Suburban Philadelphia Real Estate News

Springfield Township PA street trees and residents to benefit from PECO Green Region Grant.

In May, PECO awarded $150,000 in PECO Green Region grants to 20 municipalities in the greater Philadelphia area.  These grants have been awarded yearly since 2004 to provide for projects for open space preservation, conservation, and improvements.  PECO works with its parent, Exelon Corp, the Natural Lands Trust, and conservation organizations to review applications and decide grant recipients.

This year five of those recipients were located in Delaware County.  Thornbury, Folcroft, Haverford, Concord, and Springfield each received grants this year.  The grants varied between $5,000 and $10,000 per municipality and will cover an array of projects.

Springfield Township plans to use its funds to purchase 200 bare root trees.  Since 1958, Springfield's Shade Tree Commission has worked with residents to maintain shade trees and street trees in the township.  Residents can apply to the township for these trees.  Participating residents would be required to attend a presentation on the tree's proper care and maintenance.

Once again, local government and corporations are working together to improve our environment .

Welcome to the Thompson Ave Station of the SEPTA 101 Trolley in Springfield PA.

This is one of the small on-demand trolley stops on the SEPTA 101 Trolley Line running from the 69th Street Terminal to Media PA.  It is located at the crossing of Thompson Avenue just to the east of Sproul Rd and north-west of its intersection with the Baltimore Pike. This is just one stop to the west of the larger Woodland Avenue stop and the next station west is the Springfield Mall trolley stop.

The station itself has a small shed on the south side of the track (there is only one track from Woodland through Media).  There is no dedicated SEPTA parking at this location and only limited areas on the adjacent streets to park or to drop off/pick up passengers.  It is conveniently located to several residential communities of mostly single family homes.  The video will provide a better idea of the immediate area:

There is a nice selection of homes throughout this area of Springfield.  On the far side of Sproul Rd are the Villas at Golf View, a recently completed active adult community of 194 single level homes.  Just to the north is the community of Mary Dell Farms containing mostly split level single family homes.  Toward the east and south is a nice community of mixed style single family homes.  Pricing in the area for homes currently on the market range from a low of $239,000 to a high of $379,000, averaging $297,000.  Sales in the last six months have ranged from $169,000 to $419,000 averaging $273,000.

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

Welcome to the Leamy Ave Station of the SEPTA 101 Trolley in Springfield PA.

As the SEPTA 101 Trolley journeys from 69th Street Terminal out to Media, it has eight separate stops in Springfield Township. The Leamy Ave station is the fourth stop in the township as you travel west. It does not have any dedicated parking, but there is plenty of room to drop off and pick up passengers in the immediate area.

Leamy Ave is a smaller stop with a simple shelter on the eastbound side and just a bench traveling west. It is at the midpoint between the two larger stops located at the 101 Trolley's intersections with Woodland Ave toward Media and Saxer Avenue toward the 69th St Terminal.

The station is directly across from the Springfield Senior High School, the School District Service Center, and the Bus Storage providing easy access to the facilities for both employees and students in the area. It is also in the middle of a nice residential area containing a wide variety of single family homes and twins within just a few blocks of the station. The video will provide a better feel for the area:

Due to its location as an intermediate stop, the real estate is better covered while visiting the adjacent stations, but, except for the school facilities themselves, this is a primarily residential area.

With its location directly across from the school, this is a great stop for students and adults who need access to the facilities from outside the immediate area. It is also a great commuter station for those needing to travel toward Media or through 69th Street Terminal to areas beyond.

If you ever need any additional information, please feel free to let me know anytime.

Located in Smedley Park, today we are taking a look at the Paper Mill Rd Trolley Stop.

Paper Mill Rd is a local stop on the SEPTA Route 101 Trolley line running from the 69th Street Terminal out to State Street in Media.  It has frequent service 7 days a week and multiple stops throughout its line.  The Paper Mill Rd stop is located in Smedley Park adjacent to the I476/ Blue Route Corridor.  The stop is just one block north of Baltimore Pike at this point and Paper Mill Rd is the first intersection east of the Blue Route.

Smedley Park is a Delaware County Park that was named after the founder of the County's Parks & Recreation Board: Samuel L Smedley.  The park contains approximately 120 acres of land and is located just north of Baltimore Pike and runs under the Blue Route.  The park contains various picnic facilities, athletic fields, and hiking paths.  It is also the home of the Penn State's Cooperative Extension of Delaware County. The video will provide a better feel for the area:

This is a local stop with no assigned commuter parking.  It is within walking distance of much of the park, but commuters would probably be better served through one of the adjacent stations that have assigned parking.  It is very convenient for park events and is within easy walking distance of the Cooperative Extension Office.

As always, if you have any questions or are thinking of a move, feel free to contact me anytime.

Spring is on its way and now is the time to plan and prepare for the new season!

Whether it is for your garden, yard, or another property, there are many resources at your fingertips in Delaware County PA.  If you are considering a sale of your property this year, preparation of the exterior space is an incredibly important but often overlooked step in getting your home ready to place on the market.

The Delaware County Penn State Cooperative Extension offers many resources at no or minimal cost.  The extension office is located off Paper Mill Road just east of the Blue Route at the Baltimore Pike exit in Springfield.  The main office is in the original Lewis House but there is also an adjacent newer Environmental Center to the left of the parking lot.

The Delaware County office has adapted the traditional agricultural extension programs to serve the suburban/urban residents of the county.  Their primary areas of focus include the 4-H/Youth Development Programs, Family Living & Child Care Professional Development, Home Horticulture & Urban Gardening, and Agriculture/Commercial Horticulture Programs.  "The Delaware County Penn State Cooperative Extension is dedicated to providing research based information to help individuals and families in solving everyday practices".

Some of the most useful information is provided through the Penn State Master Gardeners of Delaware County program.  If you have any questions, free home gardening advice is available through their volunteers.  They are available in the extension office from 9-12 Tuesday and Thursday mornings during growing seasons and Tuesday mornings during the rest of the year and can be reached on their "Hort Line": 610-690-2671 or email: delawareMG@psu.edu.  In addition, they have their Home Gardeners' School in April and a continuing series of Gardening Talks(next talk on March 14 on Hostas) on the second Saturday of each month for a small fee at the Environmental Center.

Another important program for kids is the 4-H Clubs.  These include Agriculture Clubs, the Veterinary Science Club, Horsemanship Classes, the Teen Council, and several additional programs.  Some clubs are neighborhood or community centered groups but they also have access to the 4-H Farm and Educational Center at the Garrett Williamson Foundation on Bishop Hollow Road in Newtown Square.

You can also receive training and information through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.  In addition to their world class Garden Show, they have many additional programs throughout the city and region.  Two that are applicable to Delaware County residents would be their Garden Tenders and Tree Tenders classes.  The Garden Tender Courses are taught downtown, but the Tree Tenders hold classes in Philadelphia as well as the four adjacent counties.

There are additional resources available throughout Suburban Philadelphia from local schools, colleges, and retail businesses that you may also want to consider.  To fully enjoy your property, prepare now and you can enjoy the fruits of your labors all summer long.  If you are considering a move, this is one of the best things you can do to "stage" the exterior of your property in preparation to putting it on the market.

Any additional ideas? - let me know and I'll pass them on.

Following the eternal quest to answer the question "What's there?", I have found many of the questions have centered around the various transit stops throughout the area. People are interested in mass transit but aren't ready to commit until they have a better understanding of the areas and "What's there".

Toward that end, over the next few months, I will periodically add videos to the site both to document the various stops and provide you with some additional information on the surrounding areas. In due course, I should be able to cover all the various rail lines that continue through the county into Philadelphia. I will also cover the adjacent areas in Montgomery County and New Castle County, DE. Hopefully, this will provide you with a better feel for the options available as you look around the county and adjacent areas.

The first stop here is the Springfield Mall Trolley Route 101 stop. This stop is located just behind the Springfield Mall in the north east corner at the trolley's Route 320/Sproul Rd underpass. There is no parking directly adjacent to this stop; however, the stop is located just a short walk downhill from the mall itself. There are also stairs directly up to Route 320 and the connecting bus services.

The Springfield Mall itself is currently undergoing some major changes. The former Strawbridges store has now been removed and they are in the process of building a new anchor Target Store on the end closest to the trolley. In addition there are over 70 stores listed in the mall with Macy's anchoring the far end.

BTW: I will work to come up with a consistent format - any suggestions, just let me know.