News Briefs Archive July 11, 2022
General News
PAR offers free, five-part Realtor Campaign School
Realtors who are considering a run for local elected office or helping to run a campaign can learn the key elements to winning an election during the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors’ five-session campaign school starting Wednesday, July 27. The free, virtual training sessions will give attendees a leading edge over their opponents. The campaign school will be split into five 60-minute sessions with courses covering fundraising, grassroots, communications, digital strategy and more. The first session will focus on the decision-making process of whether or not to run for office and a step-by-step process to get onto the ballot. The registration deadline for the first session is July 22. Learn more and register here.
Source: PA Realtors; 6/29/2022
Mortgage lending down sharply nationwide, but Philly area bucks trends
In the beginning of 2022, the number of new home loans nationwide dropped faster than it has in years, as the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose from about 3% to 4.67%. But in the Philadelphia region, the number of mortgages grew. Nationwide, lenders originated 2.71 million home loans in the first quarter of this year, according to a report from the real estate data firm Attom. That number was down 32% from the same time in 2021 and represents the largest annual drop since 2014, according to Attom. The Philadelphia metropolitan area was one of only three regions out of the 216 studied where the total number of mortgages that lenders issued increased from the last quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022. The Philly metro area had the biggest increase in refinanced loans from the fourth quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022. Refinances were up nearly 8%. The region also was one of only 11 metro areas where purchase loans increased during this period. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/9/2022
State police tool delivers crime, traffic data
When crimes and crashes are investigated by Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), the statistical data is available online through the Community Access to Information Dashboard (CAID)?, which PSP launched one year ago with the goal of increasing transparency. The dashboard contains no information that could be used to identify individuals involved. The dashboard includes statistical information as far back as 2019. “This tool allows for residents, visitors and members of the media to access PSP statistical call data with a few clicks,” said PSP Commissioner Robert Evanchick. Visit the Community Access to Information Dashboard. Read more here.
Source: Bucks Herald; 6/17/2022
Biden administration looks for ways to expand the supply of available homes
The Biden administration has tried to address the U.S. housing crisis by providing tens of billions of dollars in emergency pandemic rent relief, federal dollars that are now mostly spent. Biden and allies also negotiated tens of billions more in support for public housing and rental vouchers, although these funds were ultimately blocked in Congress. High inflation and low apartment vacancies have caused the White House to pivot to a different strategy — expanding the supply of available homes. At the core of this housing supply action plan is a federal push to budge local zoning codes that restrict or forbid apartments across vast swaths of the country. Balancing America’s lopsided housing markets means rethinking the codes that allowed these patterns to take hold, and to accomplish this the White House is looking to see if it has more leverage with city and county governments than it found with congressional lawmakers. Read more here.
Source: Bloomberg/CityLab; 7/5/2022
PA updates property assessment ratios, with big change in Delco
The State Tax Equalization Board has posted updated common level ratios (CLRs), which are figures used in property tax assessment appeals. The CLR is a measure of how a county’s base year assessments compare with current real estate market valuations. For example, in the new batch of CLR numbers that took effect July 1, Chester County’s new CLR equals 39.5% — meaning a property should be assessed at 39.5% of its market value to keep its taxes in line with assessments from the base year of 1996, which is the last time Chester County conducted a comprehensive assessment of all properties. The new ratios are:
- Bucks County: 3%
- Chester County: 5%
- Delaware County: 8%
- Montgomery County: 6%
- Philadelphia: 6%
Bucks County
Bristol Township approves homes off Bath Road
Bristol Township Council voted unanimously in favor of allowing Ralph DiGuiseppe, a longtime council member in neighboring Bristol Borough and developer of homes and other projects in Bucks County, to subdivide an existing property to construct six single-family homes on a 2.2-acre area of Bath Road and Century Avenue. The project is similar to other new construction in Bristol Township, where much of the land is already developed and part of planned communities that were built decades ago. Developers have been able to find smaller pieces of land or cobble a few parcels together to make for buildable lots, including in the Levittown and Croydon sections of the township.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 7/6/2022
East Rockhill to revise burning rules
East Rockhill Township supervisors are planning a revision to the township’s burn ordinance after a resident questioned the law. The existing ordinance, which prohibits the burning of logs or other materials generally used in recreational burning, technically bans all burning, including recreational fires like those in a fire pit, township officials said. Township solicitor Will Oetinger said the new proposal adds exceptions to the ordinance allowing ceremonial and recreational fires. The board then discussed when and where firepits and recreational burning should be allowed, and Oetinger said he will write up a draft version of the proposed revisions and bring that back to the board’s July meeting.
Source: The Reporter; 7/5/2022
Falls Township to host regional job fair
In an effort to assist local businesses in filling myriad job openings, Falls Township will host a job fair at Westaby Hall in the Fairless Hills Fire Department on Wednesday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature several hundred career opportunities from more than two dozen employers and businesses located in Falls and the surrounding area. Job seekers will have the chance to meet and interact with local employers and hiring managers. The event is free and open to the public. Job openings from various industries, including education, health care, financial services, food service, manufacturing, skilled labor, transportation, sales, custodial and automotive repair will be showcased. Click here for more information.
Source: LevittownNow.com; 6/28/2022
A secret cave that used to house Revolutionary War outlaws — British spies and armed thieves also known as the Doan gang — was recently discovered in Bucks County and is currently being excavated. The Doan brothers — Moses, Aaron, Levi, Mahlon and Joseph — along with their cousin Abraham robbed the Bucks County Treasury in 1781 and escaped with all of its funds. The money has never been located. George Washington considered the Doan gang “the greatest threat to the American cause.” Clint Flack, exhibit specialist at Doylestown’s Mercer Museum, said the excavation has been going on since 2019 but its connection to the Doan gang was just discovered.
Source: KYW Newsradio; 7/2/2022
Chester County
Chesco homeslessness survey shows 23% drop over two years
Chester County’s concerted effort to place more homeless individuals and families into permanent homes is paying off. The latest Point in Time count by the Chester County Department of Community Development shows a decrease in homelessness of 23% in the past two years. The count, mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was conducted overnight from Jan. 26 to 27. It showed that 402 people were experiencing homelessness, meaning they were living in a temporary shelter or sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation, such as a car, park, abandoned building, bus station or camping ground. The January 2020 count found 522 people who were homeless in the county. While the Point in Time data show only a snapshot of homelessness in the county, the count serves as a valuable tool for measuring the depth of the problem and shows the need for more affordable housing. During the four-year period from 2017 to 2020, the homeless count decreased by only 48 people, from 570 to 522. Chester County’s Partnership to End Homelessness brings together community agencies, local government, private and public organizations, nonprofits, foundations, faith communities, and people who have experienced homelessness.
Source: Chester County; 6/28/2022
PennDOT will wait until 2025 to make safety improvements at New Garden intersection
The intersection of Newark Road and Baltimore Pike in New Garden Township is one of the busiest and most dangerous intersections in Chester County. Both state roads are owned and managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Newark Road has a posted speed limit of 25 mph, and it draws an average of 7,700 vehicles per day, 9% of which are trucks, according to the latest traffic survey. Baltimore Pike, with a posted speed limit of 35 mph, draws 11,500 vehicles per day, 13% of which are tractor-trailers. In 2004, New Garden purchased property at the northwest corner of the intersection and donated the land to PennDOT in order to widen the roadway, but those improvements haven’t happened yet. The township has spent $500,000 on developing an architecture design to improve the intersection and also address stormwater management issues there. Around five years ago, PennDOT repaved the intersection and installed two small pedestrian buttons. Another signal was hit by a semi-truck at the northwest corner and never replaced. “Right now, this project has just entered the final design phase and is currently a PennDOT project,” said Robyn Briggs, community relations coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. “The estimated time for this project is possibly 2025. The estimated cost for the project is over $6 million, and it will be funded through 80% federal funds and 20% state funds.” Included in the cost is $750,000 for right-of-way acquisitions.
Source: Daily Local; 6/26/2022
Easttown passes ban on single-use plastic bags
Easttown Township’s Board of Supervisors passed Ordinance 450-2022, which sets standards for halting the sale or distribution of single-use plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, corner stores and other retailers. It also requires that paper bags consist of at least 40% recycled post-consumer content, puts a 15-cent fee on all other bags, and sets penalties for retailers who violate the law. In doing so, Easttown is the seventh municipality in Pennsylvania and the third in Chester County to pass similar legislation in the growing effort to rein in single-use plastics. The bill takes effect in January 2023.
Source: Daily Local; 6/24/2022
East Nantmeal to consider open space acquisition
The Board of Supervisors of East Nantmeal Township has scheduled a public hearing to discuss a potential open space acquisition and the expenditure of funds from the township open space fund. The township proposes to participate with Natural Lands Trust and Chester County in the purchase of a conservation easement applicable to approximately 94 acres on the property of Lane and Donna Keen, 1993 Fairview Road, with UPI numbers 24-5-40 and 24-5-97. The public hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 13, at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the East Nantmeal Township Building, 3383 Conestoga Road, Glenmoore.
Source: Daily Local; 6/28/2022
Delaware County
Wallingford-Swarthmore passes 2022-2023 budget with 3% tax increase
The Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board approved its final budget for the 2022-2023 school year. The millage rate will increase 3.06% from 27.0726 to 27.9010. The new rate will add roughly $277 to a home with an assessment of $335,000. However, the increased homestead exemption will bring the net increase in taxes down a bit to a median of 2.07% for those qualifying for the exemption, which includes most residential taxpayers in the district.
Source: The Swarthmorean; 7/1/2022
Edgmont to consider repeal of ordinance relating to finished basements
The Edgmont Township Board of Supervisors will consider repealing Ordinance No. 243 of 2020, which provided more strict standards under the Edgmont Township Building Code than does the Uniform Construction Code recognized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, by requiring emergency and rescue openings in any basement with habitable space when alterations or repairs have been made. Ordinance No. 243 was challenged by some local home builders. A public hearing will take place at the township building, 1000 Gradyville Road, Newtown Square, on Tuesday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the repeal.
Source: Daily Times; 6/28/2022
Ridley Township names RTK officer
Ridley Township commissioners adopted a Right-to-Know policy at their June meeting and named Assistant Township Manager Blaise Caponi as the township’s open records officer. Public records commonly requested from the township are available at the administrative office at 100 E. MacDade Blvd. or on the township website. Requests under the policy must be submitted in writing using the RTKL (Right-to-Know Law) Uniform Request Form available on the township website.
Source: The Chester Spirit; 6/29/2022
Springfield Township officials are considering whether they have a civil case against Prospect Medical Holdings after they say the for-profit healthcare system failed to develop a continuation of the emergency room facility at Springfield Hospital. Commissioner Daniel Laciano asked solicitor James Byrne to “research and, if necessary, file suit” against Prospect for violating an agreement that says the owner of the hospital “has to maintain the emergency room 24/7.” Though the ER was closed, outpatient services in the Healthplex Pavilion building adjacent to the hospital have remained open.
Source: The Chester Spirit; 6/29/2022
Montgomery County
Report: Some Montco school districts saw charter tuition bills jump over 100% during pandemic
During the pandemic, Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools saw double digit growth in tuition payments, which resulted in a corresponding increase in costs paid by school districts across the commonwealth. Every Montgomery County school district except Pottstown and Cheltenham was shown in the report to have seen double-digit percentage growth in their cyber charter tuition bills, with seven seeing increases over 100%, according to a report by Research for Action. The tuition windfall comes on top of a steady accumulation of budget surpluses by Pennsylvania’s 14 cyber charter schools. Those surpluses took a sharp uptick in the past two years, according to a study by the Pennsylvania Charter Performance Center, an arm of the advocacy group Children First. State law already prevents school districts from stockpiling excessive reserves but does not require Pennsylvania’s cyber charters to do the same. The issue matters to school districts that are responsible for paying public cyber charter tuition and taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill. Read the full article from The Reporter.
Source: The Reporter; 7/5/2022
Lehigh Valley Health Network plans for new hospital in western Montco
Lehigh Valley Health Network has acquired property in western Montgomery County, where it is in the early planning stages to build a "neighborhood" hospital. Allentown-based Lehigh Valley Health Network is proposing a new hospital at the 21-acre site along Route 100 and Grosser Road in Gilbertsville, Douglass Township. A spokesman for Lehigh Valley Health Network said the project is part of the health system's strategy to bring more doctors to communities where the need is the greatest and where there is demand for its services. More details will be provided as the health system moves forward with development.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 6/30/2022
Towamencin manager stepping down
Towamencin Township Manager Don Delamater recently informed the board of supervisors that he will be resigning his position, effective Sept. 16. Delamater was hired in June 2021 after the retirement of longtime manager Rob Ford. He cited personal reasons for the departure.
Source: The Reporter; 6/23/2022
Affordable housing projects in Hatfield awarded funding
State Rep. Steve Malagari (D-53) announced last week that two projects in Hatfield will receive funding to expand affordable housing. The Susie Clemens House will receive more than $194,000 to continue the build-out of Advanced Living’s Derstine Run community in Hatfield. The project includes adding 60 affordable one-bedroom apartments to the site, 45 of which will serve seniors 55 and older, and 15 for adults with disabilities. Habitat for Humanity Montgomery and Delaware County will receive $200,000, which is needed to complete four homes on Cowpath Road in Hatfield. The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund, or PHARE, which was established to provide for the delivery of state and federal funds, as well as funds from other sources, to help create, rehabilitate and support affordable housing.
Source: NorthPennNow.com; 7/5/2022
Upper Pottsgrove sewer sale is completed
The $13.75 million purchase of Upper Pottsgrove Township’s wastewater system by Pennsylvania American Water is complete, ending an occasionally contentious process begun more than two years ago. The deal at one point was held up due to a legal dispute between the township commissioners and the Pottstown Borough Authority over Upper Pottsgrove’s failure to repay the $470,000 cost of a years-old sewer system expansion installed on the township’s behalf. The Upper Pottsgrove commissioners lost that battle, and the repayment must come out of the sale proceeds.
Source: Sanatoga Post; 7/1/2022
Affordable housing program in Philly makes ownership more than a pipe dream for some
A new city program called “Turn the Key” will provide 1,000 affordable houses through city council’s Neighborhood Preservation Initiative (NPI). The program will create energy-efficient, affordable housing for city employees or eligible first-time homebuyers. Private developers are set to build at least 1,000 new homes on an equal number of city-owned parcels that could otherwise contribute to blight. The homes will be built on a rolling basis and be priced to be affordable to middle-income residents at approximately $190,000 to $280,000. The bulk of that price range sits below the median sale price for a single-family home in Philadelphia, fitting the description of workforce housing, a lesser-known tier of affordable housing the city hopes will help stabilize and diversify neighborhoods. To qualify, applicants must earn at or below 100% of area median income, which translates to $105,400 for a family of four. AMI is based on incomes in the Philadelphia region, not just the city itself.
Source: PlanPhilly; 7/5/2022
Philly’s Rebuild program is back on track after dustup in council
Legislation related to Mayor Jim Kenney’s signature Rebuild initiative passed through city council’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee, allowing it to proceed to a vote by the full council. The procedural hurdle came days after the committee’s chair, Councilmember Cindy Bass, refused to bring up a resolution approving the Rebuild program’s slate of projects for a vote, saying the allocation to her district, which includes swaths of North and Northwest Philadelphia, was between $15 million and $30 million less than other districts “with similar need.” Bass said she ultimately decided to hold the vote Tuesday after striking a deal that ensures her district will receive a “significant increase” in funding for improvements that put it “on par” with similar majority-Black and brown districts. At the outset of the five-year-old, $400 million Rebuild program — which is funded by a tax on sweetened beverages passed in 2016 — Kenney administration officials worked with district council members to identify the facilities across the city with the most need. Rebuild executive director Kira Strong said the administration tried to prioritize areas with higher rates of poverty, crime and other markers of underinvestment, and a list of 72 sites was approved by council at the inception of the program. More information and a list of Rebuild project sites can be found on the city website.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/21/2022
Philly has new tree rules
A new bill, sponsored by at-large City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, expands existing requirements for developers around preserving and planting trees, and sets up new fees for developers if they remove trees and don’t replace them. The proposal is part of the city’s plan to increase the city’s tree cover to 30% within 30 years. The city is expected to release the final draft of its Philly Tree Plan in the coming months. The plan will chart a path to preserving existing trees and planting more, particularly in the neighborhoods that need trees the most — areas with higher levels of poverty, poorer air quality, poorer mental and respiratory health, and more exposure to heat. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/29/2022
Email grassroots@suburbanrealtorsalliance.com to receive our weekly News Briefs. It's as simple as submitting your contact information so we can create a user profile.