PA lawmakers plan database of publicly financed affordable housing
Pennsylvania's $50.8 billion state budget largely sidestepped housing policy initiatives despite lawmakers and advocates warning the commonwealth faces a growing shortage. Instead, the budget created a statewide affordable housing database, to be managed by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, that will track publicly financed affordable housing units and expiring affordability restrictions to help policymakers better understand the state's housing inventory. Housing advocates and several lawmakers criticized the budget for omitting proposals to boost housing production, streamline development approvals and restore funding for the PA Home Preservation Program (formerly the Whole-Home Repairs Program), arguing the missed investments leave Pennsylvania's housing affordability and supply challenges largely unaddressed. For Southeast Pennsylvania, the lack of new state housing policies means municipalities will likely remain at the forefront of addressing housing needs through local zoning reforms, accessory dwelling unit ordinances, redevelopment projects and affordable housing initiatives.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/4/2026 

July 11 storm victims can apply for financial assistance
Residents of the Philadelphia area whose homes were damaged by the severe storm on July 11 can now apply for assistance with repairs. Low-interest loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration are available to residents of Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery counties whose homes, nonprofits or businesses were damaged during the storm. Pennsylvania’s Disaster Recovery Assistance Program, established in 2022, is meant to fill gaps in recovery assistance for low- and moderate-income disaster survivors. Residents can apply online or in person through one of the Disaster Loan Outreach Centers.
Source: WHYY; 8/3/2026

Rising demand, wholesale costs push PA power bills to four-year high
Pennsylvania's average monthly electric bill has climbed 20% in just two years — from $213 in 2024 to $257 in 2026 — according to the state's Independent Fiscal Office. The increase has been driven largely by a surge in wholesale electricity prices tied to PJM Interconnection's regional grid, where costs jumped from $55.50 per megawatt hour in 2024 to $136.50 in early 2026 amid transmission constraints, higher fuel costs, and soaring demand from data centers. The price-to-compare rate that determines default utility charges also rose 12% this June, and over the past four years Pennsylvania electricity costs have outpaced inflation, rising 35% compared to roughly 16% to 19% CPI growth in the state's major metro areas.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/1/2026

Decade of underbuilding leaves PA short 185,000 homes as prices climb
Pennsylvania's median home sale price has climbed to $340,000, a 6.2% jump from a year ago, as a persistent housing shortage — rooted in over a decade of underbuilding since the 2008 recession, restrictive local zoning across the state's 2,555 municipalities, labor shortages and rising material costs — continues to outpace supply. As a result, more than 1 million Pennsylvania households spend over 30% of their income on housing and average rents are up 46% since 2017. The state needs 450,000 new units by 2035 but is on pace to fall roughly 185,000 short. Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration has rolled out its first-ever Housing Action Plan and expanded affordable housing funding, but industry leaders say a $1 billion housing bond proposal was left out of the state budget and that little meaningful reform has emerged to loosen zoning or spur the construction needed to bring prices down.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/3/2026

Sharp increase in HOA foreclosures
Homeowners associations are getting more aggressive about pursuing people who rack up unpaid dues, skipping informal grace periods to make up the payments and turning delinquent accounts over to lawyers. In the most extreme cases, they are pursuing foreclosures on the properties. There were 6,376 properties with HOA-related foreclosure filings nationwide in the first quarter of 2026 — spanning initial default notices to completed sales. That is up nearly 40% from two years earlier and rising faster than overall mortgage foreclosure rates, according to real-estate analytics firm Attom. “HOAs are being forced into more aggressive collections to avoid their own financial collapse,” said Brian Fox, co-founder of real-estate technology firm Benutech. Even before contending with residents’ delinquencies, HOAs have been facing rising costs for staffing, lawn care and materials.
Source: Wall Street Journal; 8/1/2026

Hilltown weighs restarting dormant open space tax to fund land preservation
Hilltown Township supervisors are considering reviving a suspended open space preservation program, funded by a 0.25% earned income tax that voters approved in an earlier referendum. The tax has sat inactive since 2016. Supervisor Joseph Metzinger argued that rising development pressure and land values make it increasingly urgent to protect the township's rural character, farmland and natural resources before more opportunities are lost. Township officials, including the solicitor, are now reviewing whether restarting the tax requires a new voter referendum — potentially as soon as this November — or whether supervisors could reinstate it without another public vote. Metzinger spoke in favor of a fresh referendum regardless to ensure the decision reflects community will, especially since the program's roughly $2.1 million fund would need significant replenishment to make meaningful land purchases at today's prices.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 7/31/2026

After backlash, Falls Township races to write data center rules
Falls Township officials have voted to declare part of their zoning ordinance "substantially invalid" and launch a six-month rewrite to formally define and regulate data centers — a land use absent from older municipal codes. The move came after hundreds of residents and activists packed a July 14 town hall to protest a sprawling Amazon Web Services data center campus already approved in March 2025 for the former U.S. Steel Fairless Works site along the Delaware River. The facility, which plans to draw up to 4.4 million gallons of water daily and run nearly 300 backup gas generators, has sparked resident fears over rising utility bills and noise despite Amazon's assurances. The zoning update won't undo the already-approved project, officials say it's a protective move — common among municipalities nationwide grappling with data centers' novel infrastructure demands — to prevent future developers from exploiting undefined zoning to bypass local control.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 7/31/2026

Morrisville buys six months to draft data center rules
Morrisville Borough Council recently voted to declare part of its zoning ordinance invalid and begin a 180-day curative amendment process, mirroring a similar move by Falls Township. The declaration gives borough officials time to draft new data center regulations covering setbacks from homes, noise limits, water use and size restrictions.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 7/29/2026

Northampton Township bans e-bike riders under 16 on local trails, sidewalks
Northampton Township supervisors unanimously passed a new ordinance regulating electronically motorized devices like e-bikes and e-scooters on township-controlled property — parks, trails, sidewalks and parking lots not covered by state law. The ordinance bans operators under age 16, requires CPSC-compliant helmets, and mandates that riders yield to pedestrians and follow state motor vehicle rules. Supervisors said the need for the ordinance was driven by a rise in reckless riding, several accidents and complaints about unsupervised minors operating the devices without protective gear. Board members, including Chair Bob Salzer, a former vehicular homicide prosecutor who cited past cases, framed the measure as a necessary safety step, while also stressing that parental oversight and community education will be essential to its success.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 8/3/2026

New Hope taps retired Upper Makefield manager, as former manager moves to Bristol Borough
New Hope Borough Council unanimously appointed veteran municipal official David Nyman to temporarily fill the borough manager role as they search for a permanent replacement. Nyman led Upper Makefield Township from 2017 until his 2025 retirement and has served as interim manager in several other Bucks County municipalities. He replaces Peter Gray, who is leaving New Hope to become assistant manager in Bristol Borough.
Source: LevittownNow; 6/22/2026 & Bucks County Herald; 8/4/2026

Costs for Tredyffrin park grow to $1.7M, angering residents
Tredyffrin Township officials are moving forward with the redevelopment of the long-vacant Chase Road Park in Chesterbrook into a five-acre recreation facility featuring tennis and pickleball courts, despite growing criticism over the project's rising cost. Originally estimated at about $725,000 for initial work, the township recently approved $1.7 million to fix up the park, and it expects to spend at least $2.3 million total, including the $625,000 acquisition of the property through eminent domain. Township leaders said the increased cost reflects higher construction prices, site challenges, and added amenities, including new courts, restrooms, a pavilion, and sound-reducing fencing. They said the project will be funded through the township's operating budget and reserves and remains a worthwhile investment.  Some residents and former officials have questioned the lack of public input, the significant budget increase and the township's use of the state COSTARS purchasing program instead of competitive bidding, while supporters argue the park preserves open space and provides community amenities in place of a previously proposed residential development.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/3/2026

West Bradford buys 27-acre property for $2.8M to preserve open space
West Bradford Township has completed the $2.8 million acquisition of approximately 27.5 acres at 1246 Telegraph Road, a purchase approved by the board of supervisors as part of the township's ongoing land preservation program. Township officials said the property, consisting of two parcels, will be placed under a permanent conservation easement before being auctioned, with proceeds from the sale returning to the township's land preservation fund to finance future preservation efforts while ensuring the land remains protected from development. The purchase follows the township's long-running strategy of using fee-simple acquisitions paired with conservation easements to preserve farmland and environmentally sensitive land, and comes after West Bradford's high-profile acquisition of the former Embreeville property to prevent large-scale residential development. West Bradford has previously relied on a combination of dedicated land preservation revenues, Chester County open space grants and other preservation funding for similar acquisitions. In unrelated business, Newlin Development, which is developing a 17-lot subdivision that has 16 lots in Newlin and one in West Bradford, has asked the municipalities to enact a boundary change so all 17 lots would be in Newlin. Newlin Township will consider an ordinance to enact the change at a hearing on Monday, Aug. 10, though the planning commission has recommended against the change, according to the minutes of the Newlin supervisors June 8 meeting.
Source: Daily Local; 7/27/2026 & West Bradford Township; 6/9/2026

Oxford council votes to explore police regionalization
Despite pleas from residents and a public petition with approximately 800 signatures, Oxford Borough Council voted 6-1 to pursue joining a regional department for law enforcement services. The vote allows the borough to explore next steps with the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department, which serves New Garden Township and West Grove Borough. Oxford can work to negotiate a “necessary Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement and any other legal documents” to join the regional department, by disbanding the Oxford Police Department, ahead of the council’s next voting session slated for Monday, Aug. 17.
Source: Daily Local; 7/31/2026

St. Peter’s Village in Warwick is ripe for more housing, but poses challenges
The 83-acre historic St. Peter's Village in Warwick Township, Chester County, will be sold at a public auction on Sept. 30, creating uncertainty over the future of the National-Register-listed destination and its mix of homes, businesses and undeveloped land. The sale includes 121 subdivided residential lots, 13 commercial buildings and development rights that could support additional housing consistent with the village's existing residential and neighborhood business zoning. Planning officials said thoughtfully designed residential development could strengthen the village's walkable commercial district and local economy, while existing zoning, conservation easements and the site's rural character make more intensive uses, such as industrial development or data centers, unlikely. Current business owners and conservation advocates say they hope a new owner will preserve the village's historic character while investing in long-deferred building improvements.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/4/2026

Comcast expands network in Chester County
More residents and businesses are gaining access to Comcast services as the company continues its expansion in eastern Pennsylvania. Comcast said that over the past couple of months more than 6,400 residents and businesses in Berks and Chester counties have gained access to internet, mobile, entertainment and security services from Xfinity and Comcast Business. That includes 5,200 in East Nottingham Township and Oxford Borough. Construction also is underway in Lower Oxford and West Nottingham townships. In addition, Comcast is partnering with the commonwealth to reach unserved areas in Chester County — including Highland, Penn, Upper Oxford, West Fallowfield and West Sadsbury townships — through the Broadband Infrastructure Program. In 2024, Comcast was awarded $61 million by Pennsylvania to bring its residential and commercial services to more parts of 13 counties.
Source: Daily Local; 8/5/2026