News Briefs for September 5, 2025
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The William and Mordecai Evans House, also known as the Evans Log & Stone House, in Limerick Township started out as a log home built in 1720. A mobile home community elsewhere in the township is facing drastic tax increases and finding little help from elected officials.
Photo: Smallbones (CC0)
HUD withdraws translated materials
Following an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will transition all operations and programs to English-only communication, effective immediately. HUD will no longer provide non-English translation services, and all correspondence, publications and digital content will be produced exclusively in English. Language assistance will only be provided where legally required, including for individuals with hearing, vision or related disabilities. As part of the immediate rollout, HUD has withdrawn all translated documents from circulation and removed them from its website. Read more at the National Association of Realtors website.
Source: NAR; 8/27/2025
Suburban counties press for new taxing powers amid SEPTA funding fight
Officials in Philadelphia’s four suburban counties say the state budget impasse over SEPTA funding underscores the need for new taxing authority that would let them support the region’s transit system without relying solely on property taxes. Local leaders argue the current structure forces repeated tax hikes that hit hardest on seniors and residents on fixed incomes. County officials have urged the General Assembly to allow them to levy other taxes, such as wage or sales taxes, to provide sustainable revenue for public transit. Proposals have passed the House in recent years but stalled in the Senate.
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/29/2025
Suburbs are missing millions in state funding during budget stalemate
Two months after the General Assembly blew past its budget deadline, critical funds have stopped flowing from the state to county governments, leaving the counties to cover the cost of mental health services, children and youth programs, meal programs for seniors, and more. If the impasse continues, county officials could consider cutting services and dipping into reserve funds. Chester County CEO David Byerman estimated the state had failed to deliver at least $4.1 million. Delaware County Executive Barbara O’Malley said the county is on the hook for $12.1 million monthly until state funds resume. A spokesperson for Montgomery County said the county was owed roughly $10 million monthly. Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie said the county’s Human Services Division was missing $15 million just from its first-quarter budget. Once a budget is reached, county officials expect the state government to reimburse them for the dollars spent.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 9/2/2025
PA unlikely to pursue mid-decade redistricting
While several states are considering mid-decade redraws of congressional maps, Pennsylvania officials say the practice is not under discussion in the commonwealth. Unlike most states, Pennsylvania’s government is politically divided, making it difficult for lawmakers to agree on a new map. Congressional redistricting in the state requires approval from both chambers of the legislature and the governor. Gov. Josh Shapiro said in August that new maps are “not on the table.”
Source: Spotlight PA; 9/2/2025
Cyberattack disrupts PA attorney general’s office
A ransomware attack has disrupted internal systems at the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The Aug. 11 attack disabled email, phone and case management systems, though most services are now partially restored. Attorney General Dave Sunday said no payment has been made to the attackers and stressed that prosecutions and investigations remain active.
Source: Spotlight PA; 8/25/2025
Toll Brothers temporarily halts sales of $1.6M homes in Newtown
Toll Brothers recently opened sales for homes in Lyondale Meadows in Newtown. The developer found overwhelming demand for the homes — receiving 21 deposits for 45 available homes in the first week — and shut down sales temporarily. Lyondale Meadows, located just north of Newtown Township's municipal offices, has a starting price point of $1.6 million for homes ranging in size from 3,520 to 5,000 square feet, and buyers were choosing options on the customizable homes that pushed prices to $2 million. The prices are higher than Toll is asking at other Philadelphia-area projects and exceed the $974,000 average home price Toll Brothers reported in its fiscal third quarter report and the $1.06 million average for new contracts in the North region for the same period. From May through July, Toll reported revenue of almost $2.9 billion on 2,959 homes, the most ever for a third quarter in company history.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 8/7/2025 & 8/27/2025
Perkasie residents oppose luxury apartment plan
A recent Perkasie Borough Planning Commission meeting was attended by more than a dozen residents concerned about a proposed residential development near the Perkasie Square shopping center. Developers for Perkasie Place are seeking to subdivide a 22-acre parcel on Constitution Avenue to build 75 luxury apartments in five two-story buildings on 7.9 acres of the site. The property is currently zoned I-2, light industrial district, which permits retail, light office and industrial uses, such as manufacturing, research labs and warehouses. An application for a zoning variance at the site will be considered by the Perkasie Borough Zoning Hearing Board in September. Residents expressed concerns to the planning commission about overdevelopment in the borough and the complex’s impact on wildlife, flooding and traffic.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 8/29/2025
Company returns with mixed-use sketch plans for 20-acre Middletown parcel
BET Investments has petitioned Middletown Township to change the zoning for a wooded, 20-acre parcel at the intersection of Maple Avenue and North Flowers Mill Road. BET hopes for a zoning change that would allow a mixed-use development, with apartments, retail and restaurants. The developer proposed a similar project for the site last year. The current R1 zoning of the site does not permit mixed-use development. A preliminary sketch plan attached to the petition features a five-story building with 290 apartments, a 440-space parking garage, space for a small grocery store and shop, as well as two 11,200-square-foot buildings for retail, a 9,100-square-foot restaurant pad site, a stormwater management area, a pool, and a dog park. Jim Ennis, the township’s director of building and zoning, said the petition is under review and officials have not determined if it will be accepted.
Source: LevittownNow; 8/29/2025
Doylestown Borough seeks planning commission members
Doylestown Borough Council is accepting applications from borough residents to fill two vacancies on the planning commission. The commission meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month and advises borough council on community growth and development matters. Details are available on the borough’s recent Instagram post.
Source: Doylestown Borough; 9/2025
Oracle’s 111-acre campus in East Whiteland is for sale
An office park spanning 111 acres is up for sale in Malvern, East Whiteland Township. The Malvern Green complex includes three office buildings and a data center building that total about 759,900 square feet at 51 Valley Stream Parkway. The four buildings are occupied by tech giant Oracle but are being marketed for mixed-use redevelopment. The campus has a parking garage that can fit 400 cars and surface parking that can accommodate 1,400 cars, according to marketing materials. The four Malvern Green buildings are listed as:
- Building I: four-story, 217,221-square-foot office constructed in 1983
- Building II: four-story, 219,328-square-foot office constructed in 1982
- Building III: four-story, 227,179-square-foot office constructed in 1999
- Data Center: two-story, 96,173-square-foot building constructed in 1999
Valley Creek runs through the property and limits how much of the site can be developed.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 9/1/2025
Kennett Township unveils plans for new police facility
After considering three design options, Kennett Township has chosen to explore the construction of a new, 11,500-square-foot police headquarters to be built adjacent to the township building. The current cost estimate for the new facility will be $10 million, which is projected to include design and engineering, construction, furnishings and fit outs, as well as contingency and escalation costs. The township plans to use $2 million of its existing funds, establish a 25-year bond for $8 million, and consider raising property taxes by $152 a year for the average assessed value. The township will host a public open house and information session in late September. Read more at Chester County Press.
Source: Chester County Press; 8/28/2025
Upper Uwchlan to amend short-term rental regulations
Upper Uwchlan Township supervisors will consider an ordinance that would revise zoning rules for signs and establish new regulations for short-term rentals. The proposal would update multiple sections of the township’s sign code by amending, deleting or consolidating existing provisions. It would also add three regulations for short-term rentals and prohibit parking commercial vehicles weighing more than 26,001 pounds in residential districts. The public hearing and possible adoption of the ordinance will be held on Monday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Upper Uwchlan Township Building, 140 Pottstown Pike, Chester Springs.
Source: Daily Local; 8/29/2025
New Garden outlines growth, housing and budget priorities
New Garden Township officials outlined challenges and priorities for 2026 during a “State of the Township” presentation on Aug. 25. Township Manager Christopher Himes said priorities include improving infrastructure, strengthening financial management, addressing rising public safety costs and expanding affordable “missing middle” housing to attract younger residents. Demographic shifts show the senior population has more than doubled since 2010 while the number of children has dropped by nearly half. Home values in the township have jumped 68% over the past eight years. Officials warned that without more affordable housing, the township risks an increasingly aging population and shrinking tax base. Read more at Chester County Press.
Source: Chester County Press; 8/28/2025
Summit highlights faith-based role in affordable housing
Chester County Commissioners joined Allies for Housing to host the 4th annual Summit on Affordable Housing, focusing on how faith-based groups can help address the region’s housing shortage. The 2025 theme, “YIGBY: Yes In God’s Back Yard,” promoted repurposing underused religious properties for affordable housing. Commissioners said partnerships among municipalities, churches, developers and investors are key to expanding options for residents. Panelists included clergy and housing leaders from Royersford Baptist Church, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Oxford, Mission First Housing Group, and Habitat for Humanity of Chester County. Allies for Housing, founded in 2022, aims to expand rental units for households earning 60% or less of the county’s area median income — $50,000 for an individual or $71,640 for a family of four.
Source: Chester County; 8/27/2025
Delaware County considers creating a human relations commission
Delaware County Council is considering creating a county-based Human Relations Commission that would have the authority to issue fines up to $500 based on violations impacting more than two dozen classifications. The creation of the commission had its first reading at the August county council meeting. It would consist of 12 volunteer members who would hear alleged violations and consider them in public hearings. The commission would evaluate areas of disputes regarding housing, employment, medical care and education. Attorney Jack Larkin, the county’s deputy solicitor, said, “Those include protected classes of perceived race, ethnicity, color, religion, creed, national origin or citizenship status, ancestry, sex, including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, familial status, GED rather than high school diploma, physical or mental disability, relationship or association with a disabled person, source of income, age, height, weight, veteran status, use of guide or support animals and/or mechanical aids, or domestic or sexual violence victim status.” The commission could evaluate the complaint, mediate it or hold a public hearing on it, and then make a determination if there was a violation. Larkin said the commission would have the authority to levy a $500 fine and, should their order not be followed, it could progress to the county Court of Common Pleas, where it could result in a contempt order.
Source: Daily Times; 8/28/2025
Federal flood grants cut, leaving Delco residents vulnerable
Delaware County leaders say the Trump administration’s cancellation of federal flood mitigation grants has left local communities more vulnerable as severe storms increasingly inundate the Darby Creek Valley. Residents already facing annual floods worry their homes could become unlivable without long-term solutions. The county last year secured a Federal Emergency Management Agency technical assistance grant to coordinate solutions with neighboring municipalities, but the program was eliminated in April alongside $1 million in environmental justice funding for Philadelphia’s Eastwick neighborhood. Local officials warn the loss will stall years of planning and delay potential federal infrastructure grants. “Not having their technical expertise is something that is really hard to replace,” said Gina Burritt, the county’s planning director.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/28/2025
Upper Providence council considers revising voting districts
Upper Providence Township Council will consider a proposed ordinance to redraw local voting districts to bring populations into balance. Draft Ordinance 566 would repeal the township’s existing district map and replace it with a new version dividing the electorate into five districts. Officials said the change is intended to comply with a May 30 court order requiring more equal population distribution among districts based on 2020 census data. Under the current map, the largest voting district has 28% more residents than the smallest. The proposed revision would reduce that gap to 3.32%. As a result, some residents will shift into new districts beginning with the 2026 elections. Township council will consider the measure at a public meeting Tuesday, Sep. 9, at 7 p.m. in the Upper Providence Township Building, 935 N. Providence Road, Media.
Source: Daily Times; 8/28/2025
Swarthmore provides resource on sidewalk repair near trees
Swarthmore Borough’s Tree Committee recently shared an informational resource for residents who need to make sidewalk repairs near trees. The committee recognizes that tree roots can damage sidewalks, and there is a delicate balance between a safe sidewalk and maintaining the tree canopy in the borough. If a tree does not survive a sidewalk repair it will be required to be replaced in accordance with the borough tree ordinance. Every year borough staff conduct sidewalk and vegetation maintenance inspections within the borough to ensure pedestrian safety.
Source: Swarthmore Borough; Spring 2025
Upper Darby to consider earned income tax, again
Upper Darby Township Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would impose a 1% earned income tax on residents and nonresidents working in the township. The ordinance, No. 3191, would require employers to collect the tax at the source, establish exemptions, and set rules for collection and enforcement beginning on Jan. 1, 2026. The township has made previous unsuccessful attempts to pass an earned income tax. Officials estimate the tax would generate about $17.8 million annually to help close a projected budget deficit and avoid raising real estate taxes. The public hearing and possible vote will be held during council’s regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. in Meeting Room 202 of the municipal building, 100 Garrett Road, and streamed live on YouTube.
Source: Daily Times; 8/27/2025
Limerick mobile home community facing 50% rent hike gets little help from officials
Residents of the Village at Willow Run Mobile Home Park off Ridge Pike in Limerick Township are facing a 50% rent hike recently announced by the corporate property owner, Malvern-based Longview Management LLC. In August, residents were given one month’s notice that their lot rents would increase by $310 per month and an additional $27 would be charged for trash pickup — a substantial increase for residents that currently pay $615 per month for a single lot. Township, county and state elected officials met with residents at a standing-room-only meeting at the Village of Willow Run Clubhouse to review options the residents have — but were told there aren’t many. Limerick Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Sperring explained that it is outside the power of the board to intervene in a dispute between tenants and landlords. Sperring noted, “We’ve done everything we can to try to reach out and get a response from the company, and this is the first time in 20 years I’ve been on the board that I have not received a response.” The rationale for the rate hike is unknown, but there is speculation that Longview is trying to hike rents as the state legislature considers a bill that would limit rent increases in such facilities to the consumer price index. Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello also said that the county “has limited oversight over things like this” but will investigate if there is a case to be made for price gouging.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 8/29/2025
Hatboro-Horsham debuts new middle school
The start of school in the Hatboro-Horsham School District meant the first day in a new $125 million school for students at the Keith Valley Middle School. The new school on Meetinghouse Road replaces the old Keith Valley Middle School, which was built in 1957. The new middle school was built behind the old school. Residents will be allowed to tour the new middle school on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Source: Hatboro-Horsham Patch; 9/2/2025
Bridgeport officials warn it could lose its local court house
Bridgeport Borough has announced it is at risk of losing its district court house following the retirement of the courthouse’s district justice, James P. Gallagher, at the end of the year. The court, at 4th and Mill streets, handles cases for residents in Bridgeport and part of Upper Merion Township, as well as cases involving Pennsylvania Turnpike travelers on a stretch of I-276 in Montgomery County. According to a letter on the borough website, the current plan would move the court’s workload to the courthouse in King of Prussia. Stacey Witalec, a Pennsylvania court spokesperson, said a decision has yet to be made about the courthouse’s future and that any plan would come with a public comment period for residents to voice their opinions to court administrators. Bridgeport officials feel the proposed closure would impose a “negative impact” on the community, citing longer travel times and costs.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/29/2025
Montco offers ‘Pizza with a Planner’ events
The Montgomery County Planning Commission (MCPC) is starting the next work phase of “Montco 2050: A Comprehensive Plan for a Changing World.” MCPC invites the public to join the process and provide feedback, and has scheduled “Pizza with a Planner” lunches. In-person lunches will be held on Thursday, Sept. 11, at Trouble’s End Brewing in Collegeville, and a virtual event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 25. A public presentation of the Montco 2050 goals and recommendations will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Ambler Theater. Read more details and register to attend at the MCPC website.
Source: MCPC; 9/2025
Philly’s experiment giving cash to renters is working, researchers say
Since fall 2022, Philadelphia has been giving no-strings-attached cash to 301 households randomly selected from the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s wait lists for public housing and federal subsidies. The PHLHousing+ program was scheduled to end in June, but because of new findings about the program’s success, it has been extended until June 2026. A report analyzing the first two years of the program by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and staff at the Philadelphia Housing Development Corp. found that the PHLHousing+ program has been helping to keep families housed. PHDC is discussing what the next phase of the program could look like, said Rachel Mulbry, the organization’s director of policy and strategic initiatives and a coauthor of the report, but “we’re in a much stronger position now that we have results like these.” Households that received cash were less likely to be evicted or become homeless than households without assistance, according to the report. Households that got cash also had fewer concerns about the quality of their homes. Philadelphia is the first city in the country to run a trial of cash-based rental assistance since the idea of rental assistance was first formalized in the 1970s when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development created the Section 8 program.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 9/3/2025
Manayunk church adapts historic mill to withstand flooding
A Manayunk congregation has transformed a 19th-century mill into its new church home, leaving the ground floor empty to guard against worsening flooding along the Schuylkill River. Citylight Church, which purchased the former mill at 4050 Main St. in 2022, opened the renovated building last month. Architect Jeremy Avellino designed the project to adapt to flood risks revealed by Hurricane Ida in 2021, which submerged parts of Manayunk and left the church’s property caked in mud. The two-story structure now functions entirely on its second floor, while the ground level is unfinished and used only for parking. Avellino described the approach as treating the building “like an ark.” Officials have warned that many ground floors along Manayunk’s Main Street may never be safe to occupy again, raising questions about the future of development in flood-prone areas.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 9/2/2025
Developer plans $25M warehouse project in N.E. Philly near airport
A developer plans to begin construction of a 103,000-square-foot warehouse within weeks on a mostly vacant property in Northeast Philadelphia, just across from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. Crown Holdings Development says the $25 million project is part of a continued expansion of its Philadelphia footprint. The nearly 10-acre Grant Avenue property is already zoned for industrial development. It is bordered by a Public Storage on one side and Muller Inc., a beverage wholesaler, on the other. The company believes that in urban areas like Philadelphia, smaller-footprint buildings — around 250,000 square feet or less — are the most effective without the high costs associated with larger, million-square-foot developments typically found farther from the city center.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 9/3/2025
Group urges Philly schools to preserve historic buildings amid closure plans
As the Philadelphia School District prepares to announce which schools it will close, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is urging leaders to protect historic buildings rather than demolish them. A recent report by the nonprofit highlighted that about 100 district schools or charters operate in historically designated buildings, including 10 on the city’s local register that cannot be torn down. The group argued preserving and modernizing old schools can be cheaper than new construction and pointed to recent renovations at Frankford High as an example. The district is expected to release closure and construction recommendations this fall, with a final vote by year’s end.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 8/20/2025
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