Webinar: What Realtors^® should know about Act 133
The Suburban Realtors Alliance will host a webinar titled “What Realtors should know about Act 133,” on Wednesday, July 14, from 1 to 2 p.m. Act 133 is a state law that requires municipalities to issue use and occupancy certificates after resale inspections — but municipalities do not always know about or follow the law. Jamie Ridge, president of the SRA, and Hank Lerner, general counsel at the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, will review the basics of Act 133 and how it benefits Realtors and their clients, followed by a round of audience Q+A. The webinar will help Realtors recognize when a town, borough or city is violating the law, and how to respond when that happens. The webinar is free and open to Realtors. For more information and to register, click here.

SRA website to undergo overnight maintenance starting July 3
The Suburban Realtors Alliance website will undergo maintenance on Saturday, July 3, beginning at 9 p.m. The maintenance will result in downtime for the website, including the municipal database, for up to 24 hours.

Supreme Court rules on eviction ban
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 not to lift the nationwide eviction ban before its scheduled expiration at the end of July, but a majority of the justices also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exceeded its authority in imposing the ban. “In my view,” Justice Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion, “clear and specific congressional authorization (via new legislation) would be necessary for the C.D.C. to extend the moratorium past July 31.” National Association of Realtors president Charlie Oppler said, “This is a victory for property rights. For more than a year, mom-and-pop property owners have been pushed toward financial ruin as they upkeep their properties and pay their taxes and mortgages with no income of their own. … This ruling keeps in place certainty for tenants for another month while offering helpful clarity to struggling housing providers. It is now critical that the nearly $50 billion in rental assistance NAR helped secure gets out to those who need it most." For more information on rental assistance programs in suburban Philadelphia counties, click here.
Source: NAR; 6/30/2021 & NY Times; 6/30/2021

Recent scam targets real estate licensees
Officials are warning real estate licensees about a scam in which the perpetrators claim to be calling from a specific judge or sheriff’s office, saying the intended victim has failed to show up for jury duty and must pay a fine or risk the loss of their real estate license. The Dauphin County Sheriff’s Office, which received reports from numerous victims, noted that no one from the sheriff’s department or other law enforcement agencies would call to demand payments or fines over the phone. “Real estate professionals are extremely busy, and scammers like to take advantage of that,” Sheriff Nicholas Chimienti said. Realtors who receive a call from someone claiming to be from a law enforcement agency claiming they must pay a fine or fee should contact their local law enforcement agency directly.
Source: PAR JustListed; 7/1/2021

PA’s poorest school districts will get more money next year. Public education advocates say the budget still falls short.
The $300 million increase for K-12 schools passed by Pennsylvania lawmakers marks the largest increase in the state’s main education subsidy during Gov. Tom Wolf’s tenure — and, coupled with other programs, the largest education spending increase ever, according to the governor’s office. It also sets aside money for Pennsylvania’s 100 poorest school districts. The provision followed a campaign to ramp up investment in the most under-resourced communities — a goal of Pennsylvania’s school-funding formula, but one slow to be realized. “Committing only $300 million is definitely a huge missed opportunity,” said Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center, which is representing plaintiffs in a landmark case challenging Pennsylvania’s school-funding system that is scheduled to go to trial this fall. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/28/2021

The U.S. housing crisis likely will worsen after the pandemic, reports find
Two studies recently released found that the nation’s housing availability and affordability crisis is expected to worsen significantly following the pandemic, likely widening the housing gap between Black, Latino and white households, as well as putting homeownership out of the reach of lower-income Americans. Both reports call for government action through traditional measures, such as down-payment assistance and a massive increase in homebuilding to address the issue. The reports by Harvard University and the National Association of Realtors come from different perspectives, but ultimately reach the same conclusion: the United States isn't building enough housing to address population growth, causing record low home availability, and rising home prices are putting homeownership out of reach of millions of Americans. Without substantial changes in homebuilding and home affordability, both reports say, the result will be a more-or-less permanent class of renters contrasted with what will likely be a mostly white class of homeowners. While renting is not necessarily a bad thing since it provides more flexibility, homeownership has been the primary driver of wealth generation in the U.S. since World War II.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/16/2021

Plumstead proposed ordinance will regulate on-lot septic systems
Plumstead Township supervisors will consider an ordinance that sets requirements for on-lot sewage disposal permits and maintenance. The proposed ordinance would: define terms, set requirements for permits and maintenance, provide for the right of entry and inspections, establish proper operation procedures, provide the sewage enforcement officer powers to require repair or replacement of systems, authorize the placement of municipal liens, and require the proper disposal of septage. It would establish requirements for in-ground, drip irrigation and sand mound systems, individual spray irrigation systems, small flow treatment facilities, holding tanks, alternate and experimental systems, community sewage systems, and replacement sewage disposal areas. The proposed ordinance would also establish requirements for sewage management agreements, procedures for appeals and waivers, and penalties. A full copy of the proposed ordinance may be viewed in the news section of the Plumstead Township website. The supervisors will consider the proposed ordinance at a hearing on Tuesday, July 13, at 7 p.m. at the municipal building, 5186 Stump Road, Pipersville.
Source: The Intelligencer; 6/29/2021

Perkasie to consider ‘Residential Infill Overlay Ordinance’
Perkasie Borough Council will consider an ordinance that would establish a “Residential Infill Overlay District.” The purpose of the proposed ordinance is to encourage development of rowhome-style dwelling units and to establish regulations for their development. The area generally to be the subject of the overlay ordinance is described as portions of the center of the borough bounded by North 10th Street, West Callowhill Street, North 3rd Street and Walnut Street, but excluding portions of the Town Center. A map depicting the area of the proposed Residential Infill Overlay District and a list of tax parcels is attached to the ordinance, which can be viewed here (PDF). A public hearing on the ordinance will be held on Monday, July 19, at 7 p.m. at Perkasie Borough Hall, 620 W. Chestnut St.
Source: The Intelligencer; 6/28/2021

No tax increase in Bristol Borough School District
The Bristol Borough School Board recently approved a $24.8 million budget for 2021-2022 that does not increase taxes. The total budget reflects a spending increase of about 1% over last year that includes increasing staff costs, rising cyber school tuition and an increased budget for special education. Business manager Christopher McHugh said the district was able to avoid a tax increase in part due to a revenue increase from the real estate transfer tax and savings from bond refinancing. Bristol Borough School District has not increased school property taxes since 2011.
Source: Levittownnow.com; 6/21/2021

Taxes increase in Pennsbury
The Pennsbury School Board voted to approved a $223 million budget for 2021-2022 that includes a tax increase of 2.35%. The tax increase will amount to about $97 for the average residential property in the district. In addition to the extra revenue generated by the tax increase, the district will use $1.18 million from the general fund to cover a projected budget deficit. Pennsbury did not increase taxes for the 2020-2021 school year and ended the year with expenses outpacing revenues by $3.2 million.
Source: Levittownnow.com; 6/22/2021

County water authority hosts two short surveys
The Chester County Water Resources Authority is updating the county’s water resources plan and its stormwater management plan. The authority is asking the public to complete two brief surveys regarding access to water-based recreational activities like swimming, boating and fishing, and concerns about water resources:

• Water-based recreational activities survey
• Water resources survey

Source: Chester County Planning; 6/28/2021

Recorder of Deeds research library now open to the public
The Chester County Recorder of Deeds Search Room has re-opened to the public on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with no appointments necessary. Guests can also conduct online research through the recently updated search capabilities on the county website. Users with questions can call 610-344-6330 or email RODinfo@chesco.org.
Source: Chester County Recorder of Deeds; June 2021

Kennett Township eases into reopening
The Kennett Township office at 801 Burrows Run Road has reopened to the public. Office hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and township staff will work both remotely and in the office. The township will continue virtual board meetings until it is able to have hybrid meetings.
Source: Chadds Ford Live; 6/18/2021

Survey: Do you trust local government?
A doctoral student at West Chester University is researching how communication with local public officials impacts the level of public trust in local government. Residents who live in West Chester Area School District are asked to participate in the study here.
Source: West Whiteland Township; 6/21/2021

History runs deep on East Linden Street in Kennett Square
Kennett Square Borough’s East Linden Street runs parallel to the main thoroughfare, State Street, and many of its historic houses date back to the 19th century, when freed slaves, aided by Quakers, took up residence there. The Historic East Linden Street Project has received more than a million dollars to revitalize the area, including funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for improvements to secondary downtown streets, and money from the Wachovia Regional Foundation to develop tutoring, computer and financial planning programs for residents. The street now also features plaques posted on the historic homes.
Source: Southern Chester County Weeklies; 6/29/2021

Updates from Thornbury Township
Thornbury Township Manager Judy Lizza provided an update on township activities at a recent meeting of the Chester County Planning Commission. The topics included the township’s 2018 comprehensive plan update, the full zoning ordinance update in 2020, and current efforts to update the subdivision and land development ordinance and map, which will likely be adopted in early 2022. Learn more about Thornbury Township here.
Source: Chester County Planning Commission; 6/24/2021

City council approves making tenant screening more transparent and helping renters with past evictions
Philadelphia City Council passed legislation increasing transparency in tenant screening and requiring landlords to adopt uniform screening criteria for all potential tenants. The city will prohibit landlords from adopting policies that deny potential tenants solely because of low credit scores and past evictions or eviction filings. Before accepting applications for rental housing, landlords will have to provide written tenant screening criteria that they use to evaluate all potential renters. They will have to tell rejected tenants in writing why they were denied, and tenants will have the chance to dispute incorrect information, explain mitigating factors and show how their circumstances have changed. Landlords will need to individually assess applicants, instead of relying solely on credit or third-party tenant screening reports. Landlords will not be able to reject applicants because they didn’t pay rent or utility bills during the pandemic, had evictions for nonpayment of rent during the pandemic, had evictions filed four or more years before the rental application, had eviction cases a landlord did not win, or were involved in cases that have been sealed or resolved. Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who introduced the legislation, said the legislation would make landlords more likely to consider the full financial picture of potential tenants, “rather than just relying on pieces of information that disproportionately bar people of color, especially Black women, from stable rental housing and force them into unregulated, dangerous, illegal living arrangements.”
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/24/2021

Council limits development on growing Girard Avenue
Amid the last-minute bills passed during city council’s final session of the season were a string of zoning restrictions, including a height restriction for development along a large swath of Girard Avenue. A major thoroughfare that starts in West Philadelphia and runs eight miles past Fairmount Park and the Philadelphia Zoo through North Philadelphia and Fishtown, Girard Avenue contains a surface trolley line and six lanes of traffic, intersecting with both the Broad Street Subway and the Market-Frankford elevated line. Its proximity to transit and regional destinations has made the avenue attractive to builders proposing housing and mixed-use development. Under the new legislation approved Thursday, new building heights between Second and Broad streets would be capped at 38 feet — about the height of a conventional, three-story rowhouse. Joe Grace, a spokesperson for bill sponsor and Council President Darrell Clarke, said no single group had requested the legislation, but that it came in response “to recent community concerns” about development. “The council president wants to control density along the corridor to protect historic neighborhoods like Yorktown and West Poplar that are adjacent to Girard Ave,” Grace said.
Source: Plan Philly; 6/25/2021

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.