News Briefs Archive March 6, 2023
General News
A new risk assessment by First Street Foundation, a research nonprofit that works to define climate risk, says the Northeast will be hit by more tropical storms and hurricanes. Matthew Eby, First Street’s founder, said that the proportion of major hurricanes — category 3, 4 or 5 — has increased from 10% of all tropical cyclones in 1980 to over 40% today. The intensity is due to rising air and ocean temperatures that provide the energy that fuels storms. Because of climate change, more than 13.4 million properties will be exposed to tropical cyclones in 30 years that are not currently vulnerable, the research says. Multiple federal agencies and various real estate platforms, such as Realtor.com, utilize First Street Foundation’s data and models. Read more and check out the online risk assessment tool for flood, heat, wildfire and wind here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 3/1/2023
Spotlight PA evaluates counties for voter friendliness
Spotlight PA and Votebeat recently conducted a study of ‘voter friendliness’ in each Pennsylvania county. The organizations contacted election officials in all 67 counties about policies regarding drop boxes and mail ballots that had disqualifying technical errors. The news organizations also sought to understand the access voters have to physical polling places and to minutes of meetings held by county election boards that make critical policy decisions. Visit the interactive scorecard from Spotlight PA and Votebeat to find out how each Pennsylvania county measures up on key metrics related to voter friendliness.
Source: Spotlight PA; 2/28/2023
Registration open for PAR Advocacy Regional Training
The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (PAR) has opened registration for Advocacy Regional Training sessions. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the legislative process, and learn the tools to use to engage in PAR’s advocacy efforts and how to better represent the real estate industry. Through this interactive training session, members will learn how to tell their real estate story to help advocate for the industry and their clients. A session will take place on Friday, March 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Desmond in Malvern.
Source: PAR; 2/27/2023
State tourism office offers 2023 travel guide
The Pennsylvania Tourism Office has released the 2023 Happy Traveler, the state travel guide dedicated to must-see attractions and events. Free copies are available for order by mail or online viewing at the Visit PA website.
Source: Chester Spirit; 2/22/2023
Joanna McClinton elected first female speaker of the PA House
State Rep. Joanna McClinton (D-143) was elected the first female speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives after Mark Rozzi stepped down following two tumultuous months presiding over the lower chamber. McClinton, whose district includes portions of Delaware County and Philadelphia, is the first woman to be speaker of the Pennsylvania House, and the second Black person after K. Leroy Irvis.
Source: Spotlight PA; 2/28/2023
Bucks County
Lower Makefield discusses EIT
Lower Makefield Township Supervisor James McCartney recently requested that Township Manager David Kratzer find out how much Lower Makefield residents are paying in earned income tax (EIT) to other municipalities where they work. The request led to a conversation about EIT, with the tone suggesting enacting an EIT is not seriously being considered at this time, but also not being ruled out in the future. Most municipalities in Bucks County have enacted an EIT. Neighboring Falls Township enacted one effective at the start of this year. The EIT is collected from residents in the municipality and also from people who work within the municipality if their home municipality does not collect an EIT. One of the rationales used by local governments that levy an earned income tax, in addition to just needing more revenue, is that if so many residents are paying the tax anyway to municipalities where they work, then that revenue might as well come back home. During the discussion, McCartney agreed that if the amount of EIT being paid by Lower Makefield residents to other towns is not significant, that could end his interest in pursuing the matter. Supervisor Daniel Grenier said he would prefer any further discussion of an EIT be considered as a specific meeting agenda item. Supervisor Chairman Fredric Weiss suggested a special meeting be held soon to discuss the variety of ways the township can address its structural deficit. A structural deficit occurs when expenses exceed revenues from regular sources, such as taxes and other fees.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 2/23/2023
Tinicum replaces tax collector
Tinicum Township has announced Deborah Ann Yerger as the new tax collector. Township solicitor Steve Harris said chronic issues have plagued the township’s tax office since the appointment of Mike Clement at the beginning of 2022. Bucks County issued a township-wide reminder that, as is required under the law, the county must ensure each township tax collector completes their settlements and closes out the previous year’s “tax duplicates” (certification of real-estate assessments) by Jan. 15 of the following year. Tinicum has not met the deadline, and the county informed the board of supervisors they will not issue tax duplicates for 2023. According to Supervisor Eleanor Breslin, because the deadline was not met, the law requires the board of supervisors to appoint a new tax collector. Palisades School District Director Silvia Leblanc expressed gratitude on behalf of the entire Palisades School Board for the township’s swift action. The district has stated it will need to begin separate audits to ensure the veracity of its information. Yerger is also the tax collector for Springfield Township. Visit the Tinicum Township website for more information.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 2/27/2023
Marcell to host open house March 10
State Rep. Kristin Marcell (R-178) is holding an open house at her district office for residents to learn more about the services available at her office. The 178th District consists of part of Bucks County, including the townships of Upper Southampton, Warwick and Wrightstown, and a portion of Northampton. The event is set for Friday, March 10, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1038 2nd Street Pike, Suite 101, Richboro.
Source: Lower Bucks Times; 2/23/2023
Nonprofit seeks to raise funds for ‘housing crisis’ lodging in Bucks County
The nonprofit group Advocates for the Homeless & Those in Need (AHTN) is seeking funds to help with emergency shelter for individuals and families experiencing housing crises. Finding emergency shelter after an eviction — or for personal safety — can be daunting. AHTN provides funds for a motel stay and meals for individuals and families that call the Bucks County Housing Link. AHTN has announced a fundraising goal of $15,000, and as an added incentive, the Gene and Marlene Epstein humanitarian Fund of Newtown has agreed to match funds raised up to $5,000. To donate, visit AHTN’s website and click on the green donation button on the homepage.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 2/28/2023
Upcoming webinar: Use and Occupancy Tips for Bucks County Realtors
Suburban Realtors Alliance and the Bucks County Association of Realtors will hold a webinar next month on use and occupancy (U&O) issues. The webinar, "Use and Occupancy Tips for Bucks County Realtors," will be held Wednesday, March 29, at 1 p.m. on Zoom. It will offer a quick refresher and overview of how the Alliance — which is a member benefit for all BCAR members — can help Realtors before and during the municipal use and occupancy process. It will cover known trouble spots in Bucks County and tips for working with municipalities. The webinar will be hosted by SRA president/CEO Jamie Ridge and board chairperson Maryellen O'Brien. Read more and register on the BCAR website.
Chester County
County planners’ annual review shows development trends
Chester County Planning Commission (CCPC) recently wrapped up the Act 247 Reviews for 2022, which includes a comprehensive report on all subdivision, land development and conditional use review activity, and ordinance and comprehensive plan review activity in the county. The percentage of proposed development activity in the county's growth areas saw a decrease in proposed residential lots/units in 2022, but there was an increase of nonresidential square footage. The total number of proposed residential lots/units for 2022 was 789 — compared to 3,425 in 2021, 2,681 in 2020 and 2,159 in 2019. The majority of proposals were for single-family homes, with townhouses and apartments not far behind. Proposed nonresidential square footage also showed a significant decrease from 2021, but the numbers were similar to years prior. The county saw the most new square footage in industrial space, followed by institutional, commercial retail/other, hotels/resorts, office and then agricultural — for a total of 2.38 million square feet. Read more here.
Source: Chester County Planning Department; 2/28/2023
West Whiteland to adopt 2018 IPMC
West Whiteland Township will consider an ordinance establishing minimum regulations governing the conditions and maintenance of all property, buildings and structures in the township by adopting the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code. The township website includes an FAQ on the code and the township’s decision to use it. According to the township, the supervisors will vote to adopt the ordinance at their meeting on Wednesday, March 8.
Source: Daily Local; 2/28/2023
Chester County praised for increasing affordable housing options
The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development recently lauded Chester County’s efforts to rehouse individuals experiencing homelessness by providing stable housing options and increasing the county’s affordable housing options. Median housing prices in the county have risen from $350,000 to $450,000 in the past three years. Since becoming a House America partner in June 2022, Chester County has rehoused 149 homeless households and added 111 affordable housing units with more housing initiatives set for 2023 and beyond. Affordable housing options that opened in 2022 include 111 new units in West Chester and Kennett Square. The Willows at Valley Run in Caln will see 120 new affordable rental units, funded partly by $1.9 million from the county. Also in Caln, Habitat for Humanity is acquiring land to build 25 to 30 affordable single-family homes for first-time homebuyers, made possible through a $640,000 county grant. Habitat for Humanity has also received $500,000 in COVID-related funds from the county to complete 100 housing rehabilitation projects within Coatesville over the next three years. Other projects in Phoenixville and West Whiteland are also in the works.
Source: Daily Local; 2/24/2023
OJR to hold ‘town hall’ on March 9
The Owen J. Roberts School Board has scheduled a town hall meeting for Thursday, March 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the District Service Center, 932 Sanatoga Road (the former East Coventry Elementary School). Unlike regular school board meetings, the agenda at the town hall will be set by the public and there will be no time-specific limits. According to its announcement, the district considers the town hall meeting to be an opportunity for residents to share their opinions, feedback, ideas and questions with members of the school board and district administrators. Residents interested in attending the town hall are encouraged to RSVP here.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 3/1/2023
Three more Chesco farms preserved
The Shapiro administration announced that Pennsylvania protected 3,047 acres on 32 farms in 21 counties from future residential or commercial development. Three of those farms, comprising 195 acres, are in Chester County. Of the $1.18 million invested in Chester County, about $37,000 came from the state and $1.14 came from the county. The three preserved farms include a 91-acre dairy farm in East Nottingham, a 39-acre equine operation in Pennsbury Township, and a 65-acre crop and livestock farm in Honey Brook Township.
Source: Daily Local; 2/28/2023
Bike park plan under review by Tredyffrin supervisors
Tredyffrin Township supervisors are reviewing two proposals for a feasibility study to construct a bike/skills pump park at Mill Road Park. Joseph DiRocco, assistant township manager and financial director, said at a Feb. 21 meeting that the township received two proposals, each under $9,000. The supervisors said they will review the studies before the March 8 meeting. Supervisor David Miller noted the funds were raised in a short time and there is a great deal of enthusiasm for the project. The pump track allows riders to use an up-and-down pumping motion to propel the bike forward instead of pedaling. The tracks have hilly dirt inclines covering about a half to a full acre.
Source: Tredyffrin-Easttown Patch; 2/28/2023
Delaware County
Report: four options for new Upper Darby elementary school
The Upper Darby School District Finance and Operations Committee will release a long-range facilities master plan that recommends closing two leased elementary schools and building a new elementary school. The two leased schools are Walter Senkow Elementary in Glenolden and Charles Kelly School, which is the site of a former Catholic School in Drexel Hill. The presentation includes a site analysis of four prospective locations seen as most conducive to a new school: the 11.4-acre township-owned 69th Street fields; the 3.6-acre district-owned Cardington Recreation Field; the 19.2-acre township-owned Marshall Road fields; or building a new school at Hillcrest Elementary. Goals of the plan include eliminating the need for 21 modular classrooms presently in use to relieve the overcrowding with the least impact to the educational program. Read more here.
Source: Daily Times; 2/28/2023
Chester mayor talks parking woes
Many residents in the City of Chester have taken to parking vehicles on sidewalks in order to avoid accidents. Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland admitted that parking has been an issue. He pointed to a canceled contract with the parking authority as creating an uncontrolled situation. “People parking on curbs and sidewalks will have another, more costly effect,” Kirkland noted. “People aren’t thinking about the infrastructure. The pipes under the sidewalks that will be affected by vehicles being parked on them. And that will cost a pretty penny to the homeowners to have sidewalks dug up to repair those pipes.” A solution to the problem has yet to be proposed.
Source: Chester Spirit; 2/15/2023
Free income tax help with CAADC
Community Action Agency of Delaware County (CAADC) is operating free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites for the 17th year. CAADC will serve low- and moderate-income families in Delaware County. All services will be done by IRS-trained and certified community volunteers and will aim to serve families who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. Assistance is provided by appointment only through mid-April. To schedule services, call 610-833-4443. Community members who are interested in volunteering can email wfoth@caadc.org.
Source: Chester Spirit; 2/22/2023
Marple's 7th Ward gets new commissioner
The Marple Township Board of Commissioners appointed longtime resident Mike May as 7th Ward Commissioner to fill the remainder of Dan Leefson’s unexpired term through 2023.
Source: Marple Newtown Patch; 2/22/2023
Montgomery County
Judge rejects injunction to stop Upper Pottsgrove municipal complex building project
A Montgomery County judge has rejected a request for an emergency injunction to halt progress on the planning for a $5.5 million municipal complex on property purchased for preservation as open space. Senior Judge Bernard Moore denied the request without providing any comment or reason for the decision. Upper Pottsgrove commissioners voted 3-2 on a resolution authorizing the project last August. The resolution included the site location — the former Smola farm on Evans Road — and the architect. Since the plan became public, opposition has been growing in the township over a lack of transparency and because the proposed location is on property purchased for preservation as open space. The township has denied the property can be characterized as “permanently preserved open space,” however the Upper Pottsgrove Open Space Plan, adopted in April 2020, includes the Smola farm on a chart of permanently protected public land. Read more here.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 2/24/2023
Lower Merion ward redistricting plan will not go into effect
Montgomery County has rejected Lower Merion’s plan to redistrict wards in the township. There are 14 wards in Lower Merion, each represented by a township commissioner. The Lower Merion Board of Commissioners approved a Ward Redistricting Plan on Jan. 11 to even out ward population disparities using 2020 Census results, but the county claims “it did not respect magisterial district boundaries and it corrected one congressional district boundary that had been split,” according to the township website. There was not enough time to submit and have a different plan approved by Feb. 14 — the date when election petitions could be circulated. A revised redistricting plan will need to be adopted and resubmitted to Montgomery County, but a revised plan cannot go into effect until some time after the November election cycle.
Source: Lower Merion Township; 2/14/2023
Open house on progress of Cross County Trail West scheduled for March 8
The Montgomery County Planning Commission (MCPC), in partnership with its consultant team, has been studying the feasibility of completing the Cross County Trail in Plymouth and Whitemarsh townships and has announced the second planned public open house to discuss progress. The planning team has assembled a set of preliminary trail route alternatives that will close the Cross County Trail gaps between Germantown Pike and Erdenheim Farms, and between Fort Washington State Park and the SEPTA Fort Washington Regional Rail Station. The open house is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Miles Park Building located at 4021 Joshua Road in Lafayette Hill. The project team will present the trail route alternatives being considered and will give information on how residents can be active in the process. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and participate in a mapping exercise and survey on the presented alternatives. Those who are unable to attend the open house can visit the Cross County West Feasibility Study page on the county website to view the open house materials and participate online through March 31.
Source: Montgomery County; 2/27/2023
Pottstown Borough conducting L&I survey
The Borough of Pottstown, in cooperation with Pottstown Area Economic Development, is exploring ways to build upon the current processes and improve the experience of all parties requiring borough services. The Pottstown Housing Coalition has been invited to assist the borough in collecting information from members and those within the community who have interacted with the borough’s Licensing and Inspections division, so they can identify potential areas for improvement. Click here for more information.
Source: Pottstown Housing Coalition; 1/2023
Philly’s Rebuild program is on track to finish all renovations on its shortened list
It will be a challenge, city leaders say, but Philly’s Rebuild initiative has the resources to complete the 72 playgrounds and rec centers currently on its docket. The prospect of additional projects for the Kenney administration’s signature public works project, however — which initially hoped to renovate 150 to 200 of the 400-plus eligible sites around the city — is at this point purely theoretical. Since the pandemic hit, groundbreakings have been pushed back, projects have markedly overshot their budgets, and planned reopening dates have come and gone. Distinct symptoms of the COVID-induced economic turbulence have arisen in the past three years, with fluctuating supply and labor markets bedeviling Rebuild’s pre-construction and construction processes. Read more here.
Source: Billy Penn; 2/28/2023
For homeowners of Philadelphia’s rowhouses, vertical additions are sometimes the answer
As the pandemic encouraged homeowners to seek more space, additions have become more popular, including third stories on rowhouses. Phil Katz, cofounder and partner at the development and construction company 3rd Story Philly, said that since spring 2020, the company’s workload has doubled. Vertical additions, also called overbuilds, are expanding the square footage of classic rowhouses and changing the look of some Philadelphia blocks as cascades of neighbors build on top of two-story homes. As recently as five years ago, the trend was to go down, expanding living spaces into basements for an affordable price, said Adam Rogers, partner and owner at the East Coast-based architecture firm Cadre Design. But shoddy work has damaged and destroyed homes and pushed the city to crack down on excavation, which has increased costs, he said. Adding an entire story — or two — to a rowhouse isn’t cheap. The addition could even cost more than the purchase price, typically running between $250,000 and $350,000 for 3rd Story Philly customers, Katz said. Homeowners also tend to add on other renovations. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 2/28/2023
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.