News Briefs for November 10, 2023
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The Suburban Realtors Alliance introduced a local tax calculator on its newly redesigned website. The screenshot above depicts the local taxes for a sample property in Jenkintown Borough. To try the calculator, click here and log in with your NAR ID number.
SRA launches upgraded website
The Suburban Realtors Alliance (SRA) has launched a newly redesigned website. The site is more mobile friendly, more visually appealing and has new features. “We invite all 13,000 of our shareholder members to explore our new site and get the most out of the SRA as a membership benefit,” said SRA president Jamie Ridge. “Our website, with the municipal database and weekly news briefs, has long been a valuable tool for Realtors, and we’ve made it even better.” The site’s features and tools include:
- an improved municipal database
- a new local tax calculator
- weekly news briefs, with a new featured briefs section
- interactive maps
- and more
Learn more and explore the new website here.
LIHEAP application period begins
Pennsylvania officials announced the start of the annual Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) application process for the 2023-2024 season. LIHEAP is a federally funded program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services that helps with home heating bills so Pennsylvanians with low incomes can stay warm and safe during the winter months. Assistance is available for renters and homeowners. The LIHEAP application period for both cash and crisis grants is open from Nov. 1, 2023, to April 5, 2024.
Source: LevittownNow.com; 11/2/2023
Contractor convicted of defrauding homeowners in three counties
A home improvement contractor was recently convicted of collecting tens of thousands of dollars for work he never completed. Joseph Eibell, owner of 3 Brothers Renovation, was found guilty in Bucks County Court of nine felony counts each of contractor fraud, deceptive business practices and theft by deception. At the time he was charged, the investigation found that Eibell and his company received contracts for work in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 11/1/2023
Study looks at PA school funding impact on salaries, resources and certification
Pennsylvania’s school-funding system — already judged unconstitutional by a state court — affects students in nearly every way: Kids in the state’s lowest-funded districts have less access to teachers, counselors and libraries. Their schools also significantly spend less per pupil on teacher salaries, according to a new analysis. Pennsylvania’s “current system of funding provides fewer human and fiscal resources to the children who need access to human and fiscal resources the most,” Ed Fuller, a professor in Pennsylvania State University’s education policy studies department, wrote in a new policy brief. “These children tend to be disproportionately children of color and children in poverty.” The full study can be viewed here, and the Inquirer highlighted five key points.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 11/7/2023
PA lawmakers concerned about foreign ownership of agricultural land
Concern has continued to grow about the impact of foreign-owned farms and farmland across the United States, including in Pennsylvania. At a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee hearing last month, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman called foreign ownership of U.S. farmland a national security issue as well as a food security issue. “I’m concerned with foreign countries’ and foreign corporations’ ownership in our agriculture supply chain,” Fetterman said. Pennsylvania is one of 14 states to have laws restricting foreign ownership of agricultural land and other nonagricultural real estate, according to a Congressional Research Service report in January. The issue of foreign investments in agricultural land has state lawmakers grateful that Pennsylvania has laws in place that limit nonresidents and foreign governments from acquiring more than 100 acres of land. While the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture reports that the vast majority of Pennsylvania’s 52,700 farms are owned by family farmers rather than corporate interests, the department is also tasked with monitoring data from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency on foreign land holdings to ensure state law is followed. Pennsylvania has led the nation in the number of farms and acres of farmland preserved since it began its preservation efforts in 1988. To date, the Farmland Preservation Program has protected 6,284 farms and 630,302 acres in 58 counties across the Commonwealth from future development, according to the department. Read more here.
Source: PA Capital Star; 10/28/2023
Judge rules Central Bucks must go to 3 voting districts by 2025
A Montgomery County judge ruled in favor of CBSD Fair Votes, a grassroots organization that petitioned for a new voting map for the Central Bucks School District. The decision means the election maps for the 2025 election in Central Bucks will contain three regions, rather than the nine it currently has. In the ruling, Judge Cheryl Austin called Fair Votes’ plan “superior in its maintenance of political subdivision integrity because it splits fewer municipalities than the New Board Plan.” Austin noted that fewer regions allow residents to vote for three of the nine school board members, rather than one. The school district was required to create a new map, as population changes defined in the 2020 census left some voting regions larger or smaller than others. The school district’s first redrawn map would have assigned thousands of voters to voting regions where they would not have voted for a school director until 2025. All 18 Bucks County judges recused themselves from the case, causing the need for a Montgomery County judge to be assigned. It is unknown if the school district plans to appeal the judge’s decision.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 11/6/2023
Bristol Township targets more properties for blight program
Bristol Township officials have announced plans to designate seven additional vacant properties as blighted. The program is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County to address issues of delinquent taxes, abandonment and property deterioration. Issues with the properties include vacancy, unpaid taxes, squatters and other maintenance issues. Township Manager Randee Elton said the township has gone from 204 vacant properties in 2015 to 61 vacant properties as of October.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 11/1/2023
Upper Makefield gives preliminary nod to no-tax-increase budget
The Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors recently gave preliminary approval to a 2024 municipal budget that calls for keeping the local millage rate at 6.45. A mill is equal to $1 of every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. A residential property assessed at $70,000 would pay about $451 in township real estate taxes in 2024 if the millage rate held steady. Supervisors must still grant final approval for the township budget to become official.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 10/27/2023
County planners lay out vision for Bucks2040 plan
The Bucks County Planning Commission (BCPC) has released a draft Bucks2040 Vision Plan, the initial document of the “Bucks2040, Building Our Future Together,” comprehensive plan. The Bucks2040 Vision Plan establishes plan principles, key issues and common ideas of importance, and sets the stage for the actions required to meet future challenges. A public meeting for the plan is scheduled for the BCPC board’s Wednesday, Dec. 6, meeting. Comments on the plan can be sent to Bucks2040@buckscounty.org.
Source: Bucks County Planning Commission; 11/2023
Chester County receives national award for Affordable Housing Collaboration
The Chester County Department of Community Development has received an Award of Excellence from the National Association for County Community and Economic Development (NACCED) for the creation of its Affordable Housing Developer Collaborative. NACCED cited the efforts of the county’s Partnership to End Homelessness initiative to bring together property developers and organizations to find ways to create more affordable housing options. Dolores Colligan, director of the county Department of Community Development, said, “We want to ensure that everyone who lives in Chester County has housing options available to do so, but that means we must come up with a variety of ways to make this happen. By establishing the Affordable Housing Developer Collaborative, we have been able to bring together partners that can, from the outset, talk through land-use, zoning and public transportation regulations, as well as house purchase and rental needs, to move forward with affordable housing options.” In 2022, Chester County commissioners set a goal of adding 1,000 affordable units in the county over 10 years.
Source: Chester County; 11/2/2023
Ida’s legacy for Coatesville and downstream
Hurricane Ida’s devastation in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2021 has resulted in significant investment in flood protection and prevention. The Brandywine Conservancy recently announced an initiative to study where and why flooding occurs and identify best practices to protect against flooding disasters in the future. The study will be funded, in part, through grants from Chester County Government and Delaware County Council. Additionally, Coatesville was awarded a $620,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to design and engineer long-term resilience solutions to reduce the potential for flooding. “The grant will be utilized to address inefficiencies in our stormwater management network,” said City Manager James Logan, “which includes outdated pipes, inability to manage high volumes of water, and water flow challenges caused by the Brandywine River.” Linda Lavender-Norris, Coatesville City Council president, described the area as “ground zero.” Pennsylvania will receive $1.6 billion for bridge improvements, including for off-system bridges, from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Additional money earmarked for Pennsylvania for infrastructure investments includes $11.3 billion for the federal highway program, $2.8 billion for public transportation, and $1.4 billion for water infrastructure. Read more here.
Source: Daily Local; 11/5/2023
Survey: 94% of respondents embrace living in Chester County
Chester County government’s survey of citizen priorities and service satisfaction, conducted every five years, re-confirms that 94% of residents believe Chester County is an excellent or good place to live and raise a family, and that maintaining the quality of water, preserving open space and managing population growth remain top areas of importance. Read more about the results of the citizen survey here.
Source: Daily Local; 11/5/2023
West Chester Borough to amend parking ordinance
West Chester Borough Council will consider adopting an ordinance to amend and replace Chapter 77 of the borough code, Parking Program, Residential. The draft ordinance addresses the creation of residential parking permit areas, eligibility requirements for residential parking permits, requirements for guest passes, special permits, special business permits and rental property management permits, and establishes penalties for violations. The ordinance will be considered for adoption at a public hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m. at 401 E. Gay St., West Chester.
Source: Daily Local; 11/7/2023
Delco among counties with highest eviction rates
A new report from PolicyLink and the Community Legal Services of Philadelphia focuses on a marked increase in Pennsylvania eviction rates since the pandemic. Titled “Advancing Pennsylvania’s Housing Futures: Sealing Eviction Records for Housing Stability and Economic Prosperity,” the report says more than 114,000 people had evictions filed against them across the state last year. Delaware County was third in the state for eviction filings, at a rate of 11.5%.
Source: Daily Times; 11/6/2023
Eddystone set to lower taxes in 2024
A preliminary budget presented to Eddystone Borough Council contained a decrease in the millage rate from 9.6 mills to 9.4 mills. The sewer rate is also slated to decrease from $6.45 per 1,000 gallons of water usage to $6 per 1,000 gallons. The borough sewer charge per household is based on water usage. The budget presentation can be found here. Passage of the final budget is expected to take place at the Monday, Nov. 13, borough council meeting.
Source: Chester Spirit; 10/18/2023
Chadds Ford Business Association talks about loop road
Chadds Ford Business Association recently gave a presentation about the loop road near Painter’s Crossing that still isn’t completed despite being approved six years ago. The final leg of the loop around the intersection of Routes 1 and 202 is known as the Hillman Drive Extension. It would connect the two state roads via Hillman Drive through the Chadds Ford Business Campus, owned by the Henderson Group. Henderson still wants to complete the loop, but the pandemic stalled the project, and the company is millions of dollars short of what it needs to do the job, according to Henderson’s president and CEO Brian Coyle. Coyle told the group that his company has $2 million in grants from the state but still needs an additional $5 million to finish the loop. To raise that capital, Henderson proposed constructing and renting a 240-unit, age-restricted apartment building for the 21-plus acre lot the company owns at Route 1 and Brandywine Drive across from Hannum’s Harley Davidson. That idea was shot down when the township planning commission declined to recommend approval to the board of supervisors. The property is in the PBC Zoning District, but residential use is not permitted in a Planned Business Complex District. Read more here.
Source: Chadds Ford Live; 11/3/2023
Nether Providence invokes eminent domain to build sidewalk
Nether Providence Township Council adopted Ordinance 853, Intent of Taking of Right-of-Way. The ordinance expresses an intent to take private property by condemnation for a permanent easement and a temporary construction easement at 306 S. Providence Road for the construction of a sidewalk as authorized under the first-class township code and the eminent domain code. Read the meeting minutes here.
Source: Nether Providence; 9/28/2023
Another scandal involving high ranking employees hits Chester City
Chester City’s former recreational services manager has been charged with numerous theft and related offenses for allegedly defrauding the city out of nearly $100,000 by paying “no show” employees at a city owned pool in exchange for kickbacks. Vijay Kapoor, chief of staff for Chester receiver Michael T. Doweary, said the individual resigned last month as the receiver was in the process of having him fired. “These criminal charges validate the receiver’s efforts to try to implement good government reforms in Chester despite being fought every step of the way for the last three years,” Kapoor said. “The Commonwealth Court recognized that in approving the plan modification the receiver filed in November 2022, and the receiver hopes that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will uphold that decision.” This is the second scandal involving government employees in the city this year.
Source: Daily Times; 11/4/2023
Pottstown gives deadline to vacate land along Schuylkill River Trail
Pottstown Borough has posted notices along borough-owned property near the Schuylkill River Trail alerting people living there that they have until Dec. 1 to vacate the area. The area encompasses a roughly one-mile stretch of land running between the Route 100 and Route 422 overpasses. The notice states that the land is private property of the Borough of Pottstown and is in a floodway, making it “culpable to severe flooding during extreme weather that could endanger persons and property.” Officials estimate between 25 and 30 people experiencing homelessness will be impacted. Earlier this year about six individuals were removed from PECO-owned land just beyond the Schuylkill River Trails Norristown section. Officials have attributed the area’s increasing cost of living, economic ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic, displacements resulting from Hurricane Ida, and the diminishing affordable housing stock as reasons for an uptick in homelessness in Montgomery County. Read more in The Reporter.
Source: The Reporter; 11/3/2023
Valley Forge Tourism Board reports continued recovery
The Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board recently reported that the county’s hospitality industry has reached 98.9% of pre-pandemic levels. The tourism agency released its 2023 annual report highlighting the economic impact of the hospitality industry during its annual luncheon. Tourism continues to be a key driver of Montgomery County’s economy, the agency reported, adding that visitor spending in the past year generated $1.6 billion in positive impact, according to Tourism Economics — a 14.4% increase over the previous year and just shy of pre-pandemic spending numbers.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 11/3/2023
County commissioners reverse stance on demolition of prison
The Norristown Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) recently denied a demolition application for the vacant Montgomery County prison on Airy Street, but the motion included an opportunity for “compromise” with the county. County commissioners took note of continued public opposition and have reversed their position on the demolition of the former prison. According to County Commissioner Jamila H. Winder, “We’ve heard the people of Norristown and the surrounding community. We want to ensure we’re doing our due diligence.” The county will solicit proposals for reuse of the historic site. The reversal came days before Norristown Municipal Council was set to review the HARB recommendation, which called for rejecting total demolition and reaching a compromise that saved the most historic portions of the site known as “the castle on the hill.” The county’s statement serves as a request to postpone review of the permit application for demolition.
Source: The Reporter; 10/26/2023 & 11/6/2023
MCPC adds Conshohocken to TOD self-guided walking tour offerings
The Montgomery County Planning Commission continues to develop resources to communicate transit-oriented development (TOD) concepts and best practices highlighted in the TOD model ordinance and guidebook. It offers self-guided walking tours to explore the variety of types of TOD in Montgomery County. The second tour in the series was recently completed, highlighting the Conshohocken station area as an example of the guidebook’s Regional Mixed-Use Center station area typology. This brochure adds to the walking tour created to highlight the Lansdale station area as an example of a Town Center typology. Each brochure features a detailed map, photos and information on land developments that exemplify TOD principles, as well as general information about best practices for each typology. Click here for the tours and more information about TOD in Montgomery County.
Source: MCPC; 11/2023
PECO investing $7.8B to improve electricity reliability in Montco
During the next five years, PECO will invest approximately $7.8 billion across its electric and natural gas systems to help prevent customer outages, modernize the electric grid and reduce the impact of extreme weather on electric infrastructure. The efforts include 29 electric reliability projects across Montgomery County in 2023. Current projects include: stronger poles and cable in Limerick Township; two miles of underground cable in Cheltenham Township; and replacing poles, aerial and underground cables and installing manhole covers in West Norriton Township. Brian Crowe, PECO vice president of technical services said, “Modernizing our energy infrastructure is critical to meeting the needs of thousands of residential and business customers across Montgomery County.”
Source: Main Line Media News; 10/24/2023
SEPTA’s bus route overhaul is almost done, but some riders are unhappy
Some communities are still fighting as SEPTA planners consider last-minute refinements to the third and final edition of a proposed redesign of bus routes. Residents of Strawberry Mansion and Logan Square say that the plan would deprive them of crucial bus connections to other parts of the city, and fear that their concerns have been overlooked. Many riders have expressed skepticism at the idea of budget neutrality, saying it effectively forces service cuts. That is driving the opposition in Strawberry Mansion and Logan Square. Routes 32 and 49 serve both areas. Whatever the final version ends up being, conditions outside SEPTA’s control present challenges to reaching the professed goal of more frequent and reliable bus service: congested traffic, narrow streets, parking that obscures sight lines at four-way intersections and blocks access to bus stops, trash trucks and even deliveries.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 11/6/2023
Bart Blatstein’s latest apartment proposal gets cool reception from North Philly neighbors
Developer Bart Blatstein’s latest project in North Philadelphia is facing backlash from neighborhood groups and a city-appointed design review board, although there is little they can do to stop it. The 245-unit, 15-story apartment building proposed for 1600 N. Broad St. faced blowback from neighborhood groups this summer for its scale and lack of parking. The city’s Civic Design Review (CDR) committee — an advisory panel of architecture and planning experts — also expressed concerns in August about the lack of greenery. “This needs a ton of work to get this to be the kind of environment that we all deserve in this city,” said Ashley DiCaro, a member of the committee. “It should not be all gray. It should not have the least amount of landscaping I think we’ve ever seen on a project.” Neighborhood groups, which had argued for more parking and less density, are unhappy with the project for broader reasons. The proposed building includes 62 parking spaces, but the spots will not be available to the public as the 16 currently in the location have been. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 11/7/2023
Philly voters approve ballot question, making Office for People with Disabilities permanent
The Philadelphia Office for People with Disabilities is here to stay, thanks to a ballot initiative that was approved by voters. The ballot question — approved by nearly 86% of voters — asked whether the Office for People with Disabilities should be permanently established in the city charter. It was the only ballot question posed to Philadelphia voters in Tuesday’s general election. The main function of the office — which has existed since 2017 — is to ensure the city complies with accessibility laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Housing Act. It is currently made up of The Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities, which advocates and provides resources for Philadelphians with disabilities, and The Office of ADA Compliance. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 11/8/2023
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