News Brief Headlines
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§ HUD head quits amid housing crisis, criminal probe
§ Nutter reaching out to new friends in the suburbs
§ REALTORS® Vote
§ Rt. 611 development booming
§ Ivyland population nearly doubled since 2000
§ Hilltown hires new manager
§ Richland: More police could raise taxes
§ Blueberry Hill developer requests zoning approval for day-care center
§ Future remains uncertain for Coatesville's Cambria Terrace
§ A King Street fit for Malvern
§ Regional panel to disband; new committee will cover 6 municipalities
§ West Goshen Township considers new zoning affecting Jerrehian estate development
§ Upper Providence told CDCA Membership is pending state's approval
§ Newtown Schedules Town Center Forum
§ Sharon Hill Borough Revises Property Maintenance Ordinance
§ SEPTA parking garage to open in Norristown
§ Ardmore station moves forward with $150 million plan
§ Upper Moreland High School construction ahead of schedule
General
HUD head quits amid housing crisis, criminal probe
HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, his tenure tarnished by allegations of political favoritism and a criminal investigation, announced his resignation Monday amid the wreckage of the national housing crisis. He leaves behind a trail of unanswered questions about whether he tilted the Department of Housing and Urban Development toward Republican contractors and cronies.
Source: Daily Local; 4/1/08
Nutter reaching out to new friends in the suburbs
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter wants to establish a "Metropolitan County Caucus" in this area based on Illinois' already successful "Chicagoland" region. Nutter is asking for regional cooperation to create an interactive approach to all planning issues. Mayor Nutter has proposed an end to "arrogant" business practices that saw Philadelphia operate in "isolation." A regional project now in progress is the $700 million Pennsylvania Convention Center expansion, the "largest economic development project in the history of Pennsylvania."
Source: Daily Times; 3/25/08
REALTORS® Vote
REALTORS® are encouraged to vote in the General Primary Election on Tuesday, April 22. Along with the opportunity to cast a vote for a presidential nominee, there are several local and state elections across the commonwealth. In the General Assembly, there are 24 incumbent state lawmakers retiring and 32 legislators who have a primary election challenger. There are also races for attorney general, auditor general and state treasurer. As REALTORS® it is important to back candidates who support private property rights and the real estate industry. The Pennsylvania State Department has polling information and a list of candidates at www.votespa.com . PAR-RPAC supports the following Pennsylvania candidates. Click here to apply for an absentee ballot.
Rt. 611 development booming
Plans are in the works for an additional 70 acres of development along Rt. 611 in Warrington. Over 260,000 square feet of retail space, restaurants, housing, and hotel accommodations are part of the proposal for development for the "Paul Valley town Center." Also included in the plan are up to 80 residential units and a possible 120-unit assisted-living facility.
Source: The Intelligencer; 3/30/08
Ivyland population nearly doubled since 2000
One of the smallest boroughs in Pennsylvania is one of the fastest growing towns in the region, according to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Between 2000 and 2006, Ivyland's population grew by 66 percent thanks to Ivyland Village, a new 81-home development of townhouses and single family homes on Jacksonville Road, and an additional 16 homes on open land off Pennsylvania Avenue.
Source: The Intelligencer; 3/24/08
Hilltown hires new manager
After five months without a manager, Hilltown Township hired Christopher Christman to be the new township manager. Christman was assistant township manager for Limerick Township in Montgomery County for two years. He begins his new job on April 14.
Source: The Intelligencer; 3/25/08
Richland: more police could raise taxes
A substantial increase in the size of Richland Township's police force may increase property taxes by at least 5 mills. The current property tax rate is 2.5 mills, the seventh-lowest in Bucks County. If increased, the owner of a house assessed at $35,000 would pay $262.50 annually, a $175 increase. The township is considering hiring up to 10 new officers.
Source: The Intelligencer; 3/23/08
Blueberry Hill developer requests zoning approval for day-care center
After spending over $12 million in the past 3 years to renovate the Blueberry Hill buildings in Doylestown, the Carrollton Development Group is struggling to find tenants. The new Valley Square Shopping Center along Easton Road in Warrington has provided commercial competition for the 3.6 acre Blueberry Hill site at Easton and Almshouse Roads. Currently, Blueberry Hill is zoned as a commercial district, but Carrollton has asked for amended zoning to allow for The Learning Experience, a daycare operation, in the hopes it will provide incentive for other tenants.
Source: The Intelligencer; 3/23/08
Chester
Future remains uncertain for Coatesville's Cambria Terrace
The three parties most closely involved with development of the city's Cambria Terrace community have three different thoughts about its future. On Monday, the senior project manager for developer Community Builders, Jim Eby, said a new company could be in place by mid-April to complete the replacement for the old Oak Street Public Housing Project with 84 new homes in Coatesville and South Coatesville. Finding a new developer became necessary three months ago after Community Builders, which had been contracted by the county's housing authority to build most of the residences and oversee the construction of others, said it would not be able to finish the project. The involvement of a new contractor would require the approval of the Housing Authority of the County of Chester, whose executive director, Tonya Mitchell-Weston, said in a separate interview Monday that her office was unaware of any serious candidates for the work. Meanwhile, the city administration is suggesting a deal could at least be in the pipeline. Coatesville spokeswoman Kristin Geiger, speaking on behalf of City Manager Harry Walker, said a developer is interested but he had not met with Community Builders.
Source: Daily Local; 3/25/08
A King Street fit for Malvern
Today, King Street in Malvern is still reminiscent of Malvern's industrial heritage, but a new plan could change that. Eli Kahn and Della Porter, partners on the East King Street Redevelopment plan, made presentations to the planning commission and borough council that would bring new development to the town center. Four-story buildings would line East King Street on the right, giving Malvern an upscale future. Ideally, ground would be broken in the spring or summer of 2009 and the project would be completed by the end of 2011.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 3/30/08
Regional panel to disband; new committee will cover 6 municipalities
The nine-year-old Phoenixville Area Plan Commission will soon be out of, well, commission. The work of the commission is near complete; all six collaborating municipalities - Phoenixville Borough and Schuylkill, Charlestown, East Pikeland, and East and West Vincent townships - approved a regional plan that the commission proposed and a common agreement to implement it. By the terms of that agreement, the commission will be replaced immediately by the Phoenixville Regional Planning Committee, a successor body charged with coordinating the implementation. Each municipality has the right to appoint its representative to the committee. The current commissioners may, but need not be, those officials appointed to the committee.
Source: Daily Local; 3/31/08
West Goshen Township considers new zoning affecting Jerrehian estate development
With an eye on how the Jerrehian estate will be developed, the township has drafted and is considering a new zoning ordinance affecting housing and open space. The proposed changes allow a mix of residences and denser development with more open space. Township Supervisor Robert White noted that the ordinance would allow the same number of housing units to be built on the parcel, as the township does not want to detract from the value of the land. The Jerrehian family and developer Pulte Homes have two plans filed with the township for the 463-acre estate. One plan, filed several years ago, is to build about 709 homes in a by-right plan under current R-3 zoning. The second plan, which proceeded through the conditional-use process and was approved last year, is for 538 homes under a flexible-design zoning option offered in the R-3 district. In January, township supervisors granted Pulte and the Jerrehian family a one-year extension of this plan. Although these two plans are filed, no related land-development plans are proceeding through the township, and no one from the township can say if Pulte has pulled out of the project. The hearing was continued until next month.
Source: Daily Local; 3/31/08
Delaware
Upper Providence told CDCA membership is pending state's approval
The last member of CDCA (Central Delaware County Authority) has given approval for Upper Providence Township to become a member. Councilman Ed Bierling (R-4) said, "Basically we are in." Township manager Anthony T. Hamaday cautioned that the state still has to accept the change.
CDCA is a sewage conveyance system. Council Chairman Edward Cashman (R-5) said acceptance into CDCA will allow the township to put public sewers north of the by-pass.
Source: Hometown Press; 4/1/2008
Newtown schedules town center forum
Newtown Township Supervisors recently scheduled Weds., May 7 to convene another public meeting to discuss Berwind Property Group's (BPG) development of the Ellis Preserve as a unified town center or a collection of by-right plans. The evening session will be held either in the Gauntlett Center, or Marple Newtown High School to accommodate the anticipated crowd. The conclusion of a BPG hearing seeking conditional use for a third by-right Ellis office building had been on last week's supervisors' meeting agenda, but was taken off at the eleventh hour. According to Township Chair Joseph Catania, BPG had agreed to a 60-day extension to continue the hearing. Similar public meetings were held at the Gauntlett Center on the last two days of May 2007, with a record-setting 2,000 concerned citizens turning out to debate the same topic.
Source: Town Talk; 4/1/08
Sharon Hill Borough revises property maintenance ordinance
Sharon Hill Borough Council revisited a controversial Property Maintenance Ordinance at last week's meeting. The action was prompted by residents' outrage voiced at previous meetings regarding citations for high grass violations and alleged short notice to pay the penalty or get the grass cut. Upon legal review of the ordinance, inconsistencies were found in the document. Nothing in the code is explicit regarding high grass regulations, compliance and fines, leaving the matter to interpretation. The solicitor's office came up with a compromise that sets forth clear language, namely, property owners in violation of high grass restrictions will be given five days notice to mow or pay up. Council accepted the revision and voted to advertise the ordinance for public hearing.
Source: Town Talk; 4/1/08
Montgomery
SEPTA parking garage to open in Norristown
The Norristown Transportation Center is slated for opening in July of this year, but SEPTA's construction of a multi-story parking garage is nearly complete. The $17 million, 500-space garage will provide parking for commuters using the regional rail and busses that arrive and depart from Lafayette Street in downtown Norristown. Funding comes partially from the State of Pennsylvania and the federal government, but the county is footing the majority of the bill as part of the revitalization plan for Norristown.
Source: The Reporter; 3/26/08
Ardmore Station moves forward with $150 million plan
Lower Merion Township Commissioners voted 11-0 to approve Carl Dranoff's $150 million proposal for the transformation of Ardmore Station. Dranoff's proposal will include 335 apartments, 60,000 square feet of retail space, 12,000 square feet of office space, a landscaped amphitheater and 1,150 parking spaces. The construction will occur over five years, beginning with a 300-space parking garage and train station renovation.
Source: The Inquirer; 3/24/08
Upper Moreland High School construction ahead of schedule
Thanks to a mild winter, construction is swiftly moving forward on the $34.5 million renovation of Upper Moreland High School. The 1,200 student school on Terwood Road is being renovated in stages, as it is still occupied by students. Renovations include eight new classrooms which should be completed by September, with subsequent projects rewiring the building and improving the gymnasium. The existing 180,000 square-foot building, built in 1959, will be increased by 35,000 square feet. The tax impact for the building will increase the median tax bill in the district by $200 over the next two years, but could be less if the district received an anticipated $700,000 from state gambling rebates.
Source: The Intelligencer; 3/23/08 |