VA signals temporary suspension on buyer agent payment ban
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to temporarily lift its ban on buyers directly paying for professional real estate representation until the agency deems it necessary to engage in a formal rulemaking process, according to comments from VA deputy director of policy Michelle Corridon. Her remarks were met with relief from the real estate industry, as the VA’s home loan guarantee is the only loan program with this explicit prohibition. Veteran buyers have limited options in situations where the seller makes no offer of compensation to the buyer’s agent, potentially leaving veterans without professional representation or forcing them to switch to less favorable loan products. “NAR launched an all-hands advocacy effort on this issue, meeting with VA officials, engaging with lawmakers and rallying our industry partners to ensure this prohibition was lifted,” said Shannon McGahn, chief advocacy officer at the National Association of Realtors. The change would ensure veterans have the same opportunity as others to compete in a tight housing market, McGahn said.
Source: NAR; 5/21/2024

PA cyber charter schools are amassing assets, including real estate
A new report shows Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools amassing a large stockpile of assets. The Education Voters of PA report shows that the four largest cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania in 2018 had net assets and fund balances totaling $566,858; in 2022, that total had grown to $486 million. Cyber charter schools, like brick and mortar charter schools, are privately owned and operated, but taxpayer-funded, schools that provide online education. Despite the online nature, the cost per pupil in cyber schools is tied to the cost per pupil of the student’s public school. One cyber charter, Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), has spent a total of $88.7 million for 35 locations that it now owns, according to the report. Though the real estate is purchased with taxpayer dollars that the school collects, nothing in Pennsylvania law indicates that CCA would be required to return those funds to the taxpayers if they sold the properties. Once the holdings are purchased by CCA, many go off the local tax rolls, making a loss of income for local school districts. Read more here.
Source: Forbes; 5/20/2024

Town hall focuses on how low state funding for schools lead to higher property taxes
A recent town hall meeting in Pottstown run by Power Interfaith, a group of Pennsylvania religious leaders focused on social justice issues, explored state funding for public schools. A panel including five experts and state Reps. Joe Ciresi (D-146) and Paul Friel (D-26) discussed Pennsylvania’s failure to meet its constitutional obligations to adequately fund public schools, citing it as the root cause of higher local property taxes, lower home prices and under-resourced schools, as well as a drag on revitalization efforts.
Source: Daily Local; 5/22/2024 

Richland votes allow separate warehouse plans to proceed
Richland Township supervisors recently gave approvals for two different warehouse proposals to move forward. The first approval will change two properties totaling 1.7 acres from Rural Agricultural (RA) zoning to Planned Commercial (PC). The developer had originally requested a zoning change of seven properties at the location to enable a 2.2-million-square-foot warehousing proposal at the south end of Route 309. Supervisors rejected that request. The recent decision will allow the developer to pursue a scaled-back warehouse plan of about 600,000 square feet. A different warehouse proposal at the corner of West Pumping Station Road and O’Neill Drive was granted conditional use approval for a 167,500-square-foot warehouse. One of the conditions applied to the approval is a traffic impact study.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 5/17/2024

PennDOT wants feedback on Bedminster’s Creamery Bridge replacement
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is going to replace the nearly century-old Creamery Bridge over Tohickon Creek in Bedminster, but before proceeding, it wants to update residents and gather feedback during a live virtual public meeting. PennDOT will give a brief presentation during the meeting, then PennDOT engineers will have a Q&A session. The virtual public meeting for the Creamery Bridge replacement project will begin on Tuesday, May 28, at 7 p.m.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 5/17/2024

Langhorne picks new motto, asks for pictures of the borough
Langhorne Borough recently adopted a new motto, “Where History & Community Meet.” Borough officials are looking to keep the community spirit alive with a photography initiative. Residents are encouraged to submit photos that represent the borough’s beauty and uniqueness. Participants are allowed to send up to six photographs per month through January 2025, with distinct calls for spring and summer photos followed by fall and winter scenes. Langhorne Borough has posted submission requirements on its website.
Source: Levittown Now; 5/15/2024

Springfield Township to hear comments on comprehensive plan
The Springfield Township Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing to consider and receive public comment on the proposed adoption of the 2024 Springfield Township Comprehensive Plan. The board will also discuss and consider comments from the Bucks County Planning Commission, contiguous municipalities and school districts, and the recommendations of the Springfield Township Planning Commission. The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, at 7 p.m. in the township building, 2320 Township Road, Quakertown. Copies of the amendment to the comprehensive plan are available on the township website.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 5/14/2024

Newtown Borough announces new manager
Newtown Borough recently announced the hiring of Craig Totaro as the borough’s first-ever manager. Totaro was manager in Lansdowne Borough for 16 years. He won a Governor’s Award for Local Excellence last year for projects completed in the Delaware County municipality, including a borough bicycle loop, a tot lot and the Gateway Slope Parkway. Newtown Borough had been managed by a full-time secretary and full-time treasurer. After the longtime treasurer resigned in 2023, council began a search for a borough manager. “He will bring excellence, experience, knowledge and skill, and will be a great leader to get Newtown Borough moving forward in a better direction,” said Borough Council Member Julia Woldorf.
Source: The Advance; 5/19/2024 

West Chester Borough to update regulations on backyard chickens
West Chester Borough Council authorized solicitor Kristin Camp to rewrite a borough ordinance that will loosen the rules for keeping chickens in backyards. The borough has issued two permits to residents who are currently raising chickens. Camp will craft language that will allow a five-foot setback from a property line, rather than the current 10 feet. Chickens will still not be allowed within 25 feet of buildings. A majority of council informally agreed to the change. The existing ordinance, “Keeping of Poultry and Hogs,” does not allow for hogs in the borough, except as pets, and is specific about raising chickens. Roosters are prohibited. Slaughtering of hens outdoors is prohibited. All hens must be maintained in a fully enclosed shelter, with a covered fenced enclosure that may only be located in the rear yard. The shelter must provide at least two square feet per hen. Hens may not run at large upon any public land or another person’s private property. Owners must provide “sanitary living conditions.” All feed must be stored in rodent-proof containers. Hens are limited to the rear yard, which must be enclosed by a fence and screened from view from public streets and adjacent properties.
Source: Daily Local; 5/15/2024

Uwchlan township to hold hearing on open space tax
The Uwchlan Township Board Of Supervisors will hold a public hearing to receive comment and public testimony regarding a proposed ordinance to add a new Article V, “Open Space Tax.” The ordinance would authorize a referendum pursuant to the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Preservation Act, known as the Open Space Act. If passed, the ballot question would ask Uwchlan voters whether to approve the imposition of an additional earned income tax, in an amount not to exceed 0.25%, to finance the acquisition of interests in real property. The hybrid public meeting will take place on Monday, June 10, at 7 p.m. at the township building, 715 North Ship Road, Exton. The meeting may be accessed virtually through instructions on the township website.
Source: Daily Local; 5/21/2024

Chester County among fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania
Once again, the U.S. Census Bureau has released figures that show Chester County is among the fastest-growing counties, population-wise, in Pennsylvania. The data show Pennsylvania experienced a decline of just over 41,000 people between 2020 and 2023. Chester County had a 2.9% increase in growth — placing third behind Pike County (4.6%) and Cumberland County (4.3%), but in numerical terms it placed first, adding 15,369 people. Among the municipalities experiencing growth, the largest were West Whiteland and Upper Uwchlan townships, each with 1,006 new residents. West Chester and Kennett boroughs also each had bumps in population over 850 residents.
Source: Daily Local; 5/17/2024

Chesco planners’ Town Walks highlight preservation
The Chester County Planning Commission’s Town Tours & Village Walks is a series of free summer strolls through historic neighborhoods, hamlets, villages and farms. The 2024 program marks 30 years of the tours, starting on June 6 at the Chester County History Center and ending on Aug. 15 at Yellow Springs. Participants will see the preservation successes of various Chester County municipalities. View the brochure here.
Source: Chester County; 5/2024

At Loch Nairn Farm, a New Garden legacy begins its second chapter
For more than 50 years, the Smedley family’s Loch Nairn Golf Course in New Garden Township served the southern Chester County community in a variety of ways — as an 18-hole golf course, a neighborhood eatery, and a backdrop for weddings, holidays, date nights and charity events. Now a brand new, 14-acre venture known as Loch Nairn Farm has converted The Greathouse, The Farmhouse, the Round Room and The Tavern — as well as its picturesque walkways and patios — into a magnificent destination for special occasions of all kinds. The acquisition of the restaurant complex compliments New Garden Township’s 2021 purchase of the property’s golf course as part of a long-term project known as the Smedley Preserve — a passive recreation park now underway that includes, forest, trails, pathways, streams and acres of meadows. At a cost of $4.25 million, the preserve’s master plan will enhance the ecological function of water quality, biodiversity and resilience at the park, as well as provide upgrades to the infrastructure, furniture and amenities, materials for planting, and meadow seeding. Read more here.
Source: Chester County Press; 5/22/2024

High-speed broadband access to get boost in seven rural areas
Seven municipalities in Chester County have been selected to receive funding to boost their high-speed internet access. The money, which comes through the Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Program, will support projects that establish or improve broadband at 254 broadband service locations, including residences and businesses in Highland, Penn, Upper Oxford, West Fallowfield, West Sadsbury, Franklin and London Britain townships.
Source: Daily Local; 5/16/2024