Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Real Estate Law Blog

A Chester County Muslim congregation seeking to build a retirement community for aging members of its community recently received a blow to its efforts when a Chester County Court judge ruled against it in an ongoing zoning dispute with the East Fallowfield Township Board of Supervisors.

Last week, we noted that the state House voted 101-90 to approve a compromise plan on a measure that would impose an “impact fee” on companies engaged in natural gas drilling. The measure has not yet been signed by Governor Corbett.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Thursday that, after three years of debate and false starts on a plan to impose a local impact fee on natural gas drillers, the state is close to approving a measure. On Wednesday, the state House voted 101-90 to approve a compromise plan on the impact fee. Senate has already approved the measure, and now it goes to Governor Corbett, who has said he will sign it.

Philadelphia’s Point Breeze section is currently the subject of ongoing controversy regarding a plan to turn dilapidated properties into high-end homes. The developer, Ori Feibush, plans to build 13 high-priced apartments, and the project is going to raise the cost of living for neighborhood members. That news is worrisome to those who are struggling to get by right now.

On Tuesday, environmental groups met in Harrisburg to speak out against legislation that would remove zoning authority from local municipalities with respect to natural gas drilling. We have previously written about the legislation on this blog.

On Monday, the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment, as well as the group Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy put on a conference with the goal of establishing a consortium dedicated to collecting and analyzing scientific data on the effects of shale gas development on the public.

On December 22, 2011, Mayor Michael Nutter signed Philadelphia’s new zoning code. We have previously mentioned the new code on this blog, and pointed out that it is intended to replace the old one, which had been recognized as cumbersome, outdated and economically stagnating for the city of Philadelphia.

We recently wrote about a new Pennsylvania law updating the state’s old Oil and Gas Act which may end up restricting municipalities from zoning and regulating hydraulic fracturing, popularly known as “fracking.” As we noted, hydraulic fracturing is a process used to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas or other underground substances for extraction.

NPR recently reported that a new Pennsylvania law updating the state’s old Oil and Gas Act may restrict municipalities from zoning and regulating hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” Hydraulic fracturing is a process used to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas or other underground substances for extraction.

Following on the closing of the Magarity Ford dealership, Bowman Properties has proposed new zoning plans to make way for a high-end supermarket in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood. Bowman reportedly introduced legislation before the City Council in last October which would extend the commercial designation of the lot beyond what it formerly was, allow exemptions to the code for mixed-use buildings, and change the direction of a traffic lane bordering the lot.