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The Strawbridge and Clothier Store, circa 1930, is a historic department store building located in Jenkintown. Jenkintown Borough is considering a proposed ordinance to regulate short-term rentals and amend other rental regulations.

Photo: Google Street View

Jenkintown to regulate short-term rentals, amend other rental requirements
Jenkintown Borough Council will consider a draft ordinance regulating short-term rentals and amending rental property regulations to set forth additional licensure and requirements. The proposed ordinance will amend the zoning code to permit short-term rental uses by special exception in the Traditional Infill Overlay District and the Town Center District. It will establish other special exception criteria and definitions. The proposed ordinance also amends the entirety of Chapter 142 relating to rental property licensure. It contains provisions that address the following: requirement to obtain an annual license for rental properties, including short-term rentals with certain exceptions; annual license procedures and license application requirements; and penalties for noncompliance. A copy of the ordinance is available at Jenkintown Borough Hall, 700 Summit Ave. The proposed ordinance was also included in the April 16 committee meeting agenda packet. A public hearing on the proposed ordinance will be held on Wednesday, April 23, at 7 p.m. at the Jenkintown Borough Hall.
Source: Jenkintown Borough; 4/2025

Town halls will focus on state’s underfunding of schools
The POWER Interfaith organization will sponsor town hall presentations focusing on fair school funding and fair housing, and their impact on local taxes. According to a press release from the group, the state’s underfunding of schools leaves students in under-resourced districts without the tools they need to thrive. “The PA General Assembly is under court order to fix this, yet in Chester County, four school districts still experience inadequate PA funding,” the release says. “This inadequate funding forces up local property taxes to fill the gap. This town hall will bring together constituents and elected officials to discuss bold solutions for ensuring every child — regardless of zip code — has access to a high-quality education.” The first town hall will be held in Upper Uwchlan Township on Thursday, April 24, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Congregation of Chester County, 385 Pottstown Pike, Chester Springs. Another town hall will be on Tuesday, April 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the TriCounty Active Adult Center, 288 Moser Road in Pottstown Borough. State Rep. Paul Friel (D-26), who sits on both the Education and Appropriations committees, will attend and speak at both meetings. State Rep. Joe Ciresi (D-146), who is chairman of the Communications and Technology Committee and who has sponsored a bill to reform payments to cyber charter schools, will attend the Pottstown town hall. Another town hall is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, at 6 p.m. at Or Hadash in Fort Washington.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 4/16/2025

Pottstown approves homeless shelter site plan
Pottstown Beacon of Hope’s site plan for a 24-hour shelter for the unhoused won unanimous approval from Pottstown Borough Council. The site plan for the 2.3-acre property at the corner of Glasgow and West High streets was granted a recommendation for approval from the borough planning commission in March. A complicated legal tangle regarding the property title kept the plan in limbo for two years. The approval represents the last step before building permits can be pulled and construction begins. Once open, the center will only accept admission for people who have lived in the 19464 area code for two years, pass drug screening and background checks, and agree to a “care plan” of support toward permanent, sustainable housing. While the shelter is under construction, Montgomery County and Pottstown Borough have teamed up to offer shelter at a local Days Inn.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 4/15/2025

Drastic cuts proposed in Pottstown School District budget
The projected budget gap between revenues and expenses in Pottstown Area School District has been brought down to $5.1 million, from a previous estimate of more than $9 million. Increasing taxes by the state maximum of 5.8% would close the gap further to $3.4 million, according to district business manager Maureen Oakley. Potential cuts on the table for the district’s $96.4 million 2025-2026 budget include all four district librarians, halving the number of elementary school counselors and not replacing a retiring music teacher. The use of some district surplus funds is also on the table, but out of $27.8 million in reserves, only $6.8 million is available to close the budget deficit. If a 5.8% tax increase is implemented, the average residential property assessed at about $70,000 would see an annual tax increase of $192. School Board Member Deborah Spence noted that Pottstown has “a huge footprint of private schools, churches and the hospital,” which pay no property taxes. “If we calculated what we would get from that footprint, we would not be where we are.”
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 4/11/2025

Souderton school board meetings go live
Souderton Area School Board’s March meetings were the first to be broadcast live following a policy change. The latest update to the district’s broadcasting policy called for livestreaming of full board and committee meetings and the archiving of the recordings for three years. A few years ago, only monthly action meetings were recorded and available after the fact on the district cable channel. Those recordings were only kept for 30 days.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 4/12/2025 

Mayor Parker’s housing plan relies on $800 million in bonds
Mayor Cherelle Parker’s H.O.M.E. initiative, which she is asking city council to approve during spring budget negotiations, has an eye-popping $2 billion price tag. But very little of that would come out of the city budget next year if lawmakers approve her plan. Approximately $800 million would come from sales of city bonds that would be paid back over 20 years, and an additional $1 billion represents the estimated value of city-owned land that the administration is hoping to transfer to private developers to build housing. Most of the remaining $200 million for the project would come from a variety of government programs, and Parker is also hoping the philanthropic community will contribute to the effort. Philadelphia’s recent city bond issuances have carried interest rates of about 4% to 5%. The interest rates for the H.O.M.E. bonds could be higher than what the city typically pays. Council members have mostly applauded Parker’s decision to make housing a priority, although some have raised questions about the details of her plan, including its reliance on debt financing. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/18/2025

Alleyway maintenance is a challenge for the city
Philadelphia has an estimated 16,000 alleys. Carlton Williams, director of the city’s Office of Clean and Green, said it’s a big job to keep them clean and clear. Williams said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker wanted the alleys addressed as part of her citywide goal of cleaning every neighborhood. While many alleyways are maintained, many others have trash, debris and overgrown vegetation. Properties that are connected to an alley are supposed to take care of it, but that doesn’t always happen. The city learns about some of the alleys in need of cleaning from 311 calls. The city has received about 800 calls related to alleys so far in 2025. They also reported unlit streetlights, which the city upgrades with LED bulbs. Read more in the Inquirer.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/16/2025

Councilmember suggests fund for tenants displaced from unsafe buildings
City Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke wants the city to create a relocation fund for tenants facing displacement after their property is “deemed uninhabitable” by city inspectors. Under proposed legislation, the city would be authorized to issue one-time payments to the tenants, who often cannot afford to relocate without assistance. The bill does not specify how much eligible tenants could receive. O’Rourke said the measure aims to incentivize landlords to make needed repairs and empower tenants to report hazardous living conditions — even if they might displace them. O’Rourke’s legislation specifically takes aim at Philadelphia’s property maintenance code. In addition to the anti-displacement fund, O’Rourke wants to give the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections more power — and funding — to enforce the code. The department, for example, currently has the authority to immediately suspend a landlord’s rental license if a property is deemed “unfit and unsafe or imminently dangerous.” O’Rourke wants the department to automatically suspend a landlord’s license if they have not appealed the designation after 30 days. The suspension would remain in place until the landlord has made any necessary repairs. Under the legislation, the department and the landlord would be required to notify tenants that there is no active license for the property. Under city law, it is illegal for landlords to collect rent without a valid license. Read more at PlanPhilly.
Source: PlanPhilly; 4/10/2025

Head of PHA outlines plan to preserve Philly’s aging public housing stock
Kelvin Jeremiah, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA), said public housing stock is aging rapidly, and renovation funds are not abundantly available. He predicts that a fundamental shift in the approach to public housing is needed to avert a devastating public housing crisis. “I’ve sounded the alarm that nearly two-thirds of our portfolio is more than 70 years old and in need of substantial capital investments,” Jeremiah wrote in an opinion column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Our increasing backlog of capital and maintenance needs is estimated at $2 billion. The core of the PHA strategy is to move from the traditional public housing model — in which the housing authority owns and maintains the properties — to the Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8 or Project-Based Rental Assistance).” Housing choice vouchers offer a more reliable and consistent funding stream than traditional public housing, he said, and they are more conducive to securing financing and raising private equity to address capital needs, build long-term reserves, and construct or acquire new housing.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/16/2025 

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