Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's administration has pushed many changes to the land use review and approval process in the city, including a revised zoning code and citywide master plan, but perhaps none of these changes has as much potential for controversy as the...
New mortgage disclosure rules take effect
Anyone in the Philadelphia area who has used a bank loan secured by a first mortgage to purchase residential real estate in the last thirty years has dealt with several forms intended to disclose the terms of the loan. According to federal rules, lenders were required...
Quiet title action can resolve land ownership disputes
Real estate in and around Philadelphia has been bought and sold, platted, subdivided and leased for over 300 years. Numerous parcels have been sold many times over. What happens when a decades-old transaction is discovered to have created conflicting interests in the...
Proposed pipeline stirs concern, controversy in Chester County
Any proposal to build a large industrial facility is certain to stir controversy and, usually, the intensity of the controversy is directly proportional to the size of the proposed facility. At a recent public meeting, residents of Chester County stood up to express a...
City Council to consider zoning changes for new hotel
When a developer plans to redevelop a parcel in Philadelphia's central core, a change to the zoning district that contains the parcel is often required. Even if the zoning classification remains the same, a conditional use permit or other modification of the terms of...
