NAR joins Supreme Court case to protect just compensation for property owners
The National Association of Realtors (NAR), joined by the Realtors Land Institute and the American Farm Bureau Federation, filed an amicus brief in Hoffmann v. WBI Energy Transmission, a U.S. Supreme Court case that could significantly affect property owners’ rights when private companies exercise federally delegated eminent-domain authority. The case stems from WBI’s acquisition of easements across North Dakota ranchland for a natural gas pipeline authorized under the Natural Gas Act (NGA). After the landowners rejected WBI’s offer at substantially below market value and successfully obtained a higher valuation in court, they were awarded attorneys fees and litigation expenses under North Dakota law. The 8th Circuit reversed that award, holding that compensation in NGA condemnations is limited to the Fifth Amendment’s federal standard of “just compensation,” which generally excludes litigation costs and attorneys fees. The Supreme Court agreed to review the case to resolve whether landowners subject to condemnation under the NGA may rely on state-law compensation protections or are limited to the federal constitutional standard of just compensation. Read more at the NAR website.
Source: NAR; 8/21/2026

Penn State Extension offers tips on protecting private well water
Penn State Extension recently posted tips on protecting private well water. The wellhead is the most important line of defense in protecting drinking water quality, so it is important to keep the surrounding area protected from potential contamination. A sanitary or vermin-proof well cap with a tight seal will also protect the well from insects and floodwater. More guidance and resources are available from local extension water teams. Read more on the extension’s Facebook page.
Source: Penn State Extension; 8/16/2026

Pennsylvania named 9th best state to live in
Pennsylvania was named the ninth-best state to live in by WalletHub, highlighted particularly for its high quality of life and safety. With a total score of 57.71, Pennsylvania fell between Minnesota (57.94) and Florida (57.48). The state ranked No. 4 overall in the quality of life category, which looked at factors like hours worked per week, average commute time, miles of bicycling/walking trails, access to public transportation, traffic, museums, movie theaters, weather and more. Pennsylvania ranked No. 7 for restaurants per capita, highlighting the array of good eats the state has to offer, from Philly cheesesteaks to Pittsburgh’s Primanti Brothers sandwiches. The state also ranked No. 10 in safety, marking its low rates of violent crimes, property crimes and traffic-related fatalities, as well as its total number of law-enforcement employees per capita. Lastly, Pennsylvania also ranked above average in the education and health category, at No. 20, factoring in the quality of the state’s public school system, high school graduation rate, quality of public hospital system, premature-death rate, life expectancy and more.
Source: PAR JustListed; 8/24/2026

Homebuilder looks to buy NBCJMA property in Newtown
The Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority (NBCJMA), after abandoning a controversial plan to build a wastewater treatment plant near Holy Family University amid nearly a year of resident and township opposition, has agreed to sell the condemned 17.5-acre site along the Route 413 Bypass to DeLuca Homes of Langhorne for $11.5 million. It is the same price the agency originally paid. DeLuca now has 90 days to evaluate the project's feasibility and will need Newtown Township approval, including a zoning change to residential for townhomes. The deal has already drawn pushback from residents who cited a prior rejection of multifamily housing on the same parcel, questioned the original condemnation and rate increases tied to it, and pressed for full transparency and public input. Supervisors said no zoning decisions have been made and the process remains in its early stages. The possible sale is part of a broader wave of development pressure along the Newtown Bypass corridor, where nearby projects like Farms Edge at Shady Brook are also raising concerns, including from local volunteer firefighters about strained emergency response capacity.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 8/24/2026 & Bucks County Courier Times; 8/25/2026

Doylestown nonprofit clears zoning hurdle for mixed-use project
The Next Step Programs, a Doylestown nonprofit serving young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, cleared a key zoning hurdle when the Doylestown Borough Zoning Hearing Board voted 4-1 to conditionally grant a parking variance for its Adam's Way project — a planned three-story building with 41 apartments and four commercial spaces on the former Paul B. Moyer property. The variance allows 62 parking spaces instead of the required 92, with conditions including reserved commercial spots, a resident permit parking program, lease restrictions on neighborhood street parking, and a pedestrian connectivity plan. The nonprofit, which purchased the 2.5-acre South Clinton Street site in February with backing from local families and business owners, will now move into the land development phase — covering engineering, further municipal approvals and financing — with CEO Josh Fields aiming for construction to begin in late 2027.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/25/2026

Doylestown approves luxury townhomes
After 18 months of debate, Doylestown Township supervisors voted 4-1 to rezone the 24-acre Hart property from institutional to residential, clearing the way for developer Dave Zaveta of Zaveta Custom Homes to build 36 high-end townhouses. Half of the land will be preserved as open space, along with several semi-historic structures, including a house with 18th-century origins. The lone dissenting vote came from Supervisor Christina Maida, who cited housing affordability concerns for younger residents. Nearly two hours of public comment featured opponents warning about setting a preservation precedent and supporters — mostly township residents living near the neglected, deteriorating property — arguing Zaveta's plan was a better outcome than the alternatives. The property's owner, the Bucks County Historical Society, seeks proceeds from the sale to help maintain the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle. The matter now returns to the planning commission to address traffic, environmental, lighting and drainage issues before heading back to the supervisors for a final vote.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/24/2026

Private school announces bankruptcy following abrupt closure
United Friends School abruptly closed after 42 years on July 15 and has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy as of Aug. 14, meaning its assets will be liquidated to pay creditors. There is an Aug. 28 deadline for the school to disclose its full financial picture. Parents and former staff say they were blindsided by the closure and the school's financial troubles, criticizing trustees for a lack of transparency — particularly around the 2025 sale of the main campus and other properties — and for continuing to collect tuition and camp payments leading up to the closure announcement. Former employees say they're still owed pay for July and August, and the closure is now under investigation by Bucks County's Consumer Protection Department, the district attorney's office and local police, and at least one family says they're pursuing legal options to hold school leadership personally accountable.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/25/2026

‘Bucks County, USA’ docuseries set to air on PBS
A five-part PBS docuseries titled "Bucks County, USA," directed by Barry Levinson and Robert May along with Jay Sosnoff, is set to premiere nationally on Sunday, Sept. 20. Two updated episodes will screen on Sept. 15 at Bucks County Community College's Newtown campus in a program moderated by journalist Judy Woodruff. Filmed over four years, the series centers on two Doylestown teenage friends, whose parents hold opposing political views, using their relationship as a lens on how the community's culture-war conflicts — including disputes over COVID-19 school policies, book bans and LGBTQ+ issues within the Central Bucks School District — affected families on both sides without taking sides itself. The filmmakers describe Bucks County as one of the nation's most evenly divided "purple" areas and say their goal is to move "beyond politics to offer an impartial, human perspective," while ultimately framing the project as a broader meditation on civility, dialogue across disagreement, and what a divided community teaches the next generation about living together.
Source: Bucks County Herald & The Keystone Newsroom; 8/12/2026

Despite public outcry, Oxford council votes 5-2 to disband local police
Oxford Borough Council members voted 5-2 to disband the community’s local law enforcement department, which was established in 1926. Council President Kathryn Cloyd, Vice President Bill Fitzpatrick, and members Michael Brandt, Melody Boston-Griffin and Robert Ketcham voted “yes” as the crowd shouted out in protest, voicing a collective sense of opposition that reverberated through the auditorium. Councilmembers Raul Juarez-Lara and Amanda Birdwell both voted “no.” Oxford Mayor Phillip Harris said that by pursuing a partnership with Southern Chester County’s regional force — composed of New Garden and West Grove with contracted services provided to Avondale — will ensure that Oxford continues to have 24-hour policing. He said the community wouldn’t need to keep the police station however, though he didn’t disclose whether the plan is to sell the property. The mayor said it was too big of a space to become the borough’s substation, where two officers from the regional department will be stationed. West Grove and New Garden boards must vote to allow Oxford to become a voting member of the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department.
Source: Daily Times; 8/18/2026

Plan to turn contaminated NVF site in Kennett into housing advances
Kennett Square Borough Council voted 5-2 to advertise a proposed zoning amendment that would allow residential and mixed-use development at the former National Vulcanized Fiber (NVF) site, moving redevelopment of the long-vacant, 22-acre property closer to becoming a possibility. The industrial site has been undergoing environmental cleanup for decades after contamination. The revised ordinance would permit a mix of townhomes, apartments and single-family attached dwellings, with 15% of units required to qualify as affordable housing, while also allowing certain commercial uses, such as retail, restaurants without drive-throughs, offices and personal services. Some residents and council members remain concerned about whether the property is safe for residential development and whether cleanup is sufficient, noting that federal and state environmental approvals are still required before construction could begin. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comments through Aug. 28 on its proposed approval of a final cleanup application. If the zoning amendment ultimately is approved, the developer could submit a redevelopment application, a process borough officials estimate could take 18 to 36 months.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/18/2026 

Kennett Square is capping short-term rentals to address housing availability
In an effort to “drastically” cut down on short-term rentals like Airbnbs, Kennett Square Borough Council passed an ordinance capping the number of active units and restricting where they’re located. Council voted unanimously to update its ordinance, allowing for a maximum of 20 short-term rentals (STR), and prohibiting single-family homes from turning into short-term rentals as their primary use. The decision comes after the borough has seen soaring population growth in recent years — an increase of 16% since 2020 — but as housing has become increasingly limited. The roughly 22 existing STR units will be grandfathered in, but if people sell, move or don’t maintain rental registration, that status is gone. Future rentals will only be allowed in accessory units — like garages or guest houses — and the number of available units won’t be able to exceed 20. The properties must be owner-occupied during the rental period.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/18/2026 

Nonprofits struggling to relocate after Exton Mall closure
The closure of Exton Square Mall has left community nonprofits scrambling to find affordable replacement spaces, with the Arts and Athletics Club forced to pause programming while it searches for a new home. The theater nonprofit operated for about four years in a former Aéropostale store at the mall, where it staged about 10 productions annually and offered low-cost or free programming for participants ages 7 to 70. Leaders say they need roughly 1,800 to 3,000 square feet of open space and have explored retail locations, warehouses, churches and community centers but have struggled to find a suitable and affordable option. The Wardrobe, another nonprofit displaced by the mall’s June 30 closure, temporarily relocated to Plymouth Meeting Mall before securing a permanent location at Lincoln Court Shopping Center in Malvern, where it expects to open in October. The organizations said the mall had evolved into an important community hub despite its decline as a traditional retail center.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/15/2026

Settlement could preserve more of Rock Hill Farm in Willistown, while allowing for development
A proposed settlement with the developer who is seeking to turn the rolling, open Rock Hill Farm into housing could significantly preserve more of the land than initially planned, if Willistown Township officials approve. During a public meeting, Willistown officials laid out for residents a potential settlement between the township and Rock Hill Farm Acquisition LLC, the developer who purchased the sprawling, 222-acre parcel, and an adjacent 24-acre property, in 2021. A Chester County judge last month sided with the developer, overturning the township’s September 2024 denial of plans to build more than a dozen homes on the property. The township appealed the ruling earlier this month. Under the proposed settlement, the developer would radically scale down the plan that was before the court, preserving roughly 166 acres of the larger tract, or 75% of the land under a conservation easement. The land would be subdivided into 18 lots, down from roughly 24, with all but one of the lots proposed for residential development. The one nonresidential lot would be conserved as open space. The lots vary from about four acres to up to 26 acres. A conservation easement for the preserved land would be held by the Willistown Conservation Trust. Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/21/2026

North Coventry supervisors oppose data center plan
North Coventry supervisors voted unanimously to oppose a small-scale data center proposed for inside the former Coventry Mall. The supervisors’ vote is far from the final word. According to the application, the owners of the Coventry Mall — PGOB Coventry Holdings and Plymouth Meeting-based Pennmark Management Company Inc., along with several other subsidiaries — have applied for a special exception zoning approval for a roughly 86,000-square-foot data center in space within the mall building. The application seeks a “special exception” from the township zoning hearing board, a semi-judicial body that rules on zoning matters independent of the board of supervisors. Procedurally, it merely passes by the supervisors for initial review and comment before continuing to the zoning board. The supervisors agreed to send the township solicitor to actively oppose the application when a hearing is scheduled. Seven area municipalities, including North Coventry, are still protected from data center applications due to being part of the Pottstown Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Committee. The eighth member municipality, Douglass Township, has data center zoning — but Douglass is leaving the regional group in 2027.
Source: Daily Local; 8/25/2026