Pittsburgh Study Shows City’s Vibrancy Has Returned

Editor’s note:  We found this to be true during our visit there this summer. Pittsburgh has drastically changed over the last 10 years and the improvement is palpable.

Pittsburgh has transformed from an economically stagnant, transient city to “somewhere people want to come to and stay for a long time,” according to Doug Heuck, director of Pittsburgh Today.

A new report from the statistics-based project reflects this trend in increased home ownership, showing more residents are making the city their home.

The report shows the Pittsburgh region has the highest percentage of owner-occupied housing compared to 14 other metropolitan areas with comparable size and demographics, according to U.S. Census figures.

Factors like employment opportunities, education and housing have turned the city into “somewhere people want to come to and stay for a long time,” Mr. Heuck said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/18/Study-shows-Pittsburgh-s-vibrancy-has-returned/stories/201410180017

Clarke Unveils Plan For Affordable Housing In Gentrifying Philly Neighborhoods

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Council President Darrell Clarke today unveiled a plan to build 1,500 affordable housing units in gentrifying neighborhoods like Francisville, Point Breeze and Mantua by redeveloping city-owned vacant land or tax-delinquent properties.

One thousand of the units will be rentals and would take advantage of two underused financing tools, Clarke said: operational subsidies for affordable housing from the Philadelphia Housing Authority and a tax credit from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

The city would also need to issue a $100 million bond to be paid for by the Housing Trust Fund, which currently supports other programs.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/cityhall/Clarke-unveils-plan-for-affordable-housing-in-gentrifying-neighborhoods.html#o1ssZ08Syqt3eBBK.99

Changing Skyline: PHA, Homeowners In Stalemate Over Plans For Empty Public-Housing Tower

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kimberly Mathis put up with plenty when the public-housing tower that shadows her little Germantown street was inhabited, but things got worse after the Philadelphia Housing Authority emptied the apartments in 2011 in preparation for demolition.  The drug dealers, who had done a brisk trade inside the Queen Lane high-rise, quickly shifted business to the sidewalks below.  They even dragged a set of bleachers to a spot across from Mathis’ house, which she bought from Habitat for Humanity and shares with a disabled daughter.

That was the last straw.  Furious, Mathis says, she grabbed an ax and proceeded to hack the bleachers into firewood.  The dealers scattered like so many roaches, taking up new positions a block away.  She says her stretch of Priscilla Street has been dealer-free ever since.

If only getting rid of the notorious Queen Lane tower were as simple.

In the two tumultuous years since PHA announced plans to replace the graceless, 16-story misfit with 55 rental houses, the agency’s relationship with neighborhood homeowners has gone from bad to worse.  For a while, it seemed that the project would enable PHA, which is still recovering from the Carl Greene scandal, to showcase a gentler, more collaborative style. Instead, the agency now finds itself in the position of ramming through a problematic design.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/home/20130816_Changing_Skyline__PHA__homeowners_in_stalemate_over_plans_for_empty_eyesore.html#VDGH3TPO8jgUeyys.99

Survey: Chester County Residents Upbeat But Hate Traffic, High Taxes

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chester County residents like the county’s open space and scenery, but also value highly its proximity to metropolitan areas. They use its libraries and parks like gangbusters, and are confident its 911 and emergency response systems.

They do not, however, like the traffic and road conditions they encounter or the taxes they pay.  They wish the county government would do more to help create job and business opportunities and manage the suburban sprawl that continues to plague the countryside.

In general, county residents see they place they live as an excellent place to raise a family, get a good education, and buy a home — even if they have a sense that it might not live up to the same expectations when looking to retire, open a business, or find a job.

Those, in part, are the results of a unique survey done to assess the quality of life in Chester County, completed earlier this summer by the Center for Social & Economic Policy Research at West Chester University.  The survey results follow up on a similar project completed in 2009 by Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

Read more:   http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130729/NEWS01/130729442/survey-chester-county-residents-upbeat-but-hate-traffic-high-taxes#full_story

Genesis Housing Corporation Homes For Sale In Pottstown

Now is the time to buy renovated single family homes.  Total monthly payments as low as $452 per month. [info/application].  Click here to see our available homes.

Pottstown homes are 610 Chestnut St., 612 Chestnut St., 405 Walnut St and 407 Walnut St. Coming soon is 433 Walnut St.

The Washington Street Neighborhood Project is revitalizing Washington Street in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.  The Washington Street Neighborhood Project emphasizes home ownership and encourages local renters to become homebuyers.

The Washington Street Neighborhood Project purchases, rehabs, and resells homes at affordable sale prices with an interest free soft second mortgage for the difference between the sale price and the appraised value of the home.

Read more:  http://genesishousing.org/projects_wash2.html

Pottstown’s MOSAIC Community Land Trust Highlights Successes, Goals

Editor’s note:  Here’s some nice press from the Fishwrap about Mosaic Community Land Trust.

POTTSTOWN, PA — The   Mosaic Community Land Trust    means many things to many people.

To most, it means the newly established community garden.To others, it means an art gallery and Open Mic Nights at the group’s 10 S. Hanover St. headquarters.

But if its plans pan out, the land trust may also soon mean “the people who sold us our house.”From the beginning, Executive

Director Sue Repko told borough council during a recent work session, the group has targeted the core neighborhood in Pottstown, which it defines as being bounded by Hanover Street to the west, Beech Street to the north, North Adams Street to the east and High Street to the south.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120614/NEWS01/120619673/pottstown-s-mosaic-community-land-trust-highlights-successes-goals&pager=full_story

Unfinished West Reading Project Leaves Residents With Dirt, Weeds, Fading Hopes

Every year on the anniversary of her move-in date, Holly Zdravecki picks up the phone to call West Reading Borough Hall.

She bought the first town house in the promising Villas at West Reading development off Tulpehocken Avenue on March 16, 2008.

But Zdravecki still doesn’t have a paved street in front of her home.

Instead, mounds of dirt covered with grass and weeds adorn the lot at the entrance to the development. Six large concrete foundations with utility lines poking through the ground make up the north side of the complex.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=379000

Pottstown’s Mosaic Community Land Trust Headquarters

While I was downtown today supporting Small Business Saturday, I was temporarily whisked away to the Mosaic Community Land Trust’s new digs at 10 South Hanover Street by Katy Jackson.  Katy is one of the founding members of the Land Trust and she was eager to show me the progress they have made fixing up their new space.

The first floor is a revolving art gallery and office space for now.  Future plans include renovating the second floor and using the art gallery space on the first floor for events in a coffee-house style setting.  There are even plans to serve food.  This is very exciting because having organized events will help draw people into the gallery and in turn support local artists and musicians.

Mosaic Community Land Trust supports the revitalization of Pottstown.  To that end the Land Trust will begin restoring properties in town and reselling them to people looking for affordable housing.  Mosaic’s plan also includes growing the arts community in Pottstown.  Revitalization via the arts has a proven track record across our country.  We have a fledgling arts community already and adding to their numbers will only hasten the rebirth of Pottstown.  Removing blight and increasing the home ownership percentage in Pottstown will stabilize neighborhoods, reduce crime, increase property values and help reduce the tax burden.

We urge you to stop in and check out the art, learn more about Mosaic and see what you can do to help move Pottstown forward.

 

  

Housing’s Dead — Is It Time to Buy?

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BOSTON (The Street Ratings) — No one’s buying homes, never mind homebuilder stocks. Companies such as Pulte(PHM), DR Horton(DHI) and Lennar(LEN) may even be the most contrarian investment today.

The outlook for the housing market, as reported by the mass media, is not good. In case you’ve missed them, here are a few of the headlines from over the past several weeks:

“No recovery in sight for U.S. housing market”

“July real estate market fell short of expectation”

“Housing data shows sector is still weak”

To read the rest of the story, click here:

http://business-news.thestreet.com/berksmont-news/story/housings-dead-is-it-time-to-buy/11224534

Norristown Takes A Giant Step Forward

Norristown Borough Council took a giant step into the light Tuesday evening.  The council unanimously voted to end multi-family apartment conversions for single-family homes!  BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The measure does allow for mixed-use meaning commercial use on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors.

Council has wisely decided to stop the madness.  By curbing the carving up of single-family homes into high density apartments, Norristown is demonstrating their desire to attract homeowners and shore up their tax base.

This is a big step in the right direction.

We applaud Norristown Borough Council for walking the talk!

An Example Of A Path For Pottstown

Oil City, PA is remaking itself into an Arts Community.  Something that Pottstown says it would like to be.  This community, which is half the size of Pottstown and in an economically challenged part of the state, is putting its money where its mouth is. 

Like Pottstown, Oil City was once an industrial community that has lost much of its industry.  Unlike Pottstown, it is much further away from a major city (90+ miles to Pittsburgh and 60+ miles from Erie).   The median household income in Oil City is $29,060 vs. Pottstown’s $35,785.  The household income for Oil City is $36,149 and Pottstown comes in at $45, 734.  Despite these challenges, Oil City is determined to reinvent itself to bring life back into the downtown and attract business.  Oil City offers relocation incentives to artists, and I really do mean financial incentives, to entice creative people to relocate there, start a business and buy a home.

Recently, our illustrious Zoning Board flatly denied a creative couple a variance to buy a home and operate two businesses out of said home.  A retail store and a by appointment only tattoo business.  Evidently we are too highfalutin to permit a by appointment only tattoo business in this “burg” so we said, “Nope, don’t want your kind in these parts.”  Thereby losing property taxes, the opportunity to fill a vacant home and discouraging artists from coming to Pottstown.  This couple heard Pottstown was the place to be, the bee’s knees etc…. Guess we showed them, didn’t we?  Wonder what they will tell their creative friends about Pottstown now!

What would Oil City do (WWOCD)?  Take a gander at their relocation incentive package and see for yourselves!

http://www.artsoilcity.com/relocationincentives.htm

I hope somebody on Council or in Borough Hall reads this incentive plan and checks out their website.  It would be time well spent!

Pottstown Speaks With Forked Tongue

The powers that be in this town need to make up their collective mind exactly what direction we are heading and stick to the plan.  We keep promoting ourselves as “the place to be”, “up and coming”, business friendly, family friendly, home-owner friendly and I have even read several times about trying to start and art community here.

These are all wonderful things but do we really mean it?

Case in point…a young couple want to buy a property which has been vacant and for sale for ONE YEAR!  Vacant properties steadily decrease in value and are susceptible to vagrants and ne’er-do-wells.

This young couple wants to keep the property a single family dwelling but have a retail business on the first floor.  This requires a zoning variance because they should have 1500 square feet to qualify and the first floor is just shy of 1200 square feet.  The young man is a tattoo artist and also wants to use a small space in the house to do by appointment only tattooing.  They were flatly denied a variance so they are not interested in the property.  Evidently only 5 people have even looked at the property in question and this young couple are the only people who showed any interest.

Eventually, some slum lord will buy this property for below market value and turn it into Section 8 rentals.  Is that preferable?  Mark my words, that will happen and has happened over and over in this community.

This town needs to rebuild its tax base.  Home ownership and business will help Pottstown rebound.

Don’t say one thing and do another!