Metro Philly 'Bricks and Sticks'

Jewish Living magazine has scoured North America for neighborhoods with strong Jewish traditions and a vibrant religious community. Read the rest of this entry »

The Clemens Family Corp. (CFC), the parent company of Hatfield Quality Meats, is considering various construction projects in Montgomery County. Currently under development is Hatfield Point, a shopping center on Forty Foot Road in Hatfield Township that will include a Lowe’s and five other tenants. A second deal involves a super Wawa on Forty Food Road in Towamencin that would include space for youth athletics and a park-like picnic area. Altogether, CFC owns about 300 acres in Hatfield and Towamencin Townships.

After $1.5 million and several moths of cleanup, PECO has completed the remediation of a site that is the future home of the Royersford Condominiums and a borough park. Read the rest of this entry »

Instead of paying a company to remove 2.4 miles of old railroad track, including wooden ties and steel tracks, the county will receive over $205,000 from Railroad Resources and Recovery of Bethlehem. The current high price of steel makes it worthwhile for the company to remove the steel tracks, which border Lorimer Park in Abington. In 1983, SEPTA suspended service on the line, which extends from Fox Chase to Newtown in Bucks County. This section of the trail will be the first phase of Pennypack Trail, which will eventually extend to Upper Moreland and Bryn Athyn where it will connect with other Bucks County trails.

Private property owners who have allowed houses to deteriorate may soon experience “more vigorous enforcement” of fines, as council authorized the solicitor to collect property maintenance judgments. Councilman Peter Alyanakian expressed concern about this procedure in an economic climate when homeowners may not have the means to pay fines or conduct repairs. However, the problem seems to be limited to only a few homes in the borough with chronic property maintenance issues. The administration believes those properties present a safety concern, and enforcement is “the last resort.”

Plans for the final extension of Eagle Loop Road are in progress. The final extension of the road, also known as the “southern link,” will include the segment between Route 100 and Byers Road. If work on southern link begins Oct. 1, it could be completed by October or November 2009. PennDOT pledged six months ago to pay for the cost of construction of the extension if the project does not exceed $4.6 million.

With Phoenixville’s downtown business district vacancy rate at its highest since 2003, Main Street-CDC Executive Director Barry Cassidy said business recruitment preparations have begun. The current vacancy rate in the downtown district is close to 25 percent, which is up from the slightly over 23 percent when Cassidy arrived in Phoenixville in December 2003. Cassidy said stores and businesses he’d like to see come to the downtown district include a women’s apparel boutique, women’s shoes, men’s apparel, a full-service bakery, a brand shop, a high-end restaurant and some eclectic stores that he said are “one-of-a-kind specific to an arts and entertainment district.”

The Phoenixville revitalization will remain stalled until such merchants migrate to the main drag. The residents of the surrounding community are eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Chester County has been the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania since the 2000 census, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. In figures released this month that estimated population as of July 1, 2007, the bureau says the county has added 52,844 residents, for a total population of 486,345. Chester’s 12.2 percent growth spurt far outstrips the other 66 counties in the state. Of Chester County’s southeastern Pennsylvania neighbors, only Montgomery County made the top 10 with 27,185 new residents. According to the Chester County Planning Commission, approximately two-thirds of the new residents have come from nearby counties, particularly Delaware and Montgomery, and surrounding states.

Plans submitted by S.D. Real Estate Developers for 16 townhouse units on a 2-acre property owned by Bensalem Township’s public works director were approved by Bensalem council earlier this week. In May, council voted to rezone the 2 acres, allowing for denser housing construction. Several variances were also granted, including one that would allow eight units per acre.

Warminster is considering transforming a 16-acre industrial site into a 200-home mixed-use development within walking distance to the nearby SEPTA regional rail station. The plan calls for 14 housing units per acre and would include a walking path to the train station and small retail space on the site. The transit-oriented development (TOD) district in Warminster follows in the footsteps of Ambler, Hatboro and Upper Gwynedd in Montgomery County. The purpose of a TOD is to capitalize on the proximity to a transit facility and to promote ridership and economic and community development, according to a 2007 Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission report.

Under the new housing bill, home buyers who have not owned a home in the last three years will be eligible for a tax credit equal to 10 percent of the property up to a maximum of $7,500.

Here’s how it works:

• The credit is $3,750 for married couples filing separately. Unmarried people who jointly purchase a home will be able to divide the $7,500 credit.

• This program is actually a loan, which home buyers must repay over 15 years at zero percent interest beginning in the second year after they purchase the home. A home buyer who qualified for the whole credit would pay $500 for 15 years or about $41.67 per month.

• The credit applies only to homes purchased on or after April 9, 2008, and before July 1, 2009.

• High-income home buyers don’t qualify: Eligibility begins phasing out for single filers with adjusted income of more than $75,000 and $150,000 for joint filers. It completely phases out at $95,000 for singles and $170,000 for married couples filing jointly.

I’ve attached some documentation detailing the Housing Economic Recovery Act \’08 (First-time Homebuyer Tax Credit) and its practical applications.

A team of economists who created a variety of forecasting models concludes that predictions of further large housing price declines are greatly overblown. Read the rest of this entry »

Pulte Homes plans to match the $7,500 tax credit that the federal government is offering to first-time home buyers as part of its housing stimulus package. Read the rest of this entry »