Mixed-use redevelopments are redefining Philadelphia's suburbs
Aging malls and office parks across Philadelphia’s suburban counties are being reimagined as mixed-use destinations, blending housing, retail and entertainment to revive prime but underused properties. BET Investments is leading several projects, including a $300 million to $400 million overhaul of Prudential’s former 90-acre office campus in Dresher, Montgomery County. Plans call for 600 apartments, 300 townhomes, retail, a gym, offices and potentially a hotel. BET’s nearby Promenade at Upper Dublin, with 402 apartments over 140,000 square feet of retail, is fully leased and serves as a model for future redevelopments. PREIT, the region’s largest mall owner, is pursuing similar strategies. Its Plymouth Meeting Mall, already home to a Legoland Discovery Center and AMC theater, has approvals for hundreds of new apartments and is marketed for further redevelopment. In Chester County, Abrams Realty & Development purchased the Exton Square Mall for $34.25 million and plans to anchor a new main street around an adjacent Whole Foods, with apartments commanding higher rents for their walkability. Developers say proximity to grocery stores and high-traffic intersections drives success, while township approvals, rising construction costs and financing remain hurdles. Still, local officials are often motivated by the potential to boost tax bases.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 9/23/2025

Two Philadelphia-area companies react to changes in housing market
Fort Washington-based Toll Brothers and Radian, a home-mortgage insurer based in Wayne, have reacted to changes in the housing market with multi-million-dollar transactions that change their business profiles. After reporting slower-than-expected housing sales for the year, Toll Brothers decided to sell its profitable apartment development business and unbuilt properties to real estate investment firm Kennedy Wilson for $347 million. Toll Brothers’ Apartment Living comprises a developer staff, 18 apartment complexes and 29 development sites. California-based Kennedy Wilson will also take over management of another 20 remaining Toll Brothers apartment and student-housing projects until a buyer can be found. Radian is on the buying side of business changes, having agreed to spend $1.7 billion to buy insurance syndicate Inigo Ltd. Radian CEO Rick Thornberry said the “transformative” move will double the company’s sales and comes at a time when new and existing home purchases that fuel mortgage insurance have flattened.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 9/18/2025 

PA state budget is nearly 3 months late
Pennsylvania’s state budget is nearly three months overdue, leaving funding for schools, counties and other local services in limbo. The impasse stems from disagreements about overall spending levels, with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro proposing $51.5 billion while Republican leaders push for lower totals to address the state’s structural deficit. Lawmakers remain divided on revenue sources, including taxes on recreational marijuana and skill games, though mass transit funding has been removed from the current negotiations. Suburban counties surrounding Philadelphia are feeling the effects. School districts, including Philadelphia’s, have borrowed hundreds of millions to maintain operations, incurring millions in interest payments. Counties are considering similar measures or local tax increases while awaiting state disbursements. The delay comes as Pennsylvania faces required increases in Medicaid spending and federal uncertainty that could reduce access to assistance programs. With the fiscal year already more than two months underway, leaders warn that continued delays could force future tax hikes or spending cuts. Pennsylvania is the only state nationwide without an enacted budget.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 9/22/2025

NAR reiterates call for long-term NFIP reauthorization
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is urging Congress to support long-term reauthorization and reform of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Last month, senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) requested public input on 46 questions covering NFIP reauthorization, mapping, mitigation and other reforms. NAR submitted comments to the senators and the Senate Banking Committee with recommendations including long-term authorization, modernizing flood mapping, more federal assistance to help reduce risk and insurance costs, private flood insurance options, and disclosure that would provide buyers with information about NFIP claims and other relevant property flood facts. NAR emphasized the need to build on broad bipartisan efforts, such as the NFIP Reauthorization Act unanimously passed by the House Financial Services Committee in the 116th Congress. NAR believes pairing long-term reauthorization with reforms has strong support across the aisle in both chambers. Read more at the NAR website.
Source: NAR; 9/18/2025 

Housing might replace proposed Buckingham warehouse
Buckingham Township officials recently announced that the developer of a proposed 150,000-square-foot warehouse near Doylestown Airport is switching gears with a plan to build 40 houses. The warehouse plan has been protested by Buckingham residents and neighboring municipalities, citing truck traffic. Buckingham supervisors rejected the warehouse proposal in a 2-1 vote, but at the same time clarified that the building was a warehouse and not a truck terminal. Residents looking for a legal objection to the warehouse had argued that it was a truck terminal. Buckingham zoning regulations allow for a warehouse to be built on the property. Calling it a truck terminal would have allowed for an easier denial that would be harder to appeal. Developer J.G. Petrucci and the community group did go to court, and all parties agreed to try to reach an agreement, which led the developer to propose housing instead of a warehouse. The township noted that the housing plan is still in the early stages of development and highlighted that the plan would preserve 26 acres of open space along Cold Spring Creamery Road.
Source: Tap Into Doylestown; 9/18/2025

Warehouses in Middletown’s Lower Bucks Logistics Hub sit empty
Two Class A distribution facilities totaling approximately 815,000 square feet in Middletown Township’s Lower Bucks Logistics Hub sit empty, almost a year after officially opening. The site is owned by Foxfield, a real estate investment and development company that focuses primarily on industrial and residential markets, and it is the only Bucks County site in the company’s portfolio. According to the Lower Bucks Logistics Hub website, the location will “provide ease of access to I-295, I-95, Route 1 and Route 13, allowing distribution up and down the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets.” Bucks County has seen rapid warehouse growth due to its location on the busy I-95 corridor.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 9/19/2025

New Britain council debates proposed noise ordinance
New Britain Borough Council recently voted to advertise a proposed noise ordinance. The council is looking to limit disruptive sounds caused by motorized or power equipment, music, repetitive and sustained sounds from business activities, gas-powered vehicles, incessant barking from dogs, and other sounds from domesticated animals. During the discussion, borough officials acknowledged that enforcement might be a challenge, talked about exempt noises, and set violation penalties and the time frame. The proposed noise ordinance is slated to be heard at the Wednesday, Oct. 8, council meeting at 7 p.m. in Burkart Hall, 56 Keeley Ave. Check the New Britain Borough Council agenda page for the most up-to-date information.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 9/18/2025

Yardley Inn to be demolished and rebuilt
The Yardley Inn, an iconic restaurant along the Delaware River, will be demolished and rebuilt following a recent decision by Yardley Borough officials. The establishment was first known as The White Swan Inn in 1832 when it opened at the intersection of East Afton and North Delaware avenues to serve farmers and riverboat crews. The river has flooded the building numerous times, causing instability in the basement foundation. The original plans for renovation of the inn called for lifting the upper floors to rebuild the basement foundation, but engineers reported to the Yardley Borough Architectural Review Board that it would be too dangerous. As a result, the Historical Architectural Review Board gave unanimous approval to the demolition and reconstruction of the inn. The new inn will maintain the look of the current inn as a landmark, but with a “fresh” design. Architect Linda Szpak said features of the old building can be saved and incorporated into the new structure. Plans for the new building will still need to be presented to borough council for approval, and reconstruction is expected to take about nine months to a year to complete.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 9/19/2025

Bucks residents are being targeted by city tax scam
Bucks County residents are being targeted by a fraudulent text message scam. The texts claim to be from the Philadelphia Department of Revenue and contain a malicious link asking for banking information to facilitate a refund. The Philadelphia Department of Revenue issued a warning to residents in the city and beyond and stated it will never request bank or refund-sensitive information via text message. According to U.S. Census data, more than 12% of Bucks County residents are employed in Philadelphia.
Source: Levittown Now; 9/17/2025

Exton Square developer sets timeline for phased overhaul of 75-acre site
The redevelopment of the 75-acre Exton Square mall property could begin by late spring 2026. The first phase of the project, which will start before demolition begins on the mall, will be construction of a 50,400-square-foot freestanding Main Line Health building, according to Abrams Realty & Development owner Peter Abrams, allowing an existing Main Line Health clinic to move into the new site with minimal disruption. Demolition of the mall likely won’t begin until late summer 2027. The redevelopment, named Exton Town Centre, received a recommendation of approval from the West Whiteland Township Planning Commission in August. The project now heads to the board of supervisors, which Abrams said could approve the master plan before Thanksgiving. The master plan calls for demolishing most of the 990,000-square-foot mall except for the existing 178,000-square-foot Boscov’s department store. Abrams has proposed 167,180 square feet of retail and commercial space, a 121,374-square-foot fitness and entertainment building, 48,743 square feet of office space, and a 6,440-square-foot day care.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 9/22/2025

Revised New Garden Hills plan lowers cost by $27M
New Garden Township purchased the 137-acre property formerly known as Saint Anthony’s in the Hills for $1.5 million in 2018 with plans to convert it into a community park and recreation area called New Garden Hills. The project was originally estimated to cost $18 million, but more thorough estimates later raised the figure to $32 million, far above the township’s financial means. On Sept. 15, township supervisors heard the broad strokes for a seven-year, nine-zone phased plan that is proposed to cost $5.2 million. The objective would be to create a more passive park closely aligned with natural settings. Longer range plans would add more features, like a castle and barn, a picnic grove, a restroom, a parking lot and the rehabilitation of a nearby pond. The proposal comes on the heels of two recent presentations by Stonewall Capital LLC, who plan to develop White Clay Point, a mixed-use development with 620 condominium units, near the New Garden Hills site. Read more in the Chester County Press.
Source: Chester County Press; 9/17/2025

East Vincent delays adoption of data center ordinance
East Vincent Township supervisors have delayed the adoption of a new ordinance regulating data centers. Township solicitor Joe Clemente explained that so much feedback had been provided on the draft from consultants, local group East Vincent Advocacy and the office of state Sen. Katie Muth (D-44), that they chose to continue refining the proposed ordinance rather than adopt an imperfect one and immediately begin making amendments. Also key to the decision was the news that passage of House Bill 502 was not as imminent as supervisors had initially believed. That bill, among other things, had the potential to regulate data centers, taking it out of the hands of local townships, unless they already had an ordinance on the books. There have been discussions on the subject starting in May, but at a special town hall meeting on Sept. 10, the supervisors outlined the possibilities under consideration for the former Pennhurst site, including a data center and tire-burning plant. Township Manager Robert A. Zienkowski said the tire burning portion of the proposal “is an absolute no-go. It’s not going to happen.” Spring City Mayor Adam Alberico told the East Vincent supervisors that a data center developer should pay for any new equipment and training first responders would need to deal with any emergency at the site.
Source: The Mercury; 9/24/2025

West Chester Borough manager discusses budget
West Chester Borough Manager Sean Metrick warned of a potential tax hike or heavy use of reserves as the township begins work on a 2026 general fund budget that is projected to carry a $2.3 million deficit. Higher expenses for police, emergency medical services and capital projects are driving the gap in the roughly $22 million spending plan. Police costs alone are up 9%, or $819,000, while EMS expenses are set to rise 78%, or $131,000. Public works, parks and other departments also face steep increases. Metrick said the borough traditionally raises property taxes by about 3% every two to three years to offset rising costs, but limited taxable property and slow new development constrain revenue growth. He cautioned that fee increases and efficiency measures cannot close the structural deficit of roughly $250,000 to $300,000 a year. Council is expected to release a preliminary budget by Oct. 15 and must adopt a balanced plan by Dec. 31. Options include reducing operating expenses, deferring capital projects or tapping the capital fund at up to four times last year’s level.
Source: Daily Local; 9/18/2025

West Goshen Township revises office hours
The West Goshen Township administrative offices will operate on a revised schedule. They will be open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday by appointment. 
Source: West Goshen Township; 9/2025