PA’s overall population is steady while over-65 class grows
Pennsylvania's population has remained essentially flat at about 13 million residents since the 2020 census, but the number of residents age 65 and older has grown by roughly 13% to about 2.8 million, now accounting for more than one in five Pennsylvanians, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The state's median age has risen to 41.4, and younger age groups have declined. The aging trend mirrors national patterns, though overall U.S. population growth has been driven largely by faster-growing southern states. With projections showing one in three Pennsylvanians will be over age 60 by 2030, state leaders are planning for increased demand for aging-related services, including healthcare, transportation and caregiving, while advocates continue to raise concerns about caregiver shortages and limited access to care, particularly in rural communities.
Source: Hanover Evening Sun; 6/25/2026

2 data center bills pass PA House by large margins
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved two pieces of legislation regulating data centers with large, bi-partisan majorities. One bill codifies some of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s latest proposals, known as his GRID standards, which, he says, “would require data center developers seeking state tax benefits to meet strict standards protecting energy affordability, supporting local communities, creating jobs and strengthening environmental protections.” The bill’s provisions would come into play only if a data center developer voluntarily decides to make use of the sales tax break on data center equipment offered by the state. Also passing the House, with a 201-to-1 vote, was the bill sponsored by state Rep. Paul Friel (D-26), which empowers municipalities to pause data center development applications for as long as six months, to allow for time to develop local ordinances to regulate them. Both bills now move on to the state Senate for consideration.
Source: Daily Local; 6/25/2026

FHA announces policy changes to ease regulatory burdens
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced 14 policy changes to its Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Single Family mortgage insurance program with the intention to lower costs, reduce regulatory burdens and improve affordability. The changes include:

• Streamlining appraisal field review requirements to better align with conventional financing requirements
• Expanding flexibility under the limited 203(k) rehabilitation mortgage insurance program
• Modernizing FHA mortgagee approval and quality control
• Eliminating the duplicative requirement for lenders to use the important notice to homebuyers Form 92900-B
• Clarifying loss mitigation requirements governing trial payment plans

Read more at the National Association of Realtors website.
Source: NAR; 6/24/2026

Sellersville to consider noise and short-term rental regulations
Sellersville Borough will hold a public hearing on Monday, July 13, at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall to consider two zoning ordinances. The first updates noise regulations, establishing measurable decibel limits for day and night, setting standards for police use of sound level meters, and carving out certain exemptions. The second creates a regulatory framework for short-term rentals, permitting them as conditional uses in Medium Density Residential, Neighborhood Commercial, and Borough Core districts, and requiring licenses, inspections, and compliance with nuisance and marketing standards. Copies of both ordinances are available on the Sellersville Borough website.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 6/2026

Taxes up 3.5% in Council Rock
The Council Rock School Board approved a $333 million budget for 2026-2027 in a 5-3 vote. The budget includes a 3.5% real estate tax increase — the maximum permitted under Pennsylvania's Act 1 index. The budget adds 14.4 positions focused on special services, funds new five-year staff contracts with higher starting salaries, and makes no cuts to academic or extracurricular programs. The board also voted to commission a $63,900 special education audit by the Chester County Intermediate Unit, set to begin around July 8 and wrap up within six months with a written report and recommendations. Superintendent Dr. Andrew Sanko highlighted a strong close to the 2025-2026 year, noting 881 seniors earned over $15 million in scholarships and that full-day kindergarten's first year produced a 40% gain in reading scores.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 6/22/2026

How Levittown changed homebuilding in America
Levittown emerged from the post-WWII housing crisis when builder Bill Levitt applied an assembly-line approach to home construction, sending specialized teams from lot to lot rather than building houses one at a time. Between 1952 and 1957, over 6,000 workers built more than 17,000 homes, paved 177 miles of streets, and created pools and shopping centers across eight square miles of former Bucks County farmland. The development introduced suburban planning innovations still common today — walkable schools, curving streets, underground utilities and extensive landscaping. Its legacy is complicated, however, by discriminatory policies that barred Black veterans from purchasing homes, a civil rights wound the community grappled with for decades. Despite early mockery from critics who dismissed it as soulless and cookie-cutter, Levittown thrived and became the template for American suburban development nationwide. Today it houses more than 50,000 residents, with original homes that sold for around $10,000 now fetching a median of $400,000.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 6/18/2026

Newtown Township approves two residential subdivisions
The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors approved two residential subdivision plans in June. The first, submitted by Silver Lake 3 LLC, will split a parcel at 211 Upper Silver Lake Road into three lots, each with a new single-family home, subject to conditions including engineering and traffic review compliance, development agreements, financial security and pedestrian safety upgrades at a nearby crosswalk. The second involves a 1.2-acre property at 518 S. State St., where owners Robert and Martha Kiszka plan to demolish existing structures and subdivide the lot into two single-family building sites, with conditions similarly tied to engineering and planning reviews. Both approvals include waivers from certain ordinance requirements and remain contingent on completing outstanding steps before final plans can be signed and recorded.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 6/27/2026

St. Peter’s Village in Warwick Township to be put up for auction
More than 83 acres of the quaint, 19th-century St. Peter’s Village along French Creek in Warwick Township will be sold at auction on Sept. 30. The sale will include the historic and well-known Inn at St. Peter’s Village, as well as shops and 121 subdivided home sites. All the home sites and buildings will be sold as one unit during the auction at the Desmond Hotel in Malvern. The land for sale includes two stalled housing developments, evidently brought to a halt by the ailing sewage treatment plant along the creek. The listing indicates the “buyer will have to agree to make maintenance improvements to the Warwick Water Works wastewater treatment facility that services the area,” according to an article in Philly Voice.
Source: Daily Local News; 6/30/2026

Exton Square Mall has closed
Chester County’s only enclosed mall closed on June 30. After five decades as a retail hub, the nearly 1-million-square-foot Exton Square Mall once sparked a commercial boom in Exton, but the complex has been languishing for years with a desolate interior and only a handful of stores. The Boscov’s, Main Line Health offices and Round 1 entertainment venue will remain open. Abrams Realty & Development, which bought the mall from PREIT for more than $34 million, wants to transform the site into a mixed-use complex with hundreds of townhouses, rental apartments, a 55-plus community and a town center with shops, restaurants, medical offices and green space. West Whiteland supervisors rejected Abrams’ proposal over sewer, traffic and density concerns. The community has seen a subsequent rise in residential development, with millennials and baby boomers fueling demand for high-end, low-maintenance living. In the past five years, about 3,000 luxury apartments and townhouses have been built in the 13-square-mile township. Litigation relating to the development is ongoing.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/24/2026

Wallace Township weighs data center zoning
The Wallace Township Board of Supervisors will consider amendments to the township zoning ordinance that would establish regulations governing data centers within the Industrial Zoning District. The proposed ordinance would create definitions for data centers, accessory uses and substations, establish operational and noise standards, revise parking requirements and add data centers as a specifically regulated use under the township's zoning code. The measure reflects a growing trend among municipalities to adopt land-use standards for data center development before proposals are submitted. A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for Thursday, July 9, at 7 p.m. at the Wallace Township Building, 1250 Creek Road, Glenmoore, with supervisors expected to consider adoption following the hearing.
Source: Daily Local; 6/22/2026

Caln celebrates transfer of 1726 meetinghouse 
Caln Township recently took ownership of the 1726 Old Caln Meetinghouse, which was originally built by some of the founding members of Caln Township from Calne, England, in 1726. In 2025, members of the Old Caln Meetinghouse, a Quaker-based not-for-profit group, approached the township about taking ownership of the historic property to ensure it is preserved in perpetuity. A dedication agreement was drafted to initiate the formal process to convey the meetinghouse and 5.9 acres of open space to the township.
Source: Daily Local; 6/25/2026

PA American Water replacing lead pipes in Coatesville for free
Coatesville City residents now have the opportunity to have their lead and galvanized water lines replaced free of charge through a Pennsylvania American Water Program. About 2% of Coatesville homes have lead and galvanized service lines, the pipes that bring water from the main into the home. These service lines are owned by the homeowner, and in 240 Coatesville homes they are being replaced free of charge in the coming months, according to the utility. The almost $4.2 million project is funded by a $2.9 million low-interest loan and $1.26 million grant from PENNVEST, the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority. More information is available on the utility’s website.
Source: Daily Local; 6/25/2026

Tredyffrin seeks to acquire flood-prone parcel
Tredyffrin Township supervisors are considering acquiring a 0.96-acre parcel located at 599 Park Ridge Drive. According to recent meeting agendas, the township is using grant funding to acquire two homes on Park Ridge Drive and one on Yellow Springs Road that have experienced repetitive and severe flooding. A public hearing will be held on Monday, July 20, at 7 p.m.
Source: Main Line Media News; 6/28/2026