Suburban Philadelphia Real Estate News

Tuesday night, the Delaware County Council held their June monthly meeting in the original 1724 Chester Courthouse located in downtown Chester PA.

The 1724 Courthouse is the oldest continuously used public building in the United States. Every year, several public functions are held in the original chambers to continue this long standing tradition of public use.

The Council began the session with its regular business. This was followed by a great presentation by Carol of the Delaware County Historical Society on some of the history of the Courthouse and of Chester's development over the years. Finally, the meeting wrapped up with time for the Council members' comments and a public comment and question period. After the meeting, the Delaware County Historical Society also held their museum and library open for those attending in their building located next door.

The video provides some abbreviated excerpts of the meeting:

All in all, it was an excellent meeting and a great way to experience some of the history of Chester. The County Council hopes to hold two additional off-site meetings in the fall in two additional townships.

As always, if you are thinking of a move or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to attend the first meeting being held by the City of Chester PA as they begin the process of updating their comprehensive plan.

The City is holding a series of five public meetings to obtain input and ideas from the public on both the progress in the city to date and which items should be highlighted as priorities in the future.  The last Comprehensive Plan, Vision 2000, was completed in 1994.  The new plan, titled Vision 2020, is expected to be completed toward the end of 2009.  State law requires periodic updates to the plan.

The first meeting was held on an informal basis at the Eastside Ministries on 9th St allowing participants ample opportunity to learn about various facets of the plan.  There were multiple charts and graphic displays which provided a great overview of the situation today and the tentative plans for the future.   Many of the planners were in attendance providing an in-depth description of the projects currently under way.

The City of Chester has made tremendous progress recently with the addition of Harrahs, the waterfront development, the new soccer facilities now under construction, increased freeway access, and multiple housing projects.  They now want to build on this momentum as they plan for the future and highlight those areas that the community feels are the most important items to be included in the future.  Input from the residents will be used to prioritize the projects as they move forward.

Chester has planned four additional public open meetings to gather input:

-Tuesday June 9, 2009 at 6:30
at the Chester Senior Center, 721 Hayes St
- Monday June 15 2009 at 6:30
at the New Jerusalem Church of Chester, 2100 W 3rd St
- Wednesday June 24 2009 at 6:30
at the White Rock Christian Church at 308 W 3rd St
- Tuesday June 30 2009 at 6:30
at the North Chester Baptist Church at 2331 Providence Ave

Please be sure to visit any of these meetings to learn where we stand today and provide input for the future.

As always, if you have any questions or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Welcome to the City of Chester, PA.

Chester actually has two rail stations that are situated on the SEPTA R2 Regional Rail Line.  The one to the north is the main Chester Transportation Center located in the original downtown area of Chester within easy walking distance of much of its commercial core and government offices.

This station is the next stop south and is known as the Highland Avenue Station.  Located just to the south of the Commodore Barry Bridge going from Chester to New Jersey, this platform is located about midway between the I95 Interstate exit to Highland Ave and the Delaware River.  It is the closest stop to the new Soccer Stadium which is being built just south of the bridge and the new commercial development along the riverfront including  The Wharf at Rivertown.

This is strictly a local stop as there is really no adjacent off street parking available.  There is on street parking, but one should check for any current local parking restrictions.  It is located within a mainly residential district but is within walking distance of the Community Hospital of Chester- part of the Crozer-Keystone Health System.  The video will give you some additional details:

The local real estate market has remained mixed.  The average prices for the City of Chester actually hit a peak in 2008 with 189 sales averaging $65,000.  Prices took a big hit in the fourth quarter with average pricing for the last six months (with 52 sales) averaging $54,000, but this has recovered a bit as we have entered 2009 with 16 settlements to date with an average sold price of $59,000.  In addition, there are currently an additional 22 properties pending and 135 residential units for sale with an average asking price of $59,000.  With all the new development currently in progress in the city, future pricing will be dependent on the success of this development currently under way.

So today, this is a convenient stop for those in the immediate area but would generally not be a prime commuter station with parking for those needing transportation to or from the station.  In the future, it could become an important link as new development continues in the immediate area along the river front since this is currently the nearest stop.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

(All statistics are from the TrendMLS System and believed accurate but not guaranteed.)