Millennial homeownership up in Philadelphia region, bucking national trend
Millennial homeownership in the Philadelphia region nearly doubled between 2018 and 2023 (up about 92%, from roughly 201,000 to 386,000 households), outpacing every other major Northeastern metro and beating the 74% national growth rate, according to a RentCafe analysis. Experts attribute the surge to the region's relatively low home prices, strong job market, solid wage growth, and ample supply of starter homes like rowhouses, along with older housing stock and homebuyer assistance programs — factors that helped local millennials' incomes grow faster (about 38%) than home prices (about 18.5%) over the same period. By 2023, roughly 56% of the area's millennial households owned their homes, while renter growth stayed nearly flat.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/12/2026

Housing law creates new opportunities and requirements for states, localities
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which became law on July 11, creates new housing opportunities and responsibilities for state and local governments, including competitive grants, expanded federal housing program flexibility, and requirements related to manufactured housing and publicly owned land. States generally must certify by July 11, 2027, that their laws provide equal treatment for manufactured homes, while local governments receiving Community Development Block Grant funding will need publicly accessible databases of undeveloped parcels they own. The law also expands eligible uses of HOME and CDBG funds, establishes a framework for disaster recovery funding, and authorizes grants for zoning reform, housing planning, commercial-to-residential conversions, whole-home repairs and preservation of manufactured-housing communities. However, many of the new competitive grant programs remain subject to future congressional appropriations and HUD rulemaking. The law also limits additional purchases of single-family homes by certain large institutional investors beginning Jan. 7, 2027, with exceptions for some build-to-rent and rehabilitation activities. Read more at the National Association of Realtors website.
Source: NAR; 8/5/2026

Suburban communities face growing climate resilience challenges
Communities in the Greater Philadelphia region are facing more frequent extreme heat, intense precipitation, flash flooding and severe storms, putting pressure on aging infrastructure and municipal budgets, according to climate experts and local officials. Flooding is considered the region’s most common climate-related hazard, with aging and undersized stormwater systems, dense development, and limited municipal resources contributing to the problem. Experts say communities can improve resilience through tree canopy, rain gardens, stream restoration, floodplain preservation and zoning changes, but coordinating projects across the region’s many municipalities and finding funding remain challenges. Experts say long-term resilience will require communities to account for changing weather patterns in land-use and infrastructure decisions.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/12/2026 

Wrightstown to consider sewer lateral inspection ordinance
Wrightstown Township supervisors are considering a draft ordinance to amend Chapter 4 (Buildings) to add a new occupancy-permit condition and amend Chapter 18 (Sewers and Sewage Disposal) to add a new Part 5 requiring inspection of private sewer laterals, including compliance certification on property sale or transfer, penalties, appeals and exemptions. Copies of the ordinance are available for public inspection at the township building. The proposal will be considered at a public hearing on Monday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Wrightstown Township Building. Suburban Realtors Alliance reviewed a copy of the draft ordinance and communicated to the township concerns that it may not comply with the Pennsylvania Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act (MCOCA), including provisions requiring escrow for repairs and mandating repairs be made in less than 12 months.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/12/2026

Wrightstown proposal would regulate home burials 
Wrightstown Township supervisors will consider a draft ordinance amending Chapter 10 (Health and Safety) of the municipal code to add a new Part 7 establishing a Home Burial Ordinance, covering definitions, standards, and pre- and post-death procedures for home burials. A public hearing will be held on Monday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Wrightstown Township Building.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/12/2026

Bristol Township moves toward paperless records after major file cleanup
Bristol Township is modernizing its record-keeping by contracting with Scantech for a roughly $600,000 paperless document management system, with officials seeking a $300,000 state grant to help offset the cost. The move follows a recent cleanup effort in which students from the Bucks County Intermediate Unit helped clear out a busload of old paperwork from the municipal building. In other business, council voted in June to redirect $7.4 million from an existing $11 million loan (taken out in 2021 at 1.2% interest) that had been earmarked for senior center and fire station construction — now nearly complete and backed by $6 million in secured grant funding — toward other projects, including public works facility renovations, park and recreation building updates for rentals, possible audio-visual upgrades at the municipal park, and ongoing storm sewer abatement work.
Source: LevittownNow; 8/5/2026

Middletown Township awards $70,000 contract to rebuild aging website
Middletown Township supervisors recently awarded a $70,000 website overhaul contract (plus $15,600 in annual maintenance) to vendor Exemplifi. The move was driven by the looming end of support for its current Kentico platform, ongoing reliability issues like outages and broken links, and the need to comply with new federal Title II ADA digital accessibility requirements. The township received nine bids ranging from about $49,700 to $119,000. The Exemplifi contract is about $30,000 more than the township's last contract, with the added cost attributed largely to the added labor of manually reviewing every posted document for screen-reader compatibility.
Source: LevittownNow; 7/29/2026

Langhorne Borough seeks volunteers for new building code appeals board
Langhorne Borough is forming a five-member code appeals board composed of three qualified professionals, such as licensed architects, engineers, building inspectors or plan reviewers, plus two alternates. The board will serve as a quasi-judicial body that can uphold, reverse, modify or grant variances to decisions made by the borough's building code officials, giving residents and contractors a formal avenue to appeal within 30 days of a decision by submitting an application and fee, after which the board will hold a public hearing and render a ruling. Members will be appointed by borough council to three-year volunteer terms based on a submitted letter of interest and resume, with applications due by Sept. 30. Find out more on the Langhorne Borough website.
Source: Langhorne Borough; 8/2026

Quakertown appoints new superintendent
The Quakertown Community School Board unanimously appointed Lisa Hoffman, a 16-year member of the district's leadership team who has served as interim superintendent since March 2026, to the permanent superintendent role. Hoffman’s contract runs through the 2028-2029 school year at a salary of $233,000. Hoffman, who was assistant superintendent from 2017, succeeds Matthew Friedman, who went on leave in February 2026 and resigned shortly after.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/5/2026

Eight-Arches Bridge, Bucks’ last stone bridge, stands thanks to community effort
Eight-Arches Bridge, a 222-year-old, hand-carved stone span over Neshaminy Creek connecting Warwick and Buckingham — and the only remaining eight-arch bridge in Pennsylvania — survived a long history of near-loss thanks to decades of community effort. The bridge passed from state to county ownership in 1971, and by 1983 was facing demolition before the Heritage Conservancy and Warwick Township stepped in with matching funds for repairs. The bridge was ultimately taken over by the Warwick Township Historical Society in 1993 for $1. Despite funding struggles when federal block grants dried up, the bridge is now structurally sound thanks to a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission matching grant and renewed county support for its parking lot and access road. There are still ongoing challenges for the bridge that anchors the scenic, eight-mile Dark Hollow County Park, including clearing brush and storm-driven debris that dams the creek.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 8/6/2026

Seven Chester County townships urge restoration of open space funding
Seven Chester County townships — Warwick, West Vincent, East Pikeland, Schuylkill, Uwchlan, Upper Uwchlan and East Bradford — have passed resolutions urging county commissioners to fully restore funding for open space preservation in the 2027 budget. The county eliminated new funding for open space and other initiatives in its 2026 budget as part of spending cuts, ending a practice of allocating about $10 million annually for preservation and related programs. While commissioners approved more than $1.7 million in July using unspent funds carried over from 2025, conservation groups and municipal officials are calling for renewed funding, citing development pressures, flood mitigation, water quality and the economic benefits of preserved land. Nearly 33% of the county is now preserved in perpetuity.
Source: Daily Local; 7/30/2026 

Willistown Township Sewer Authority begins operations
The newly formed Willistown Township Sewer Authority has been approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and will assume responsibility for the day-to-day operations and finances of the township-owned wastewater system, while Willistown Township will retain ownership of the infrastructure. The authority will oversee wastewater service for about 5,700 residents and township businesses, including operation of the Penns Preserve treatment plant, emergency planning, capital needs and maintenance of about 31 miles of sewer lines. A five-member board appointed by the township supervisors will set sewer rates and develop long-term plans for the system. The authority has resolved to maintain current sewer rates through 2026 and follow the sewer budget approved in December 2025, while beginning a capital reserve study to assess aging infrastructure. Ratepayers who use online payments or AutoPay will need to create a new account through the authority’s new online payment portal and re-enroll their payment information, as existing AutoPay settings will not transfer automatically.
Source: Willistown Township; 7/27/2026

Willistown plans meeting on potential settlement of Rock Hill Farm litigation
The Willistown Township Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting Thursday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. at General Wayne Elementary School, 20 Devon Road, Malvern, to discuss a potential settlement agreement involving the Rock Hill Farm litigation. No action will be taken during the meeting, according to the township. Drafts of the proposed settlement plan and agreement are available on the township website.
Source: Willistown Township; 8/7/2026

Kennett Township reminds businesses of commercial renovation requirements
Kennett Township is reminding commercial tenants and business owners that renovations may require zoning review and building permits, including for interior improvements. Changes to a property’s use, occupancy or layout also may trigger additional requirements involving parking, accessibility and fire safety, according to the township. Business owners and tenants are encouraged to contact the township early in the planning process to help avoid delays in opening.
Source: Kennett Township; 8/11/2026

New Garden Township schedules budget meetings
New Garden Township has scheduled a series of meetings to discuss budget priorities, upcoming initiatives and financial planning for fiscal year 2027. The schedule begins on Aug. 17 with a fiscal year 2026 state of the township briefing, followed by a five-year capital improvement plan for fiscal years 2027-2031 on Sept. 14. Officials will review the general fund on Sept. 28 and enterprise funds on Oct. 5, with additional general work sessions scheduled for Oct. 13 and 19 as needed.
Source: New Garden Township; 8/11/2026