A weekly roundup of real estate news, compiled by Suburban Realtors? Alliance-week of: 4/22/2022
A father and son fish in morning fog on Neshaminy Creek in Tyler State Park, located in Northampton and Newtown townships. Newtown supervisors passed a resolution urging a reduction of single-use plastics as a way to keep pollution out of local waterways.?
Weekly News Briefs
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General
What are the most popular, valuable house styles in PA and nationwide?
American Home Shield's HomeMatters blog analyzed data on architecture in the U.S. and made graphical representations of the results by state and nationwide. The analysis determined that the top five most valuable house styles are beach houses, Mediterranean homes, shingles, Spanish homes and Northwest contemporary homes. The five least-valuable house styles are mobile homes, manufactured homes, shotguns, early American homes and conventional homes. The most common house style is the ranch home. In Pennsylvania, the airlite style is unusually popular. According to a 2012?Philadelphia Inquirer?article, “Simply put, an airlite is a rowhouse with its kitchen and dining room side by side at the rear of the first floor — as opposed to a ‘straight-through’ rowhouse, in which one (typically the kitchen) is behind the other.” A well-designed home in a popular style can increase its value on the real estate market, and good design can even have an effect on surrounding property values. Read more?here.
Source: Digg.com; 4/16/2022
FEMA’s new insurance system aims for fairer premiums
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is making the biggest changes in its history over what it charges property owners for flood insurance. The changes reflect better data and the agency’s desire to make the system fairer and easier for property owners. Those with more valuable properties at high risk of flooding — like large shore homes — will now pay more, while owners of less valuable properties at low risk will pay less. Under the new, more sophisticated system, owners will pay based on their property’s individual risk and actual costs of replacing structures. Read more?here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/7/2022
NAR leads Realtor group to air condo concerns with Fannie Mae
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) and representatives from several local associations met with senior staff of Fannie Mae to discuss issues that have arisen from the recently implemented safety and reserving requirements. Though well intentioned, the?new requirements?to verify the physical soundness of condo buildings and adequacy of financial reserves have created problems in the market. The group impressed upon Fannie Mae that:
For its part, Fannie Mae indicated that unintended consequences have come up and that it plans to re-propose the rules with an opportunity for further public input. NAR also sent a letter to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, requesting a delay to better explain and communicate the changes to the market and to resolve problems with documenting safety. Read more?here.
Source: NAR.realtor; 4/14/2022?
Bucks
BCWSA denies sale rumors
John Cordisco, board chairman of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority (BCWSA), recently denied rumors that the authority was for sale. One of the largest authorities in the state, BCWSA serves 100,000 households in Bucks and surrounding counties. According to Cordisco, it was recently valued at well over $1 billion — $1.1 billion for the sewer system and $300 million for its water system. Purchase offers have been made from water utility giants Aqua for $600 million and American Water for an undisclosed amount. There was also a lease offer from an investment group called Bernhard Capital Partners from Louisiana. The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority was set up in 1962 as an independent agency to provide for the water and wastewater needs of Bucks County communities; it does not rely on taxpayers to fund its operations. If the authority's system is sold or leased, the proceeds would go to the county.?
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 4/18/2022
Recruitment underway for PFAS health study
Researchers hope to test more than 1,300 volunteers in Horsham, Warrington and Warminster to learn the long-term health effects of PFAS chemicals. The local volunteer subjects will be part of a multi-site nationwide study expected to test thousands of people across six states where the suspected carcinogen has contaminated drinking water sources. Recruitment and blood sampling is expected to run between summer and fall 2022, and the data analysis could be completed in the spring of 2023. More information about the study is available?online.
Source: The Intelligencer; 3/2022
Doylestown Human Relations Commission to host learning simulation
The Doylestown Human Relations Commission will host a learning simulation via Zoom on Wednesday, April 27, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation is an interactive tool that helps people understand racial inequality at the structural level, and how it connects to social justice issues like ending hunger and poverty. The event is a collaboration between the Doylestown Human Relations Commission, United Way of Bucks County, YWCA Bucks County and Bucks County Opportunity Council. For questions, contact Kristin Chapin at?[email protected]?or 215-953-7793, ext. 112. Register?here.
Source: Doylestown Borough; 4/18/2022
Newtown Township resolution targets single-use plastics
Newtown Township supervisors unanimously passed a resolution encouraging a voluntary reduction of single-use plastics. The move came at the recommendation of the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) after research done locally by Penn Environment found that every waterway tested in Pennsylvania had macro and micro-plastics. The resolution urges the business community and residents to consider alternatives to single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, which are used one time before they are thrown away. Such items include plastic grocery-type bags, plastic straws, stirrers, utensils and plates, polystyrene (styrofoam) cups and containers, and bottled beverages in single-serve plastic containers. According to Elaine McCarron, co-chair of the EAC, similar ordinances and resolutions are being passed or considered throughout Pennsylvania, including locally in Doylestown and Solebury, and many township businesses have already implemented their own programs.?
Source: The Reporter; 4/19/2022
Middletown awarded grant for electric vehicle charging stations
Middletown Township has been awarded $215,000 to install four DC fast chargers for public use through an Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program (AFIG). The program, run by the Department of Environmental Protection, assists businesses and organizations in pursuing their clean fuel transportation goals. Middletown Township is one of 13 municipalities and businesses to receive the grant. The installation of the electric charging stations will make Middletown Township the first township in Bucks County to have Level 3 Charging Stations. The electric vehicle charging stations will be installed in front of the Middletown Township Municipal Center in close proximity to three residential developments and the Shoppes at Flowers Mill.
Source: The Reporter; 4/19/2022?
Chester
Kennett school board seeks feedback on school construction plans
Breslin Architects of Allentown will release its feasibility study on the future of the New Garden and Greenwood elementary school building projects on Monday, May 2, at a Kennett Consolidated School Board Finance Committee meeting. On Monday, June 6, the public is invited to attend the finance committee meeting at the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center at 7 p.m. and give in-person feedback. On June 13, the board will vote to adopt the feasibility study. The board announced late last year its intention to explore renovating or replacing the two aging buildings, with finance committee discussions leaning toward replacing them. New Garden Elementary School opened in 1957, and Greenwood Elementary was built in 1963. The board also approved hiring D’Huy Engineering of Bethlehem to carry out the engineering for whatever construction plan is chosen. “They are the design oversight and management,” district business manager Mark Tracy said, adding that D’Huy is the same firm that is overseeing the construction of the new Avon Grove High School. School Board President Vicki Gehrt emphasized that the vote to adopt the feasibility study and other current board actions are far from the final decisions on the fate of the two buildings.?
Source: Chester County Press; 4/15/2022
East Goshen Township to plant trees for Arbor Day
East Goshen Township will mark Earth Day with two events on Saturday, April 23. The annual Keep East Goshen Beautiful Day begins at 8 a.m. at the township building at 1580 Paoli Pike. At 9:30 a.m. the township will conduct the inaugural Arbor Day Celebration at Clymer’s Woods at the east side of Applebrook Park. East Goshen Township is a candidate for Tree City USA status and will celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree to commemorate the event. As part of the Tree City USA membership requirements, the township needs to engage the community in the importance of tree-planting and trees in general.
Source: Daily Local; 4/19/2022
$103.5M Phoenixville schools budget proposal includes small tax hike
The Phoenixville Area School Board adopted a?$103.5 million proposed final budget?for the 2022-2023 school year that would raise taxes by 0.99%. During a presentation prior to the vote, finance director Jeremy Melber outlined several options for closing the $892,000 deficit between the projected $102.6 million in revenues and $103.5 million in projected expenses. All options revolved around one central question — how much of the district’s surplus to use for tax reduction, versus transferring to reserves. The 0.99% tax hike adds about $44 to the tax bill of the median home in the district, assessed at $138,000. The surplus from the current year cannot be counted on to be repeated, Melber said. It is largely due to the financial impacts of Covid, including a 16% increase in earned income tax receipts, likely coming from district residents who work in Philadelphia but who have worked from home during the pandemic. Another variable is the potential impact of the court case brought by the owners of Phoenixville Hospital, which is appealing the loss of its nonprofit, tax-free status. Hospital owner Tower Health has been paying the $750,000 annual tax bill “under protest” since 2017. If the district loses the appeal, not only will it immediately lose an annual infusion of $750,000 in tax revenues, but will also have to pay back the $3.7 million Tower Health has already paid. The school board is expected to take its vote in May.
Source: Daily Local; 4/20/2022
East Vincent to establish an open space committee
The East Vincent Township Board of Supervisors will consider an ordinance to establish an open space committee. The public meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m.
Source: The Mercury; 4/13/2022
Kennett school board announces proposed budget
Kennett Consolidated School District’s business manager Mark Tracy announced the proposed final operating budget of $94 million for the 2022-2023 school year, which will include a 2.02% real estate tax increase. The board’s approval of the proposal was required by the state to be enacted 30 days before the final budget adoption, which is still dependent upon the state finalizing its budget, including the state subsidy to schools. Kennett’s budget for the next fiscal year could also be impacted by proposed charter school reform, as well as a new contract for staff.
Source: Chester County Press; 4/15/2022?
Delaware
Delco Solid Waste Authority approves contract with Covanta
The Delaware County Solid Waste Authority approved a three-year contract with Covanta to send the county’s 375,000 annual tons of trash to the waste-to-steam facility in Chester. During the authority’s meeting, anti-incinerator advocates sat in a perimeter around the room, holding signs that read, “Justice for Chester” and “Don’t Burn Delco Trash in Chester!” The current agreement expires April 30. The contract approved Wednesday goes through April 30, 2025, in one-year increments. “It was our goal to negotiate an agreement that provides a backstop for reliable waste disposal, but would not penalize us for reducing waste through recycling and minimization initiatives coming in the near future,” said James McLaughlin, chair of the Delaware County Solid Waste Authority Board. “The multiyear term also allows us to transition to other disposal options as they may develop.” Under the terms of the new agreement beginning on May 1, the authority can send up to 375,000 tons per year in the first year of the contract to the Covanta facility for $43.85 per ton. The new tonnage rate is a 3.8% increase from the current rate. Future rates will increase between 4% and 5%. Although the agreement generally covers a three-year period, it is broken into three separate one-year slots with the second and third years having to be mutually approved six months before the beginning of that service year. Last year, the authority sent approximately 390,000 tons to the Covanta facility. In the new agreement, the authority is not required to send any specific minimum.?
Source: Daily Times; 4/14/2022
领英推荐
Crozer Health tells municipalities to pay up or lose paramedic service
Crozer Health officials are reaching out for more financial support from some communities where they provide paramedic service. Crozer Health president and CEO Kevin M. Spiegel sent a letter to at least seven Delaware County municipalities giving them 10 days to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars or face a 90-day notice to terminate “chase car” paramedic service. Spiegel sent a letter to leaders of Glenolden, Prospect Park, Tinicum, Norwood and Ridley Park, telling them that the Advanced Life Support response vehicle, also known as the chase car, serving these communities came at a $336,000 annual loss. Copies of the letter were sent to fire companies that provide the basic life support in those communities. A similar letter was sent to officials in Aston and Brookhaven. Crozer paramedic service in Delaware County is split into two groups: Crozer North, which services Upper Darby and Springfield and is associated with the International Association of Fire Fighters, and Crozer South, which covers most of the municipalities along Chester Pike but sometimes extends as far as Yeadon because of mutual aid and is associated with the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals. Last month, Crozer announced the temporary closure of the intensive care unit and the surgery unit at Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Upper Darby by May 31 due to staffing issues caused by the pandemic. Nearby Trinity Health, which operates EMS service in the eastern section of Delaware County, is also struggling.
Source: Daily Local; 4/16/2022
PA Supreme Court takes up appeal in Chester Water Authority sale
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court granted the approval of appeal for the case centering on whether the City of Chester owns the assets of the Chester Water Authority (CWA). A date has not yet been set for the appeal. The case is one of several stemming from a 2017 unsolicited bid by Aqua Pennsylvania, a division of Essential Utilities, to buy the CWA for $320 million, which the authority’s board rejected. At issue is who actually owns the CWA assets — the more than 673 miles of water main in its service territory, its water storage tanks, the Octoraro Treatment Plant and its ancillaries, its workforce and its ratepayers. The CWA was initially created by the City of Chester in 1939 to provide water services to 67 customers. That has grown to more than 43,000 customers, serving 200,000 residents in 33 municipalities. About 20% of the customers are in the City of Chester, another 20% are in Chester County and the remaining 60% are in western Delaware County. The state Supreme Court will consider if the City of Chester can seize the assets of the CWA and sell those assets to address its own unrelated financial distress, while overriding representational rights to Delaware and Chester counties as granted by Act 73 of 2012 — the legislation that expanded the authority board to nine members from varying geographies. The court will also consider whether the Commonwealth Court erred in failing to follow case law (Burke v. N. Huntingdon Twp. Mun. Auth. in 1957) that says only an authority can authorize a transfer.
Source: Daily Times; 4/13/2022
Developers present latest plans at Swarthmore town hall meeting
The developers of the proposed 110 Park Ave. condominium project in Swarthmore hosted a town hall to discuss their project. A?recording of the meeting?is available on YouTube. The meeting began with an overview of the project by Bill Cumby Jr., his son Bill Cumby III (chairman and president of W.S. Cumby Construction, respectively), and development partner Don Delson. The developers also unveiled a?new website for the project, which includes answers to frequently asked questions.?
Source: The Swarthmorean; 4/8/2022
Marcus Hook named ‘Tree City USA’ for 37th consecutive year
Marcus Hook Borough has been named a “Tree City USA” for the 37th consecutive year. The designation comes from the National Arbor Day Foundation, a Nebraska-based organization dedicated to encouraging tree care and tree-planting programs. Communities qualify by meeting the following standards: a municipal tree ordinance, a legal tree governing body, a comprehensive urban shade tree program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and the annual observance of Arbor Day. The borough will hold its annual Arbor Day program on Friday, April 29, at 2:30 p.m. at Market Square Memorial Park. A hawthorn tree will be planted in the park.
Source: Daily Times; 4/20/2022?
Montgomery
King Street bridge reopens in Pottstown
After a $4.2 million rebuild that lasted more than two years, the King Street bridge over Manatawny Creek in Pottstown has reopened. The new bridge is wider and has wider six-foot sidewalks on both sides, as well as bike lanes. The project also involved new accessible ramps at the intersection of King and Manatawny streets, as well as measures taken to decrease erosion from flooding events. The ribbon-cutting included state Sen. Bob Mensch (R-24), state Rep. Tim Hennessey (R-26), state Rep. Joe Ciresi (D-147) and U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D, PA-4), all of whom lauded each other for cooperation in getting the project completed.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 4/158/2022
Montco planning commission to hold webinars on hazard mitigation?
Montgomery County is holding a second round of public webinars as part of the process of updating its?hazard mitigation plan. The focus of the webinar will be to provide an overview and accept comments on the 29 defined hazards that affect Montgomery County communities as well as the results of the risk assessment matrix completed by local emergency response personnel. Public input on threats and hazards in various communities will result in a more comprehensive plan. The webinars will be held?via Zoom?on Monday, April 25, at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, April 26, at noon. The same agenda will be covered at both meetings.
Source: MCPC; 4/2022
Recruitment underway for PFAS health study
Researchers hope to test more than 1,300 volunteers in Horsham, Warrington and Warminster to learn the long-term health effects of PFAS chemicals. The local volunteer subjects will be part of a multi-site nationwide study expected to test thousands of people across six states where the suspected carcinogen has contaminated drinking water sources. Recruitment and blood sampling is expected to run between summer and fall 2022, and the data analysis could be completed in the spring of 2023. More information about the study is available?online.
Source: The Intelligencer; 3/2022
Apply for Pottstown ‘Love Your Block’ grants by April 30
A consortium of organizations is offering grants to Pottstown neighborhoods. Grant applicants must submit their requests in groups of four or more volunteers, and projects must affect multiple homes or properties, or a shared community space. At least half of the applicants for each group must be Borough of Pottstown residents. Projects must be designed to remove blight, improve quality of life and foster community engagement. The deadline for the application is April 30. Called “Love Your Block,” the program is being administered by Pottstown Community Action, a volunteer group created through the neighborhood revitalization efforts of Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware counties, and other community partners. Detailed application information can be found?here.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 4/19/2022
Submission deadline approaching for Montco Pandemic Recovery Funds?
The Montgomery County Recovery Office is responsible for managing the county's $161.4 million Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery allocation, called the Pandemic Recovery Funds. The Recovery Office is accepting submissions through April 30 to direct how the county will expend the funds.?Click here?to learn more. The Recovery Office has been hosting a variety of town halls to gather public input, meet potential partners and learn what projects others are considering.?Click here?to view current and past town halls and to learn how to apply for funding.
Source: Montgomery County
Philadelphia
City is working to extend state board’s budget oversight past 2023
For almost 30 years, Philadelphia has had to get approval for its five-year financial plan from a Harrisburg-appointed board. That could change after next year. Since the early 1990s, when Philadelphia experienced a fiscal crisis so severe it nearly filed for bankruptcy, state law has required the city to get annual approval for its long-term financial plans. The law that established the?Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority?(PICA) expires next year, when state-backed bonds that helped Philly survive the emergency are paid off. But Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration is working on a?bipartisan effort to extend the agency?through at least 2047. “We’re still confident that that legislation is going to pass and PICA will be extended and will be around for decades,” city finance director Rob Dubow said. The bill, authored by state Rep. Martina White (R-170) has advanced through committee, but its passage is not yet assured thanks to opposition from a constituency that also opposed PICA when it was created 30 years ago — Philadelphia’s municipal unions, which unsuccessfully sued to abolish the authority in 1992.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/19/2022
Philly school asbestos inspection vote delayed to add lead paint checks
A city council bill that would bolster asbestos inspections in Philadelphia schools is on hold, as lawmakers work to add an amendment that would strengthen enforcement around lead paint, as well. City Councilmember Derek Green, who sponsored the bill, hopes to bring the updated version to a vote by the end of April. Damaged asbestos-containing materials, which can cause lung damage and cancer, have been found in numerous Philly public schools. The district agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to a former teacher diagnosed with deadly mesothelioma after working in the district for close to 30 years. The federal Environmental Protection Agency even fined the district in the 1980s for failing to properly warn families about asbestos hazards in two schools. Currently, the School District of Philadelphia conducts surveillance inspections of asbestos-containing materials in its buildings every six months and comprehensive inspections every three years, in compliance with federal law, and posts reports on its website. In addition, city inspectors look for unsafe asbestos conditions before and after construction work affecting known asbestos-containing material, or in response to complaints. Under the proposed bill, the Philadelphia Department of Health or a testing agency certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry would inspect school buildings each year for unsafe asbestos conditions — alongside the inspections already required for factors like fire safety and water quality. The bill would also require inspection results to be posted to a publicly accessible website. If passed, the new asbestos inspection requirements would go into effect over the next three years, with one-third of School District of Philadelphia-funded school buildings inspected after August 2023, one-third after August 2024 and the final third after August 2025.
Source: PlanPhilly; 4/7/2022?
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