity. Read more here.
Source: Harvard Business Review; 11/17/2021

FAQ: National Flood Insurance Program expires Feb. 18, 2022
NFIP’s authority to provide flood insurance is currently set to expire at midnight on Friday, Feb. 18, 2022. The National Association of Realtors^® (NAR) is making every effort to secure a long-term reauthorization of the program and has compiled answers to frequently asked questions about what the situation means for upcoming closings plus proactive steps clients can take in the meantime.
Source: Nar.realtor; 12/3/2021

Woods Services looks to build ‘attainable’ apartments in Middletown
Woods Services’ plan to build an “attainable” apartment complex on Maple Avenue will come before the Middletown Township Zoning Hearing Board. The 42-unit apartment complex, which would house lower-income residents and people with disabilities, needs three variances to proceed — one to permit an apartment use, another on the maximum number of dwelling units permitted and a third on the building height, which would be 54 feet. The zoning regulations currently limit the height to 35 feet. Woods Services is a provider of both institutional and outpatient services to 18,000 children and adults with developmental delays and/or brain injuries. The group already has five housing units on the Maple Avenue property. In other news, Woods Services has reached an agreement of sale for Toll Brothers to purchase a tract of land off South Bellevue Avenue in Langhorne.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 12/7/2021

West Rockhill compressor air quality appeal to be decided by state board
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality permit for Adelphia Gateway’s planned compressor station in West Rockhill. The station, known as the Quakertown Compressor Station, is part of a process to convert an existing pipeline from oil to natural gas. Residents have raised concerns, including noise, pollution and safety. West Rockhill Township and Citizens for Clean Air appealed the permit, and a Pennsylvania court previously said the appeal should go before the state Environmental Hearing Board. Adelphia appealed the case to federal court, arguing that the Natural Gas Act made it a federal matter. In the Nov. 23 decision, U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Christopher Conner wrote, “A federal district court has no appellate jurisdiction over the final determinations of state courts.” He continued that the state court decision is the final one, unless the Pennsylvania Supreme Court were to reverse it.
Source: The Reporter; 12/6/2021

Nockamixon to see slight tax increase
Nockamixon Township supervisors reviewed a $1.13 million budget for 2022 that includes a one-third mill real estate tax increase. The same action was taken for last year’s budget, when the estimated annual average impact on residents was $11. The new millage rate will be 6.66 mills. The tax increase for 2022 is understood to be the second of three installments, for a total of 0.99 mills by 2023.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 12/2/2021

Lower Makefield considers dissolving pool contract with Yardley Borough
Lower Makefield Township supervisors will consider a motion at the Tuesday, Dec. 14, meeting to dissolve a long-standing agreement with neighboring Yardley Borough that charges borough residents the township rate for membership at the township pool. The original agreement provided for up to 50 borough residents to be charged the resident rate in exchange for the township’s use of the borough’s recreation room located behind the post office. Lower Makefield parks director Monica Tierney told supervisors that the township has never used the recreation room and the township has not been enforcing the cap on the discount, with at least 75 Yardley Borough residents currently being charged the township rate for pool membership. If the supervisors vote to terminate the agreement, beginning next year borough residents joining the pool would be charged the nonresident rate. Based on 2020 numbers, that would boost their rates from $420 for a family and $220 for an individual up to $570 for a family and $295 for an individual. Click here to read more about the supervisors’ discussion weighing the pros and cons of the issue.
Source: The Reporter; 12/5/2021

County agrees to $24.7M lease deal for Lake Galena
Bucks County commissioners unanimously voted to agree to a resolution with Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority that will lease Lake Galena for 50 years. The resolution includes restrictive covenants, conservation easements, access easements, and a 50-year lease of Lake Galena and its earthen dam. The deal is designed to safeguard the lake, its tributaries and the aquifer that feeds the man-made body of water that sits in New Britain Township near Doylestown. Officials framed the agreement as a win-win that will bring a one-time payment of $24.7 million to the county’s coffers and protect the water supply, habitation and the surrounding county-owned Peace Valley Park. “This is conservation and not a sale. Bucks County will still own the property,” Commissioners Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia said.
Source: LevittownNow.com; 12/1/2021

Sunoco ordered to dredge lake
Sunoco Pipeline LP will dredge at least six inches of sediment from Ranger Cove, part of Marsh Creek State Park in Upper Uwchlan Township. It will also replace fish, turtle and bird habitat, restore the shoreline, and reroute its Mariner East 2 pipeline, according to the state departments of environmental protection and conservation and natural resources, which jointly announced a settlement agreement with the company. The spill, which happened in August 2020 during construction of the troubled pipeline, contaminated wetlands, tributaries and part of the 535-acre lake. About 33 acres of the lake were placed off-limits to boating and fishing because of the spill. “Southeast Pennsylvania lost a significant recreational resource when the impacted area of the lake was closed due to the drilling fluid impacts, and many residents and community members expressed the need to restore those opportunities,” said Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. The natural resources department said it will use $4 million Sunoco is paying as part of the settlement for park rehabilitation and improvements that include an accessible boat launch, a visitor center and suppression of invasive species, among other things. The 1,784-acre park in Chester County hosts more than 1 million visitors each year. The agreement will allow Sunoco to resume construction of the pipeline with a new route and a different construction method that will eliminate the use of drilling fluids.
Source: Daily Local; 12/7/2021

Passenger railroad authority proposed by multi-county committee
A committee formed earlier this year with representatives from Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties to focus on the restoration of passenger rail service between Reading and Philadelphia is proposing the creation of an authority that would allow the group to receive federal funding and spend money to develop plans. The committee is about to unveil a resolution that will establish the Tri-County Passenger Railroad Authority. It will need to be approved by each county’s board of commissioners. The recent signing of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could help make the restoration of rail service a reality. The legislation included both a substantial investment in Amtrak and the allocation of money that targets passenger rail service to regions that are underserved — specifically looking at communities that have large minority populations, high percentages of low-income households and a large population without vehicles. “Reading checks all of those boxes and is in essence the anchor of this line,” Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinback said. Each county plans to contribute $250,000 to establish the authority. The resolution would establish a nine-member authority with three appointees from each county, who would be chosen at the discretion of the county commissioners. It would also include the need for reauthorization in three years to give county officials an opportunity to determine if the authority is a worthwhile effort.
Source: Daily Local; 12/2/2021

Kennett Township board in disagreement over future of open space and trails management
Kennett Township supervisors voted 2-1 at their Dec. 1 meeting to again table a decision that could dramatically alter the way the township manages open space acquisition and trail management. Supervisors Chairman Richard Leff’s proposal would eliminate the township’s Trails and Sidewalk Committee and its Land Conservation Advisory Committee (LCAC), opening the door for structural changes. “We need to change to get not only open space, but access — trails and access for parking — and also flexibility for unknown future goals,” Leff said. On the other side of the argument, consolidating resources would involve determining who would serve on any new committees that could be formed, which could lead to in-fighting between members of various committees, as well as run the risk of leaving several current projects on the table. Discussion on the proposed ordinance, which is expected to be in draft form soon, will resume at the board’s Wednesday, Dec. 15, meeting.
Source: Chester County Press; 12/7/2021

West Goshen mobile home residents to officials: Don’t kick us out
The owner of West Goshen Mobile Home Park might sell to a developer, prompting 80 park residents to meet with West Goshen supervisors John Hellmann and Robin Stuntebeck. Walkart Inc., the owner of the park located on West Chester Pike near Strasburg Road, has reached a contingency sale agreement with a buyer considering forcing residents out, razing the park and building apartments. MediaNews Group was unable to contact Walkart Inc. for comment. A Nov. 13 correspondence to mobile home park residents from Walkart reads: “This notification confirms that an Agreement of Sale to transfer the property was executed on October 15, 2021. This Agreement of Sale has contingencies that must be satisfied prior to a confirmed transfer of the property on December 30, 2021.” The property transfer is not final, and the township board of supervisors would need to change the zoning to allow for an apartment complex use from what is now a Multi-Purpose District. The current residential use is only allowed since it was grandfathered in. Pennsylvania state law requires that municipalities provide for zoning for mobile home parks, among many other types of uses. State law does not specifically require the township to provide zoning for “low-income housing.” According to Hellmann, no application for a zoning change or subdivision plans have been submitted to the township yet. The park was established in 1957 and is home to about 60 families. Pad rentals run about $600 per month, and many residents own their homes. Hellmann noted that township supervisors could not stop a sale, but could decide to not change the zoning to allow for construction of apartments.
Source: Daily Local; 12/6/2021

Philadelphia funeral homes will begin educating survivors about tangled property titles
Unclear legal ownership of properties threatens more than $1.1 billion in generational wealth in Philadelphia. Many residents don’t know they are living with tangled titles until a problem arises. Funeral service providers in Philadelphia will be required to tell people how to avoid muddled legal ownership of a property after an owner dies, according to legislation recently passed by city council. Unclear legal ownership of a property — also called a tangled title — makes it vulnerable to deed theft and disrepair. It prevents residents from selling their homes, using their home equity and qualifying for government help for home repairs. It threatens more than 10,400 homes in the city. Tangled titles most often occur when homeowners die and their heirs do not record new deeds for the homes. Properties with tangled titles are more likely to be abandoned, contributing to blight in neighborhoods and lowering property values. Residents need clear legal ownership to qualify for home repair grants from the city. Access to these grants is linked to a drop in crime, according to a University of Pennsylvania study. “Addressing tangled titles is one of the most monumental things we can do in the housing arena for individuals here in the city of Philadelphia,” said Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, who sponsored the legislation. The Philadelphia Department of Records and the Register of Wills will create a tangled title information sheet or packet that will describe the necessary steps heirs should take after the death of a property owner to legally transfer the property and avoid a tangled title. The information is expected to be available on the Department of Records website within six months. Read more about the details of the legislation here. Read more on the background and authorship of the bill here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 12/2/2021 and PlanPhilly; 12/2/2021

Philadelphians have gotten more Ida aid than residents of any other PA county
Philadelphians — along with residents of seven other Pennsylvania counties — are eligible for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program because of a federal disaster declaration. The remnants of Ida brought at least seven tornadoes to the Philly area, killed several people in the region, devastated businesses in Manayunk and filled Center City’s Vine Street Expressway with brown floodwaters. More than 43,200 Philadelphia households have applied for the aid and received a total of over $47 million, according to FEMA. That’s the majority of registrations statewide, where more than 63,500 households in eight eligible counties have applied and received a total of more than $71 million. The Individual Assistance program helps households pay for repairs to property damaged in disasters like Ida, and the deadline to apply for aid is quickly approaching. Read more here.
Source: PlanPhilly; 12/2/2021

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