PA needs about 100K more homes, federal policy could help
Pennsylvania has nearly 100,000 fewer housing units than it needs. Experts say federal policy could help close the gap. Economists — and now both candidates running for president — say it’s critical the country finds a way to build more housing. “It’s supply and demand,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “If you get more supply, that reduces the price of whatever you’re increasing the supply of.” As of 2021, the Philadelphia metro area — which includes the suburbs and places like Camden and Wilmington — was short nearly 80,000 homes, according to a report released last year by the nonprofit Up For Growth. The same data showed the deficit for the Philly metro region was roughly 7,500 homes in 2012. The overwhelming majority of the missing homes are in the southeastern portion of the state. The shortage reflects a need to build new units but also to renovate existing ones. Pennsylvania has one of the oldest housing stocks in the country. As of 2022, the median age of housing was 57 years old, according to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Read more about some of the proposals to tackle the issue here.
Source: PlanPhilly; 9/24/2024

Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority nears milestone
The Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority is moving toward completion of the first phase of a federal program that is providing a critical boost to the effort to restore train service between Reading and Philadelphia. The authority’s executive director, Thomas Frawley, expects to submit the final paperwork associated with the service plan to the Federal Rail Administration before the end of September, marking the completion of the first phase of the Corridor Identification and Development Program. The next phase will be the preliminary engineering phase to demonstrate feasibility, followed by the implementation phase, which includes final design and starting the service. Find out more on the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority website.
Source: Reading Eagle; 9/24/2024

SEPTA brings back parking fees
After four years of free parking at SEPTA lots and garages, fees will be reintroduced in phases. The reinstatement schedule is posted on SEPTA’s website. Parking fees were suspended in 2020 to attract customers back to the transit system when the pandemic hit. The reinstated parking fees are:

• Surface lots (96 SEPTA-owned locations): $2 per day, up from the previous cost of $1 per day.
• Garages (Frankford Transportation Center, Norristown Transportation Center and Lansdale Station): $4 per day, up from the previous cost of $2 per day.

Parking at surface lots will remain free on weekends and major holidays. The new fees are expected to bring in an additional $6 million in revenue. The extra cash will go to maintenance as well as help address the transit agency’s $240 million budget shortfall.
Source: WHYY; 9/23/2024

Owner of Three Mile Island nuclear plant hopes deal with Microsoft will lead to restart
Constellation Energy, the owner of Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 reactor, announced an agreement with Microsoft that will “pave the way” for the restart of the nuclear power plant’s reactor. Constellation shuttered the plant in September 2019, citing economic reasons. The restart will require unprecedented approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as permits from relevant state and local agencies. Constellation’s agreement would pledge all of the generating capacity of the plant to power Microsoft’s artificial intelligence efforts and its data centers in the mid-Atlantic region. The company hopes to have the reactor back online in 2028. Constellation asserts that the tax breaks it is seeking to restart the reactor would be offset by the economic benefits from reopening the plant — including 3,400 direct and indirect jobs, plus adding $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s gross domestic product. Three Mile Island is the site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history, which occurred in March 1979 when the Unit 2 reactor core overheated. Constellation plans to rebrand the site as the Crane Clean Energy System.
Source: York Dispatch & York Daily Record; 9/20/2024 

Neshaminy to redistrict elementary schools in 2025
The Neshaminy School Board approved a two-phase redistricting of its elementary schools. Superintendent Jason Bowman sent a letter to parents explaining that the redistricting will occur in two phases. The first phase will see nearly 600 students from Pearl S. Buck Elementary School in Levittown move into the new, $51 million Core Creek Elementary School located on the Maple Point Middle School campus in Middletown Township. But the bulk of the redistricting will occur with phase 2 in fall 2025, which will raise Core Creek to an estimated 843 students. The board approved “Enrollment Scenario 3” out of four options, which can be found in the district’s redistricting presentation.
Source: LevittownNow; 9/23/2024

Waste Management seeks to house and distribute fuel from Hilltown site
Hilltown Township supervisors recently heard that Waste Management has applied to the township’s zoning hearing board for a special exception that would allow fuel storage and distribution on its property at 4622 Bethlehem Pike. Residents in the area are concerned. Township officials noted that “special exception” is a legal zoning term that means the use being requested is allowed under zoning law in the district but must go through a special hearing process for a number of reasons, including making sure the plans meet zoning standards. The process will allow officials to attach conditions to the plan that minimize detrimental impacts to the community. The Hilltown zoning board will meet to hear Waste Management’s plan on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. Watch the Hilltown Township website for updates.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 9/24/2024

Urban Outfitters to expand facility in Levittown
Bristol Township Council approved a waiver of land development for a project that will allow Urban Outfitters to expand its Levittown distribution center with an 1,800-square-foot storage room. Jennifer Calliagas, director of planning for Urban Outfitters, said the company uses the facility for its rental subscription clothing service that operates under the Nuuly brand. According to the Wall Street Journal, the facility holds more than two million pieces of clothing that are tracked and rented to customers — an idea that has helped Urban Outfitters turn a profit. Urban Outfitters previously worked with the community to address a traffic conflict with the nearby high school by adjusting its shift changes.
Source: LevittownNow; 9/24/2024

Bucks County workers hit the picket line for one-day strike
More than 300 Bucks County workers went on strike over a proposed contract that the union said would cut health benefits by almost 19% for 500 county employees. The striking workers came from a variety of departments and agencies — Bucks County 911, Children & Youth Services, the Area Agency on Aging, IT, Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Support, Early Intervention, and Developmental Programs. The members of SEIU Local 668 walked the picket line for one day — Sept. 20 — outside the Bucks County Administration Building in Doylestown. Both parties have stated they are willing to continue negotiations.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 9/20/2024 

Kennett Greenway presents options for trail loop
Representatives from the Kennett Greenway presented at a recent Kennett Square Borough meeting on the agency’s master plan for the Parrish Trail. Kennett Greenway is an initiative to create “a 14-mile, multi-purpose trail loop that connects the Kennett community to nature and each other,” according to the project website. The remaining section of the loop is currently in the design phase and gathering input from the community and council.
Source: Chester County Press; 9/18/2024

Chester County’s largest affordable housing development opens in Caln Township
Chester County commissioners and staff from the county Department of Community Development attended the official opening of The Willows at Valley Run in Caln Township, the county’s newest and largest affordable housing development. Chester County invested $2.4 million in The Willows, which has 120 one-, two- and three-bedroom rental units that are available to individuals and families, including individuals with disabilities. Since 2022, 281 affordable housing units have been created throughout Chester County, and the county has pledged to support the development of 1,000 affordable housing units by 2032.
Source: Chester County; 9/19/2024

New Garden places 7.8-acre Landenberg property on its project list
New Garden Township Manager Christopher Himes presented several ideas for the long-term use of 308 Penn Green Road in Landenberg, a 7.8-acre property that the township acquired in 2021, also known as the Hiles Property. Himes said that a key reason for the township’s lack of action with the Hiles property stems from the fact that its purchase was wedged between two larger property acquisitions — the 2018 purchase of the 137.5-acre Saint Anthony’s in the Hills property, now New Garden Hills, which is being developed in a two-phase plan; and the 105-acre former Loch Nairn Golf Club, purchased in 2021, which is being converted into a passive recreation preserve. During its nearly three years of inactivity, however, the Hiles property has become the topic of conversation by township officials and residents. Himes said that the township will begin to roll out its early plans for the Hiles property by the end of September, beginning with a traffic and site analysis to determine the feasibility of public use. Further discussion of the Hiles will take place at the Monday, Oct. 21, meeting. Read more at the Chester County Press.
Source: Chester County Press; 9/18/2024

Glenmoore, Wallace Township, will soon have a neighborhood of million-dollar homes
Glenmoore, an unincorporated community in Wallace Township, will soon be home to The Estates at Stonecliff, 36 semi-custom homes on half-acre lots, all but three of them arranged at the crest of a hillside above Devereux Road. Elise Grashof, assistant manager of Wallace Township, said the Stonecliff project “is one of three developments in the same vicinity that were processed by the township around the same time.” All three incorporate the trails, open space and other features called for in the ordinances, she said. Grashof also noted that preserving the township’s rural character and open space are elements of Wallace Township’s comprehensive plan. Read more in the Inquirer.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 9/25/2024

Chesco planning commission to host forum in October
The Chester County Planning Commission has scheduled its Planners’ Forum, which will touch on topical issues like electric vehicle charging, planning for flooding and active transportation. The event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 8 a.m. at the Uwchlan Township building and via Zoom. Register and learn more here.
Source: Chester County; 9/19/2024