A weekly roundup of real estate news, compiled by Suburban Realtors? Alliance week of: 6/16/2023
?Strafford station is a SEPTA station that has been in its location at Old Eagle School and Crestline roads in Tredyffrin Township since 1883. Tredyffrin/Easttown School District just approved a $177 million budget for 2023-2024 with a 3.5% tax increase.
Weekly News Briefs
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General
PA extends Property Tax/Rent Rebate deadline
The deadline for older adults and Pennsylvanians with disabilities to apply for rebates on rent and property taxes paid in 2022 has been extended from June 30 to Dec. 21. The rebate program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians ages 65 and older, widows and widowers 50 and older, and people with disabilities 18 and older. The income limit is currently $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 for renters. Gov. Josh Shapiro has called for a major expansion of the program in his proposed 2023-2024 budget. According to the proposal, the maximum standard rebate would increase from $650 to $1,000. The income limits for renters and homeowners would be made equal and both increase to $45,000. Applying for a rebate is free, and assistance is available at multiple locations across the state, including?Department of Revenue district offices, local?Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers and state legislators’ offices.
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star; 6/13/2023
65% of landlords nationwide plan to raise rents
Nearly two-thirds of landlords plan to raise their rent prices over the next year. While that may seem like a high percentage, it is down from the 70% of landlords who planned to raise rents as of October 2022, according to a new report from Realtor.com. For the 35% of landlords who are not planning to raise rents, nearly half said it’s because they hope their current tenants will stay if rent remains the same, 40% said they have a strong relationship with their current tenants and 32% said their current prices are at or above market value. Fifteen percent said they expect market rent prices to fall over the next year, so they are keeping their monthly rent prices the same. However, 55% of renters said they cannot afford a rent hike. Of renters who recently renewed a lease, just 28% tried to negotiate price with their landlord. Read more?here.
Source: PAR JustListed; 6/12/2023
I-95 bridge collapse detours, mapped out
A tanker truck fire under I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia brought down a bridge and created a major traffic disruption for the foreseeable future. The?Philadelphia Inquirer has posted a visual article?with local and regional detours mapped out. The Philadelphia Parking Authority is offering commuters free parking at the Fox Chase, Torresdale, Fern Rock and Frankford Transportation Center stations. Parking is also free at all regional rail stations. SEPTA?increased service and capacity?on the Trenton, West Trenton and Fox Chase Lines to accommodate disrupted travel through the city and region. Visit?the state’s I-95 updates webpage?for the latest official guidance on road closures and detours.?
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/12/2023
Bucks
County clears homeless camp from woods
Bucks County government employees removed a scattered homeless encampment from the woods behind the Lower Bucks County Government Services Center in Bristol Township. Prior to the action, the county sent staff and rangers into the area for two weeks to advise those living there that the encampments would be removed. Bucks County Division of Human Services director Rachael Neff said case workers, co-responders and nonprofits took part in the efforts to help the six people displaced from the woods. Others are believed to have departed the woods ahead of the removal. Bucks County Director of Emergency Services Audrey Kenny confirmed that authorities have responded to recent emergency calls and crime issues in the woods. Read more from?LevittownNow.
Source: LevittownNow.com; 6/13/2023
Variances sought for townhomes at former elementary school site in Middletown
Developer Woodbourne Ridge Associates will seek four variances from the Middletown Zoning Hearing Board for a 70-townhome development at the former Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School. The building currently houses Delta Community Support Services, which hosts the training of mentally and physically challenged adults, an adult day care and a food bank. The developer met with neighbors in April and revised the original plans to preserve 40% of the property for open space and to provide more of a woodland buffer between the townhomes and nearby neighborhoods. The townhomes will have a starting price of approximately $600,000. A hearing on the zoning application will be held Wednesday, June 28, at 7 p.m. in the Middletown Municipal Building, 3 Municipal Way.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 6/9/2023
Taxes steady in Bristol Township School District
The Bristol Township School Board plans to hold the line on taxes for the upcoming fiscal year. The board approved a preliminary $160.9 million budget last month that was built around no tax increase but will lean on using about $8.7 million from the fund balance to cover a budget shortfall. Superintendent Michael Nitti said the budget is “respectful to the taxpaying community,” but also continues to provide “valued programs and opportunities to our students.” The budget is scheduled to be finalized at the Wednesday, June 28, meeting.
Source: LevittownNow.com; 6/13/2023
Ivyland to hold 150th anniversary celebration on June 24
Ivyland Borough is planning a big party to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding. Since last March, the Ivyland Heritage Association and a group of residents and volunteers have been planning the daylong celebration and activities. Festivities will begin at noon on Saturday, June 24, with a welcome ceremony. Visit the?Ivyland 150th webpage?for a lineup of events and information on how to volunteer.
Source: Warminster Patch; 6/9/2023
Middletown replacing July Fourth parade with community celebration
Middletown Township has decided to permanently discontinue its annual Fourth of July parade and replace it with a “community-wide celebration.” The parade had been part of the festivities for more than a decade, but waning public and participant interest and an “overall imbalance in the cost/benefit ratio” made the parade cancellation necessary,?according to the township. Supervisors Chairperson Anna Payne said with removal of the parade, the township now will explore “innovative avenues” for a community “engagement and celebration.”
Source: The Advance of Bucks County; 6/5/2023?
Chester
$177M budget with 3.5% tax hike adopted by T/E school board
The Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board voted 7-2 to approve a budget of $177 million for the 2023-2024 school year with a 3.5% property tax increase. Arthur J. McDonnell, business manager, said the increase would amount to $235 for the average homeowner in the district. The new tax rate is levied at 26.7585 mills, which amounts to about $26.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Superintendent Richard Gusick said the budget reflects the projected increase in enrollment next year and an increase in staff, including more school psychologists and science teachers. McDonnell said that the average annual school taxes paid in Tredyffrin/Easttown is currently $6,636. The district does not collect an earned income tax. The district is also considering the possibility of a new elementary school to deal with overcrowding issues, but that is not included in the 2023-2024 school budget.
Source: Tredyffrin-Easttown Patch; 6/13/2023
West Brandywine to hold hearing on commercial overlay district?
West Brandywine Township supervisors will hold a?public hearing?to consider a proposed amendment to the township zoning ordinance. The?proposed ordinance?and?map?can be viewed on the township website. The hearing will take place on Thursday, July 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the West Brandywine Township Building, 198 Lafayette Road.
Source: West Brandywine Township
Penn Township rescinds parking lot resolutions
The Penn Township Board of Supervisors voted to vacate and rescind motions passed at its May 3 and 17 meetings. The resolutions would have required Avon Grove School District to install a 96-space overflow parking lot at the new high school, as noted on the approved site plans. The board had also passed a resolution to defend the township or take action to settle two lawsuits filed by the school district contending that both of the original resolutions concerning the additional parking were made in violation of the state’s Sunshine Law. Because the resolutions have been rescinded, the school district’s lawsuits and the request for an injunction become unnecessary. The township has received a variety of concerns about traffic and parking in connection with the new high school, including reports of students parking in a nearby shopping center lot and walking across Route 796. The concern about safety prompted the supervisors to pass the initial resolutions. According to a press release, the district has indicated that they are making additional parking spaces available. Unrelated to the number of parking spaces, there have been complaints that the increased traffic at school opening and closing times is creating backups at the intersection of Baltimore Pike and Route 796.
Source: Chester County Press; 6/12/2023
Shyamalan to sell 90 acres of Willistown farm to conservation trust
Movie director and screenwriter M. Night Shyamalan on June 2 finalized the purchase of the 218-acre Kirkwood Farm in Willistown Township. Willistown Conservation Trust, an environmental nonprofit, is purchasing 90 acres from Shyamalan for the creation of a public nature preserve on Plumsock and Providence roads. In 2004, Willistown Conservation Trust purchased 95 acres to create nearby Kirkwood Preserve, located at 855 Grubbs Mill Road in Newtown Square.
Source: Malvern Patch; 6/7/2023
Sen. Muth announces $3.5M in funding for affordable housing and homelessness prevention
State Sen. Katie Muth (D-44) announced that more than $3.54 million has been awarded to organizations across Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties for programs that address homelessness, housing affordability, and case-management counseling to prevent evictions and foreclosures. The funding was approved by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and for Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement applicants. See the full list?in Muth’s announcement.
Source: Sen. Katie Muth; 6/13/2023?
Delaware
Millbourne residents hope CHOP signals an upswing
Less than one-tenth of a square mile in size, Millbourne Borough has a long history — and residents hope it’s on an upswing. When the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) decided to build an $85 million state-of-the-art supply center, it chose Millbourne as the location. The tiny borough nestled between West Philly and Upper Darby holds the distinction of being Pennsylvania’s most densely populated incorporated town, with 1,200 people. The borough is a melting pot, with a large Bangladeshi American population. About 64% of residents are of Asian descent, per 2021 census data. It has a namesake station on SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line, but the borough has been struggling economically for years. Millbourne leaders welcomed the new CHOP facility, which opened last October, as a development that could herald an influx of jobs, tax revenue and further development. The site picked by CHOP at 6400 Market St. had sat vacant since the Sears Roebuck shuttered in 1988 and was demolished two decades later. With CHOP’s arrival, the county reassessed the site’s value at $50.6 million, up from a prior $1.3 million. Millbourne’s residents have varying opinions on the new CHOP supply center, which has 24/7 security and houses supplies, bedding, sterile processing materials and operating instruments for the hospital system. Read more?here.?
Source: Billy Penn; 6/5/2023
Riddle Hospital doubles in size?
Riddle Hospital in Middletown Township has doubled in size with the opening of a five-story structure on Baltimore Pike. Services will begin at the 230,000-square-foot facility on July 10. Main Line Health decided to move forward with the $327 million project, even though Riddle is experiencing the same challenges as many other health systems. Hospital president Shelly Buck said serious discussions on the project began in 2011, but the idea had circulated even before that as Main Line Health prioritized a strategy to modernize all four of its hospitals. “To invest over $327 million into Delaware County is tremendous,” said Buck. “We stayed committed to doing that despite the fact that we are still losing money as we recover from this pandemic.” The new building has 10 modern surgical suites, 620 square feet of operating areas, 76 new patient rooms and a 174-space parking garage with electric vehicle charging stations.
Source: Daily Local; 6/12/2023
领英推荐
PennDOT awards scenic byway in Chadds Ford $400k under federal program
PennDOT has awarded the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway in Chadds Ford more than $400,000 in Federal Highway Administration funds for safety improvement projects as part of the National Scenic Byways Program. Improvements include creating pedestrian crossings at three locations and construction of an additional public parking area along North Creek and South Creek roads, according to a release from PennDOT. Funding will also be used for improvements on the Walkable Chadds Ford trail to connect recreational venues to existing trails, as well as cultural, historical and commercial sites in the historic Village of Chadds Ford.?
Source: Daily Times; 6/10/2023
2023-2024 Marple Newtown School District budget set for June 27 vote
Marple Newtown School District is getting ready to adopt its 2023-2024 budget. The proposed budget, which stands at $106.5 million, was adopted on May 23. The proposed millage rate is 11.6111, up about 2.9% from 11.2839 mills currently. The budget is available on the?school district website?ahead of the school board’s scheduled adoption vote on Tuesday, June 27.?
Source: Marple Newtown Patch; 6/8/2023?
Montgomery
Rockledge to regulate short-term rentals
Rockledge Borough Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, June 26, to consider a proposed ordinance regulating short-term real estate rentals. Proposed Ordinance 678 will prohibit short-term real estate rentals in the SUR (Single-Family Urban Residential District) and SURA (Single-Family Urban Residential Alternative District) zoning districts, and set forth criteria for short-term real estate rentals in?all other zoning districts. Visit the?Rockledge Borough website?for meeting information.
Source: Montgomery Publishing Group; 6/11/2023
Analysis has Montco as one of top 50 spots for ‘quickest home sales in U.S.’
Seven Pennsylvania areas made a recent ranking of the 50 places where homes are selling the quickest — with four of those cities making the top 10, and the top three all in Pennsylvania. On the list are Scranton, Montgomery County, Allentown, Harrisburg, Reading, Lancaster and York. Montgomery County ranked 36th on the list with a median of 17 days on the market and 1,470 homes sold in the month of April. Stacker Media looked at more than 300 metro areas in the U.S. for?the analysis, using data from real estate site Redfin on median days homes spent on the market and how many units were sold in April.?
Source: Centre Daily Times; 6/9/2023
Ambler Borough discussing residential resale inspection ordinance
Ambler Borough is considering a proposed residential resale inspection ordinance. The?proposed ordinance?includes required inspections of certain items prior to the transfer of a property, including:
The draft ordinance was discussed by the borough Finance and Planning Committee at a June 6 meeting, and it will be reviewed and discussed again at the Tuesday, June 20, meeting. Currently, Ambler requires a?Residential Resale Letter?stating certain items are installed and working correctly prior to settlement.?
Source: Ambler Borough; 6/6/2023
Lower Pottsgrove to replace peddling and soliciting ordinance
The Lower Pottsgrove Township Board of Commissioners intends to adopt an ordinance repealing and replacing its peddling and soliciting ordinance. The proposed ordinance will be considered in a hearing on Thursday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m., at the Lower Pottsgrove Township Building, 2199 Buchert Road, Pottstown. The proposed ordinance will regulate door-to-door peddling and soliciting by requiring a permit, limiting the time and place of such activities, enabling occupants and owners of premises to limit access by peddlers and solicitors, and establishing penalties for violation. The full text of the proposed ordinance is available to view at the township building.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 6/13/2023
Lower Pottsgrove to take office building by eminent domain, as owner prefers
Lower Pottsgrove Township commissioners voted unanimously on June 8 to condemn and take by eminent domain an office building at 1963 E. High St. The township had hoped to buy the 14,760-square-foot office building and surrounding land for use as a municipal building, but the property owner instead suggested the township seize it via eminent domain, the commissioners said. Montgomery County property records show the property is owned by Oak Street Investment Grade Net Lease Fund Series 2020-1 LLC. “We would like to have made a gentleman’s agreement” with Oak Street and bought the property at a negotiated price, Commissioners President Ray Lopez said. Township solicitor Jamie Ottaviano said he continues to talk with company representatives on Lower Pottsgrove’s behalf in hopes of reaching a settlement. Lopez and Wagner said the company did not explain why it favored the legal action. Read more?here.
Source: Sanatoga Post; 6/11/2023
Portion of Plymouth Township office park could become apartments
Conshohocken-based developer EQT Exeter informally proposed to redevelop a portion of the Plymouth Woods Office Park into 310 apartments. The office park is located off Plymouth Road between the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Sussex Square Apartments and the new single-family home community directly across from Plymouth Elementary School. It consists of five one-story office buildings. In 2017, Plymouth Township approved a different plan for the redevelopment of two of the buildings into a single five-story — or potentially as tall as seven-story — office building by EQT Exeter. The 310 apartments in the newer proposal would be built in the same area as the two buildings that would have been replaced under the 2017 plan. Council members did not comment on the proposal at the meeting, instead opting to send written comments later.?
Source: Morethanthecurve.com; 6/7/2023
Sen. Muth announces $3.5M in funding for affordable housing and homelessness prevention
State Sen. Katie Muth (D-44) announced that more than $3.54 million has been awarded to organizations across Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties for programs that address homelessness, housing affordability, and case-management counseling to prevent evictions and foreclosures. The funding was approved by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and for Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement applicants. See the full list?in Muth’s announcement.
Source: Sen. Katie Muth; 6/13/2023
Philadelphia
Philly among best cities to live without a car
A report from CoworkingCafe lists Philadelphia as one of the best cities in the country in which to live without a car.?The study?considered how often people walk, use public transportation, bike or drive a car, as well as the cost of public transit and how packed public transit stations and bike lanes are, among other factors. Philadelphia’s high density of public transportation stations sets it apart from other cities — although not every part of the city is easy to access with public transportation. The city is also popular with walkers and bicyclists.?
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/14/2023
New renderings provide more detailed look at Sixers arena proposal
For the first time since announcing the project last summer, the Sixers are releasing a series of architectural renderings of 76 Place — the $1.3 billion basketball arena the team hopes to build on Market Street near Chinatown. The final design is still years away, but the color illustrations provide a glimpse of what fans might see inside and outside of the roughly 18,500-seat arena, as well as what passersby on Market Street would experience if the project is completed. The renderings come while the city is in the process of evaluating the impact of 76 Place. Chinatown residents and businesses continue to oppose the project, which they say will destroy the historic neighborhood. In mid-April, Mayor Jim Kenney asked the Philadelphia Development Corporation to fast track a trio of requests for proposals — one for a community impact analysis, one for an economic analysis and one for design consulting services. See some of the renderings and read more?here.?
Source: PlanPhilly; 6/7/2023
Roosevelt Boulevard subway project poised for hearings following I-95 collapse
The renewed interest in building a subway in the median of Roosevelt Boulevard as an extension of the Broad Street Line is gaining momentum amid the traffic congestion spurred by the closure of a chunk of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia. Councilmember Mike Driscoll, who represents the 6th District in the Northeast, introduced a resolution to authorize hearings to explore how the city, state and federal governments could make the project happen. The development comes?less than a week after the fire that weakened steel girders and caused the collapse?of an elevated section of I-95. ”The incident sent countless residents scrambling with limited viable alternative options to get from the Northeast to Center City,” Driscoll said in a statement. “We need to re-examine the proposed Roosevelt Boulevard extension from every angle and leave no stone unturned to find a viable transportation alternative.” Aside from the current crisis, Driscoll said that the Northeast, a geographic area of 500,000 people, is underserved by public transit. Many residents do not own cars and can spend up to two hours reaching other areas of the city via bus and transfers to the two subway lines, he said.?SEPTA has said that the subway extension is unrealistic?given its current levels of funding and long list of infrastructure needs. The last study, more than 14 years ago, estimated it would cost about $3 billion — likely more now, with inflation. Supporters say there are less expensive modular alternatives to build subways now that could keep costs low.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/14/2023
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