NAR advocacy push helps avoid government shutdown
Following an advocacy blitz by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) — which included a rare nationwide call to action — Congress passed a last-minute spending deal on Sept. 30 to avert a government shutdown and extend the authority of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The bipartisan agreement funds the government at 2023 levels through Nov. 17, ensuring pay for federal workers and the military, as well as extensions for other vital programs like the Federal Aviation Administration. NAR launched a call-to-action Friday night as Congress careened toward the first government shutdown in almost five years. In the urgent message, the association mobilized its 1.5 million members to contact Congress and warn of the dangers of letting the NFIP lapse during a shutdown. Tens of thousands of Realtors answered the call. NAR also issued a targeted call to action on the NFIP earlier in the week through its Federal Political Coordinator program to reach and educate all 535 members of Congress on the NFIP’s critical role in the economy. NAR also issued a primer to members detailing how a shutdown affects the real estate economy. Read more at Realtor Magazine.
Source: Realtor Magazine; 9/30/2023

Prepare for the general municipal election
The general municipal election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7, but Realtors can prepare now.

• See how each elected office impacts real estate on the SRA's Realtors Guide to Elected Officials.
• Preview your ballot before election day. View sample ballots for Delaware County here, Montgomery County here and Chester County here. Bucks County sample ballots should be available here
• Check your registration status at PA Voter Services, or register or update your details at the PA Voter Registration page.
• Get familiar with voting machines, which vary by county.
• Learn about resources available to Realtors running for office by contacting the SRA.
• Know the calendar: Polls are open on Nov. 7, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The last day to register is Oct. 23, and the last day to request a mail/absentee ballot is Oct. 31.

It's important for Realtors to make their voices heard, especially at the local level. Visit the SRA's Election Guide and its Realtors Guide to Elected Officials for more information.

NAREB receives grant to propel Black Developer Academy
The Wells Fargo Foundation awarded the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) a $500,000 grant to bolster the organization’s NAREB Black Developer Academy. The initiative will facilitate diversity and inclusion within the real estate development industry. The NAREB Black Developer Academy is a pioneering initiative crafted to address the urgent need for increased diversity and representation within the real estate development sector. By empowering aspiring Black professionals with the essential skills, knowledge and opportunities to become developers, the program aims to drive economic equity, elevate homeownership rates, and rejuvenate underserved communities. Read the press release here.
Source: NAREB; 10/2023

Aqua PA encourages customers to apply for help with water bills
Aqua Pennsylvania, an Essential Utilities company, is supporting customers with limited income through its customer assistance program, a year-round discount program designed to make water and wastewater bills more affordable. In addition to discounts on monthly bills, customers who make timely monthly payments will receive a $25 credit toward balances they owed before joining the program. For more information, visit Aqua’s website.
Source: Daily Local; 10/3/2023

Bucks County breaks ground on Lower Bucks Government Services Center in Bristol
Bucks County Commissioners recently broke ground at the future site of the updated Lower Bucks Government Services Center, just days after Bristol Township Council approved the project. The two-story, 39,000-square-foot facility is on New Falls Road in the township’s Levittown section. It will house accessible offices for 13 county departments, including some row offices and court offices. It will replace the existing 8,600-square-foot county government building that presently houses an annex for county government, the homeless shelter, the district attorney’s warehouse, the Levittown Branch of the Bucks County Free Library and District Judge Terry Hughes’ court. The project, with an estimated cost of $25 million, will be paid for with county funds. Construction is expected to begin in early 2024 and take about two years.
Source: Bucks County; 9/28/2023 & Levittown Now; 9/29/2023

Tyler State Park grants will allow for removal of dam
Representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Clean Water Coalition and others joined U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-1) for a meeting at Tyler State Park to discuss $14.9 million in funding that was awarded to the park. The award is to fund a project that will remove the Spring Garden Mill Dam on Neshaminy Creek in the park. According to park manager Phillip Schmidt, the dam “is a significant barrier to aquatic organism passage” and its removal will restore the Neshaminy Creek to free-flowing conditions and enhance water-related recreational opportunities. The project is a collaborative effort of the Conservation and Natural Resources Department, the state Fish and Boat Commission, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Delaware River Watershed Association. The award presented by Fitzpatrick at the park meeting includes 36 new or continuing conservation and restoration grants.
Source: The Advance; 10/2/2023

Two-year roundabout construction to begin in Doylestown
PennDOT has announced it will begin a two-year project to install roundabouts at two major intersections in Doylestown Township on Oct. 9. The $3.9 million, federally funded project is aimed at reducing crashes at the intersections, currently controlled by stop signs. A PennDOT study found there were 17 crashes at the intersections between 2012 and 2015. Since 2018, Doylestown Township Police say there have been eight reported crashes at the intersections. Single-lane closures will be in place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. where Easton Road intersects with New Britain/Sauerman roads, near Triangle Park, through the project's expected completion date in April 2026.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 10/2/2023

Lower Makefield unveils big plans for Patterson Farm
Patterson Farm was purchased by Lower Makefield Township in 1998 for $7 million to preserve open space. Since then, the Patterson farmstead and the nearby Satterthwaite farmstead, along with barns and other outbuildings, have fallen into disrepair. On Sept. 26, the public got its first look at possible reuses for the buildings in a presentation at the township building by Douglas Seiler, of Seiler + Drury Architecture. The plan aims to restore the Patterson and Satterthwaite homes to be rented or leased for public use, possibly as a bed-and-breakfast. The old barns could be repurposed as meeting spaces and educational classrooms to teach about the farm and its value. Walking and bike trails would give people a place to experience one of Bucks County’s oldest continuously operated farms. Last year, the Patterson farm produced 60,000 pounds of corn, 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, 25,000 pounds of watermelons and 25,000 pounds of cantaloupe. The plans are a work in progress, and more public discussions will be forthcoming. To find out more, visit the website of Patterson Farm Preservation Inc., a private nonprofit organization. The Lower Makefield Township Ad Hoc Property Committee, overseeing plans for the farm, meets the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 10/4/2023

Chester County designates $2.7 million for Whole-Home Repairs Program
Chester County commissioners recently affirmed $2.7 million to implement the Chester County Whole-Home Repairs (WHR) program. The program will help low- to moderate-income homeowners make critical repairs so their homes are habitable, safe, accessible and healthy. The WHR program will be administered by the Chester County Department of Community Development through contracts with Good Works Inc., Habitat for Humanity of Chester County, Good Neighbors Home Repair, and Housing Partnership of Chester County. The funds come to the county via the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, using federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars allocated through the state budget process. Read more on the county website.
Source: Chester County; 9/28/2023

Charlestown Township to acquire 220-acre Swiss Pines property
On July 27, the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, Orphan’s Court Division, approved a settlement agreement providing for the transfer of the 220-acre Swiss Pines property from its current owners, the Bartschi Foundation and Estate of Henriette Bumeder, to Charlestown Township. “Over the coming months we will begin the planning to meet our eventual goal, which is to stabilize and rehabilitate the structures on the property where financially feasible and renovate the gardens so that once again, this unique place may be opened for the public’s enjoyment,” the township website says. “Grant funding, along with the cash assets of the Bartschi Foundation, will be used to the extent possible for this project.” Read more about the acquisition in the Charlestown Township summer 2023 newsletter.
Source: Charlestown Township; summer 2023

155 new homes eyed off Route 724 in East Coventry
Regional planners are reviewing designs for 155 single-family homes on a roughly 100-acre triangle of land at the intersection of Route 724, Sanatoga Road and Frick’s Lock Road in East Coventry Township. Proposed by Devon-based Artisan Development Group and called “Villages and Fricks Lock,” the project would pack the homes closely together in order to provide nearly 60 acres of open space and will require the realignment of Frick’s Lock Road as well as a new traffic light there. The project combines five parcels, all of which are currently used for farming. It is being proposed “as of right,” meaning it complies with current zoning, so no variances or other permissions are needed. It is still in the preliminary approval stage.
Source: Daily Local; 9/29/2023

Oxford Borough schedules meeting to discuss strategic plan
Oxford Borough has scheduled a public meeting to review recommendations of the borough’s draft strategic management plan, which was developed by Keystone Municipal Solutions. In spring 2023, the borough received a $52,500 state grant to hire a consultant for the project, which council felt was needed to help ensure sustainability and make improvements to borough services. The final plan will outline short- and long-term financial, managerial and economic development strategies to strengthen financial capacity. The purpose of the upcoming meeting is to review the draft plan’s findings and key recommendations, and no action of council will take place. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. at 1 Octoraro Alley.
Source: Oxford Borough; 9/27/2023

More than 175 acres preserved in Warwick and East Nantmeal
The French and Pickering Creek Conservation Trust has announced the preservation of more than 175 acres in two locations in Chester County. Landowners Ray and Terry Bentley, through their corporation Moose Meadows Properties LLC, have donated an amended conservation easement to expand the protection of the former Alberta Baker Pew property along portions of French Creek that flow through Warwick and East Nantmeal townships. The 138-plus acre property features a mixture of forest, meadows, agricultural lands, and a nearly 5,000-linear-foot, heavily vegetated stream corridor. It borders nearly a half-mile of Warwick Furnace Road, providing a view into a cluster of historic homes and a vast habitat corridor.
Source: The Mercury; 8/30/2023

Public invited to comment on county’s Watersheds 2045 plan
The Chester County Water Resources Authority offers three opportunities to review Watersheds 2045, the updated plan that works to protect and enhance streams, lakes and groundwater in Chester County. The public is invited to an in-person meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, and a virtual meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24, where officials will showcase the draft plan, answer questions and collect public input. The new draft plan can also be viewed online, with an opportunity to submit comments.
Source: Chester County; 9/28/2023