ELECTION 2011: Mayor Butler’s Up & Down on Housing

Over the past 10 years, Mayor Bulter has been putting new houses up and taking abandoned houses down.

Chester has lost well over 10,000 tax paying home owners since the 1950s. That’s a lot of money that can’t be made up unless you raise the taxes of those who are left and/or bring in new home owners.

Mayor Butler brags that there have been 16 straight years without a property tax increase. So, one would assume that there must be another plan to keep money flowing through Chester.

That plan is to create new home owners along with new homes.

Fighting to get Chester participating in Keystone Opportunity Zones has been the best victory to make it attractive for businesses and builders to use otherwise vacant Chester land for good use. When the KOZs expire in a couple years, Mayor Butler is in a great position to have KOZs  brought back to Chester based on the successful use of the program here. 

For housing, the Keystone Opportunity Zones has yielded:

• 26 affordable homeownership units were built at Union Square 
• 8 affordable units were built at 6^th & Reaney 
• 25 affordable units were built at Crozer Hills 
• 26 homeownership units at Wellington Ridge 

Understanding that there are a lot of first time home buyers who need support and others who just need a helping hand in the process, Mayor Butler has developed these programs: 

• Assisted 270 families to purchase their first home in Chester through the Homebuyer Assistance Program
• Assisted 45 families to purchase a home in Chester through the Moderate Income Homebuyer Assistance program
• Over 2,500 people assisted in the homebuying process in 10 annual Chester Homebuyer Fairs
• Over 2,500 people assisted in the homebuying process in 10 annual Chester Homebuyer Fairs
• Developed the Walk to Work program where employers assist employees to purchase a home in Chester – 15 assisted so far

Mayor Butler has provided city monies and/or city support for the following new housing:

• 42 Wellington Heights affordable units in Highland Gardens were funded and are under construction
• Funding support provided for 70 senior apartments at Pentecostal Square
• Provided funding support for Chester Community Improvement Project to acquire, rehabilitate and sell 15 affordable homeownership units 
• Provided funding support for development of 168 affordable rental units at Chestnut Ridge
• Provided funding support for Chester Community Improvement Project to develop16 affordable homeownership units at 9^th & Central 
• Funding support for over 1,300 people to be assisted by Chester Community Improvement Project homeownership counseling services
• Provided funding for development of Parker Place, three new homeownership units being constructed by Habitat for Humanity below 9th & Kerlin
• Supported Habitat for Humanity new housing construction on McDowell Avenue, E. 9th Street and Madison Street

Chester is an old city with a lot of old, neglected, and abandoned buildings. During Mayor Butler’s tenure, he has focused on identifying property owners, collecting deliquent taxes, and where legal, demolished abandoned properties using city and other funding sources. Now that State Act 90 has been adopted by city council, the city has more enforcement muscle to continue the project even more aggressively.

• In the past 10 years over 900 dilapidated units were demolished – over $5 million spent

Especially in these times of financial institutions reluctant to fund new housing projects, the Butler Administration continue to find ways to get new homes built in Chester. 

If this was all Mayor Butler accomplished in 10 years that would be considered a major victory in most circles. He’s a sure bet when it comes to housing.