FHFA Director Pulte reshapes agency and GSE leadership
In a major shakeup at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), newly confirmed director Bill Pulte has swiftly restructured leadership at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Pulte removed 14 board members from both entities, appointing himself as chairman alongside new members from hedge funds, real estate and technology sectors. The restructuring extends beyond leadership, as FHFA has laid off over 10% of its staff, particularly those in research and statistics roles, while preparing to bring in political appointees. Additionally, Pulte has issued a return-to-office mandate for FHFA employees, with similar directives expected at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is closely monitoring the developments, emphasizing the need for a stable and efficient housing finance system to support affordability and housing supply.
Source: NAR; 3/20/2025

End of pandemic relief money could devastate some municipalities, Governor fears
The Shapiro administration expects some Pennsylvania municipalities to become so financially distressed they could require state assistance as funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dries up. State and local governments received unprecedented federal aid during the COVID-19 pandemic to cope with its impact on public health and the economy. The funding extended a lifeline to recipients during the emergency, as many spent their allocations to fill revenue gaps, but that help is now going away. The state Department of Community and Economic Development has asked the legislature to approve a $10 million increase to the special state fund that aids local governments facing severe economic hardships in its proposed budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The increase accounts for about 2.3% of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $430 million pitch to fund the agency. Read more here.
Source: PennLive; 3/24/2025

Top PA election official warns federal cuts will ‘make elections less secure’
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania’s top election official, is warning the federal government that its decision to end a program that helps local election officials monitor and prepare for election threats is a mistake. The Trump administration and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently cut staff and funding for programs through the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. CISA was created in 2018 under the first Trump administration during a time of well-publicized foreign attempts to influence U.S. elections and other high-profile online threats. At the time, the agency’s mission was to help bolster cyber and physical security across the many levels of government, as well as in the private sector. CISA confirmed it had cut $10 million in federal funding for activities done in coordination with the Center for Internet Security, saying some services, such as stakeholder engagement, cyber threat intelligence and cyber incident response, were deemed “duplicative” but declined to comment on how the programs were duplicative. “I have seen firsthand how CISA’s work has helped prevent and address security incidents,” Schmidt said, “and I worry about the serious consequence of removing this support for our local elections officials without an adequate substitute.” Read more from Spotlight PA. In February, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi disbanded an FBI task force focused on investigating foreign influence operations, including those that target U.S. elections.
Source: Spotlight PA; 3/18/2025 & AP News; 2/16/2025 

Sewer lateral inspection now required in Warminster
The Warminster Municipal Authority (WMA) is requiring point-of-sale sewer lateral inspections as of March 10. Warminster Township passed an ordinance for sewer lateral inspections to prevent extra water from flowing into the WMA wastewater treatment plant during wet weather. The overflows are believed to originate through inflow and infiltration. Inflow is stormwater flowing directly into manholes and cleanouts, whereas infiltration is groundwater entering sewer pipes and/or manholes through defects. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that at least 50% of inflow and infiltration originates from private properties. The WMA sewer lateral inspection is in addition to the use and occupancy certificate required by Warminster Township. The WMA’s new inspection requirement is not compliant with Pennsylvania’s Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act because it states that repairs must be made prior to sale, instead of allowing 12 months as required by the state law. Suburban Realtors Alliance has reached out to Warminster Township and the WMA regarding the issue.
Source: Warminster Municipal Authority

NorthPoint Development shifts focus to data centers in Falls
The third phase of NorthPoint Development’s Keystone Trade Center in Falls Township is shifting gears. The developer has approval for distribution facilities at the former U.S. Steel property but is now looking at building data centers. The company plans to build 10 different one- or two-story structures across 247 acres, eventually totaling more than 2 million square feet of what NorthPoint attorney Mike Meginniss called “a digital infrastructure campus.” The change in plans will result in a reduction in traffic compared to distribution centers as well as a shift in the types of jobs that will be needed on site. Meginniss said the changes were prompted by conversations with prospective lease-holders or end-users for the property. The revised plans were approved unanimously by the Falls Township Board of Supervisors on March 24.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 3/26/2025

Langhorne Borough clarifies zoning map amendment ordinance
Langhorne Borough residents with property in the Historic District, the TND Overlay District or the Professional Service District have been sent notice from the borough’s solicitor that an ordinance amending the borough’s zoning map will be considered for approval at the April 9 council meeting. Borough officials have heard from several residents about the proposed ordinance and zoning map, and on March 12 posted on Facebook to clarify some items. As noted in the proposed ordinance, “the proposed updated zoning map for the borough will retain the existing zoning districts for residential, commercial, light industrial, open recreation, retirement community and professional services districts.” There will be no changes to those districts or to the zoning of the properties located within. The purpose of the proposed updated zoning map is to include the TND Overlay District and clarify the boundaries of the Historic District as originally approved by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission circa 1985. A copy of the proposed ordinance and updated zoning map are available on the borough website. Residents are welcome to reach out to the office with any questions or attend the Wednesday, April 9, council meeting.
Source: Langhorne Borough; 3/12/2025

Mandatory water restrictions extended in Doylestown Borough and township
Doylestown Borough officials announced the extension of mandatory water restrictions that went into effect in November. The Stage II warning also extends to Doylestown Township, said Jeremy Matozzo, the borough’s chief water operator, as the two water systems are closely linked. The restrictions will stay in place until further notice. Matozzo reported to borough council that January was the third lowest rainfall on record in 131 years.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 3/20/2025

Housing development inching forward in Lower Makefield
Local builder DeLuca Homes has proposed 47 single-family homes on a 49-acre parcel that was once the Wright Farm in Lower Makefield Township. The tract at 1878 Yardley-Newtown Road sits directly south of more than 100 existing homes known as Bridle Estates. Residents of Bridle Estates are unhappy that the sole access to the new development is to be through their neighborhood on Surrey Lane, currently a dead-end road. The developers noted they reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation about other access points to the development and were refused, leaving Surrey Lane access as the only option. After hours of discussion and public comment, planning commission members voted to recommend several items to the supervisors and directed the township’s traffic engineer to conduct a speed study in Bridle Estates, but tabled the discussion for the overall project until a future meeting because the developer still has more than 100 points in the engineer’s review letter to consider.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 3/7/2025 

Developer closes on $34M Exton Square Mall acquisition in West Whiteland
Abrams Realty & Development closed on its acquisition of Exton Square Mall on March 18, paving the way for a major redevelopment of the struggling retail center. Abrams Realty paid $34.25 million to purchase the 75-acre property in West Whiteland Township from PREIT. Abrams plans to preserve the Boscov’s department store and part of Round 1 arcade but demolish most of the rest of the 52-year-old mall, replacing it with:

• 376 apartments
• 243 townhomes
• 146,673 square feet of commercial space including shops and restaurants
• 95,232 square feet of fitness and entertainment
• 48,095 square feet of office space
• 47,392 square feet for a new Main Line Health facility
• 6,440 square feet for a daycare

The project is called Town Centre at Exton. Abrams said his vision is “to transform this property into a vibrant town center that will serve as a dynamic hub for the community and region.”
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 3/19/2025

Tower Health sold shuttered Brandywine Hospital campus to Regal Builders for development
Tower Health sold the campus of its shuttered Brandywine Hospital in Caln Township to Regal Builders for an undisclosed price. Regal Builders, based in Dover, Delaware, said it didn’t have anything to share yet about its plans for the 67-acre property in Caln Township. The campus is located near the Route 30 bypass a few miles north of Coatesville.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 3/25/2025

Chester County’s 2024 Nonresidential Construction Report released
The Chester County Planning Commission has released its 2024 Nonresidential Construction Report, measuring the number of new nonresidential square feet added to the county. The areas of nonresidential square feet include buildings in agricultural, commercial, industrial and institutional areas. New square footage increased by 191,733 square feet from 2023 to 2024. There were 10 fewer projects in 2024 than 2023. Commercial and institutional had the largest new square feet for the second year in a row. East Whiteland, West Fallowfield and West Goshen townships had the greatest total new nonresidential square feet. West Goshen and East Marlborough townships and West Chester Borough had the greatest commercial square feet. Uwchlan, West Whiteland and West Brandywine townships had the most industrial square feet. And East Whiteland, East Pikeland and West Sadsbury townships had the highest new institutional construction. West Fallowfield Township was the only municipality to have agricultural building development.
Source: Chester County Planning Commission; 3/24/2025

Kennett school district now expects larger tax increase
Mike Finnegan, the Kennett Consolidated School District (KCSD) school board member and board treasurer, announced that the anticipated tax increase for the 2025-2026 school year is now expected to be 3.52% or 3.95%, depending on the hiring of two more special education teachers. The 3.52% would amount to a $217 increase (for a total of $6,438), and a 3.9% increase would mean a $244 increase (for a total of $6,412) for the average assessed property in the district. Finnegan explained that there are two major factors raising the budget costs that the district must accommodate. Genesis Healthcare, which has buildings in Kennett Square Borough, is appealing its property appraisal. Also, East Marlborough Township, which lies mostly in Unionville-Chadds Ford district but partially in Kennett Consolidated, passed a 1% earned-income tax, which will reduce Kennett’s share of income tax revenue.
Source: Chester County Press; 3/19/2025 

Oxford region housing needs assessment survey
The Oxford Borough Housing Committee has released an Oxford Region Housing Needs Survey to better understand the needs of the region, which includes the Borough of Oxford, and East Nottingham, West Nottingham, Elk, Upper Oxford and Lower Oxford townships. It takes less than 15 minutes to respond.
Source: Oxford Borough; 3/27/2025