The most interesting real estate news this week | Real Estate Newsletter
Fighting development in Montgomery County
A property covering 176 acres is one of Montgomery County’s last big open spaces.
But it’s private land. And a developer has a plan to build a senior care facility on it that includes 1,203 housing units.
Area residents are trying to fight the development.
Keep scrolling for that story and to learn why and how an apartment complex in Camden is getting a $130 million makeover, peek inside a 6,700-square-foot fixer-upper in Spring Garden, and see how a fellow reader answered my “stone or brick house?” question from last week.
📮 Would you rather buy a home that’s a fixer-upper or one that’s move-in ready? For a chance to be featured in my newsletter, email me.
(You may have noticed that the logo on top of this newsletter looks a little different. We shrank it to get you right to the good stuff.)
— Michaelle Bond
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Montgomery County used to own the 176-acre property that locals know as Parkhouse. But the county sold it a decade ago. Residents pushed back against the sale, saying they wanted it preserved as open space.
Fast-forward to today and a developer wants to build 1,203 housing units on the privately owned land as part of a senior care facility. Plans include a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, apartments, and assisted-living units.
To try to fight those plans, residents in the Royersford area have created a website, social media accounts, a petition, and a GoFundMe page. They argue that development will hurt the environment and add traffic.
Officials in Upper Providence Township, where the land sits, say they don’t have the millions of dollars they’d need to buy the property.
Keep reading to learn how the situation got to this point and what the chances are that the land stays undeveloped.
The latest news to pay attention to
A once luxury apartment complex in Camden that has had years of problems will get a $130 million makeover to become affordable housing.
A year after Roxborough residents and design experts criticized a plan for apartments on Ridge Avenue, a new proposal has gotten a warm reception.
City Council will consider new ways to protect low-income residents from displacement.
A Montgomery County town plans to dramatically rearrange its landscape of public buildings and services, but residents are worried those plans threaten the character of their neighborhoods.
Another struggling local mall has been put up for sale.
Some residents in a Montgomery County town have been fighting a plan to build a municipal complex on land purchased as open space.
House of the week: For $659,900 in Ambler, a 19th-century Federal-style stone house.
Almost every weekend for 23 years, Holly and Andrew Kleeman have worked on their house in Philly’s Spring Garden neighborhood.
It’s a large space to work with. They moved their family from a small rowhouse into a 6,700-square-foot carriage house.
The imposing brownstone was in bad shape when the Kleemans bought it. The second floor was partially collapsed because of water damage, and they had to remove asbestos and mold.
But the property was special. It had been built in 1889 for a nearby mansion that were both designed by the architect behind Philadelphia’s Masonic Temple, near City Hall. In the early 1900s, race cars were put together inside of the carriage house.
The Kleemans’ many renovations include solar panels on the roof and an elevator along the front wall. Their kitchen has a 1950s diner vibe that visitors love.
Holly painted Andy Warhol-style portraits of the family that hang in the living room area. When daughter Hannah grew out of her three-level dollhouse bedroom suite, Andrew transformed it into a spaceship for son Jakob.
Peek inside to see how the Kleemans preserved elements of the original building, created new spaces, and used art and color to transform the carriage house into a home.
🧠 Trivia time
Interior designer Sami Riccioli has had a Christmas tree up in her Montgomery County home since at least 2020. She now decorates her trees for holidays throughout the year and has turned a pandemic hobby into a booming tree-design and holiday-decor business with celebrity clients.
Question: At Christmastime, how many trees does Riccioli usually design for her own house?
A) 3
B) 5
C) 10
D) 20
This story has the answer.
📷 Photo quiz
Do you know the Philadelphia location this photo shows?
📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.
I didn’t get a right answer for last week’s photo quiz. Those plaques embedded in the sidewalk celebrate the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and you can see them along the 600 block of Chestnut Street.
🏡 Your real estate experience
Last week, I asked whether you’d rather have a house made of stone or one made with bricks. Sean R. in Yardley shared a story of being faced with that decision:
“I actually did have a choice between a house made of stone and a house made of brick, and to my mild surprise, in 2010, we chose an all-brick colonial in Yardley, where my wife and I still live today. But it was only after falling in love, repeatedly, with numerous stone homes in places like Elkins Park, Wyncote, and other nearby towns. Secretly, I still carry those houses in my heart (seriously!), even as we have poured ourselves into this 1951 gem that we have really made our own.”
He acknowledged that the beautiful brick and the way it looked from the street made him and his wife ignore all the interior work the house needed and pay more than they probably should have.
“No regrets, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about those stone beauties from time to time!”
If only we didn’t have to choose. Enjoy the rest of your week.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.