Montco, Chesco add population, while Bucks and Delco shrink slightly
Montgomery and Chester counties picked up about 2,500 and 2,600 residents, respectively, between July 2024 and July 2025, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Meanwhile, Bucks County lost around 600 people, and Delaware County lost around 500. Growth in Montgomery and Chester could relate to those counties having more available land and more new housing units, while Bucks and Delaware counties haven’t built up as rapidly. Philadelphia’s population appears to still be rebounding — but at a slowing rate — from significant losses during the pandemic years. The gain of 1,546 new residents between July 2024 and July 2025 was much more modest than the prior year’s estimated gain of 6,913 residents.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 3/26/2026

United Way considering fund to preserve affordable housing in Philadelphia
United Way wants to create a revolving fund that buys properties with expiring affordability and keeps them in good repair and manages them short-term as responsible buyers are found to maintain affordability long-term. Once capitalized, here’s how the fund would work: When local leaders became aware that the owner of an affordable building — subsidized or otherwise — wants to sell it on the open market, the fund’s investment committee members would take a look at the property. If they determine it’s worth buying, the fund would create a limited liability corporation (LLC) for the property with the preservation fund and the potential buyer if there is one at that stage. The LLC would hold the property for three to seven years, with the fund providing the building’s management and repair needs and collecting rent. That would give an affordability-minded buyer time to put together the funds to acquire it themselves. Applications for Low Income Housing Tax Credits, which many nonprofits rely on, often take at least a year to secure.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 3/27/2026

VA Home Loan Program is under the microscope
As Congress examines affordability challenges, Realtors emphasized that improving both housing supply and transaction processes will be key to making the VA Home Loan program attractive and viable for more eligible home buyers. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) provided testimony during a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. Despite its strengths, the VA loan program is constrained by a lack of housing supply. One of the most persistent challenges is how VA property condition standards put veterans at a disadvantage in competitive markets. VA appraisers are required to flag conditions that would not hold up a conventional transaction, which can trigger repair requests, add weeks to a closing and give sellers with multiple offers a reason to look elsewhere. NAR wants Congress to align VA’s Minimum Property Requirements with the standards of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which would create a more consistent bar across loan programs, reduce friction in transactions and expand the pool of appraisers willing to work within the VA program.
Source: NAR; 3/27/2026 

Herald report: Housing affordability in Bucks County
The Bucks County Herald has tackled housing affordability as part of its Bucks County Health Report series. The paper notes housing affordability in Bucks County has reached crisis levels, with a median home value of $446,700 requiring a typical household to spend nearly five times its annual income to buy. Jamie Ridge, president/CEO of the Suburban Realtors Alliance, calls it "a perfect storm" driven by homeowners locked into low-rate mortgages, older residents not downsizing, and rising interest rates shutting out first-time buyers — all compounding a fundamental shortage of housing stock. The human toll is visible across the workforce: only one of Newtown EMS's 46 paramedics lives in the township it serves, and roughly 40% of Bucks County emergency services providers live outside the county altogether. Nationally, economists warn that as homeownership becomes unattainable, younger people are abandoning the goal entirely. Some local progress is underway, with rehabilitation efforts in Bristol Township and a planned affordable housing project in Langhorne, but Ridge believes the path forward will need to be "multifaceted," and urges residents to support affordable housing solutions, noting that without them, even their own children and grandchildren may not be able to afford to live nearby.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 3/26/2026

Central Bucks School District faces $22M deficit
Central Bucks School District is proposing a 5.7% tax increase for the 2026-2027 school year to address a projected $22.3 million deficit in its roughly $462.9 million budget. The proposed tax increase exceeds Pennsylvania's Act One Index cap of 3.5%, which the district justified through a special education cost exemption — the same rationale it used last year. For a home valued at $635,000, the increase would mean about $325 more per year. Rising expenses, projected to climb $31 million, are being driven by grade realignment, full-day kindergarten, salaries and benefits, and transportation costs. Board members note that despite the increases, Central Bucks still carries one of the lowest tax rates in Bucks County.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 3/27/2026

Bristol Borough has plans for 2026
A full house turned out for a preview of Bristol 2026 — a special town meeting held on March 24 to present upcoming projects. A quick look at some of the topics, including playground improvements and a complete transformation of the Otter soccer fields, is available on the Bristol Borough Facebook page.
Source: Bristol Borough; 3/2026

Bensalem-based public adjuster accused of misappropriating funds
The owner of Patriot Public Adjusting in Bensalem has been arrested and charged with insurance fraud, theft by deception, forgery and deceptive business practices after allegedly misappropriating more than $82,000 in insurance funds meant for clients dealing with storm and water damage. Bucks County detectives allege that between September 2023 and September 2024, Michael Joseph Breitenbach received at least eight insurance checks totaling roughly $82,000 but failed to pass the money along to clients or their contractors, and in several cases allegedly forged victims' signatures on the checks. Prosecutors believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information to contact Bucks County Detectives.
Source: LevittownNow; 3/26/2026

Middletown police have issued 1,900 school bus violations
Since launching an automated camera program on Neshaminy School District buses in August 2025, Middletown Township police have issued approximately 1,900 citations to drivers who illegally passed school buses, out of roughly 2,500 potential infractions captured and manually reviewed by officers. Most violations result in a $300 mailed citation, with revenue split among BusPatrol, the school district, PennDOT and the police department, while more serious violations carry heavier penalties and require court appearances. The program is part of a broader traffic safety push in the township, where moving violation citations rose to 3,380 in 2025, with the police chief warning that "the roadways are getting very dangerous" and pledging even more targeted enforcement ahead.
Source: LevittownNow; 3/23/2026 

WCU submits renovation and addition plans to borough
West Chester University introduced its master plan for infrastructure renovations for the next five to 10 years. The EwingCole Master Plan, which is limited to the PUC (Planned University Campus) District, was introduced to council during the first meeting of an ongoing conditional use hearing. The borough planning commission will still have to take a look at the plans, and the borough council would need to approve them. Conrad Talley, planning consultant with EwingCole, talked about long-term development, specifically on main campus, mostly within five years. Lawrence Hall would be razed to make way for a new six- to eight-story, 700- to 780-bed dorm, with a dining hall and student services on the lower floors. Temporary housing, with 128 beds, might occupy the M1 Lot near Swope Music Hall, while South Campus housing renovations are underway. Council would not consider the renovations and expansion for Sykes Student Union, which is planned to include more student dining, student services and student government, since it sits in West Goshen Township.
Source: Daily Local; 3/28/2026

Charlestown supervisors consider data center regulations
Supervisors in Charlestown Township are considering an ordinance that would amend the township’s zoning code to add a formal definition for “data center” and permit the use by conditional approval within the I/O/B industrial, office and business districts. The proposal defines a data center as a facility primarily used for housing and operating computer, communications or data-processing equipment and related storage systems. Officials said the measure is being considered under the authority of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. The board will hold a public hearing on the proposal during its regular meeting on Monday, April 6, at 7 p.m. at the township offices, 11 General Warren Blvd., Ste 1, Malvern.
Source: Daily Local; 3/30/2026

Chester County election director to resign after primary
Karen Barsom, the embattled election director in Chester County, is resigning from her role. In a memo to department staff, Barsoum said her final day with the county would be June 12, after the county’s 2026 primary election results are certified. Barsoum has faced criticism from the public in recent months following a highly publicized pollbook error in the 2025 municipal election. She also faced complaints of a toxic work culture at the department under her management.
Source: Votebeat Pennsylvania; 3/26/2026

PA expands quarantine to all Chesco mushroom farms to combat phorid fly
In an effort to curb the presence of phorid flies, Pennsylvania is enhancing an ongoing quarantine in New Garden and Kennett by expanding the order to all mushroom growers in Chester County. The phorid fly, an invasive pest, is responsible for destroying as much as 40% of the region’s mushroom crops each year while causing increased havoc inside the homes of local residents. Read more at the state website.
Source: Daily Local; 3/26/2026

New performing arts center in Oxford reveals its name
Officials in Oxford Borough announced the name of a new performing arts center planned for downtown: The Pearl Theatre on 3rd. It is the revival of the historic Oxford Theatre, which served as a community hub from 1922 to 1956 and was destroyed in a 2023 fire that devastated the borough’s downtown. The new facility, planned for Third Street and Stoffers Alley, will include a main stage, black-box theater, classrooms and event space.
Source: Daily Local; 3/27/2026