By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Over the last several years, the twin topics of homelessness in Chester County and the lack of housing affordability have been the front-and-center guests at nearly every municipal meeting hall and non-profit boardroom in the county, as well as served as verbal promissory notes on the campaign to-do lists of every political candidate.

At the New Garden Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Sept. 15, it was the township’s turn to address the issue of housing inequity, when two key stakeholders introduced the objective facts behind what continues to remain the inescapable reality for thousands of people who aspire to live in Chester County.

The presentation was delivered by Burt Rothenberger, a governance board member with the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness and Cheryl Miles, the community housing development director for Kennett Area Community Service (KACS). Both are members of the Southern Chester County Council on Housing Affordability.

“It comes as no surprise to any of us that we have a housing crisis here in Chester County,” Rothenberger told the board. “There are parts of our county where reasonably-priced dwellings to rent or purchase just aren’t available. There are large segments of our households that are either forced to live outside our county or are paying an unsustainable portion of their income on housing.”

The hard statistics of housing attainability

To support his statement that calls for the county to develop moderately priced housing, Rothenberger referred to several statistics that have become the talking points of agencies throughout the county who are attempting to work with elected officials, municipalities and state agencies to clamp down on solutions. 

“Many who work here can’t live here,” he said, pointing to the 2024 median home sale price in Chester County that stood at $525,000, with only six percent of homes sold were under $250,000 – down 28 percent from the year before. “Look at the real estate section of the newspaper and you’ll see that we’re building large single-family homes and luxury apartments and townhomes.”

Rents, Rothenberger added, have also skyrocketed; the median apartment monthly rental in Chester County stood at $1,719 as recently as 2023 and continues to climb, which is about $400 a month higher than rental costs in nearby Lancaster and Delaware counties.

Against this backdrop of increasing unaffordability, the cost of living continues to surge, leaving too many potential homeowners entirely priced out of the marketplace, despite that fact that many per-household incomes are well above the poverty level and considered in the middle class.

“For every dollar of wages that has increased since 2000, housing and transportation costs have increased $1.75, and to afford a $250,000 home, you will need to earn about $87,000 a year,” Rothenberger said. “To afford the median rent of $1,719 a month, you’d need to make $76,000 [a year].”

Who is to blame for the housing inequity in the county? Rothenberger pointed to out-of-date development processes, zoning ordinances and building codes continue to drive up housing costs, while at the same time, new development continues to lag behind current and projected population growth, resulting in many employees being forced to live outside of the county and often doubles their commutation times to their job, which adds undue stress and cuts down on the time with their families and other off-work activities.

“They are the single mother who is a registered nurse with a starting salary of $68,000,” Rothenberger said. “They’re the recently homeless family who has received a housing choice voucher but can’t use it because only 20 percent of county landlords accept tenants with vouchers. They’re the new college grad who can’t find a reasonably-priced apartment. They’re the seniors who want to live close to their family.”

He said that 40 percent of the county’s workforce is in the areas of food service, health care, education and retail and have median incomes of $61,000, virtually pricing them out of even the least expensive housing options. The lingering effects of these discrepancies, Rothenberger said, also damages the county’s economy. According to the Chester County Economic Development Council, the lack of attainable housing “has become a significant deterrent for new businesses wanting to relocate here or existing businesses to expand,” he said. 

Access limited income constraint employees

While the issue of attainable housing for many county residents continues to plague the county, Rothenberger said that the county is at least cognizant of the problem, and that elected and appointed officials are partnering with groups like the Chester County Planning Commission, the Economical Development Council and the Chester County Commissioners to establish short- and long-term solutions.

“Everyone agrees that solving our housing crisis is a major goal,” he said, pointing to the fact that several municipalities in Chester County are taking actions to address the crisis. “Local policymakers see housing as critical for economic growth, stabilizing neighborhoods and improving individual health and well-being. You are getting at it, and you are not alone.”

One of those municipalities is New Garden Township, who since it began its relationship with Michael Baker International in 2024, has undergone a full effort to update its zoning map in order to meet the objectives set down in the township’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan that call for development and redevelopment opportunities along the Route 41 and Baltimore Pike corridors, incorporating “missing middle” housing standards and the incorporation of mixed-use districts.

While the township’s changes to its zoning map may encourage more home building in the future, New Garden still confronts the problem – like other area townships do – of rising numbers of access limited income constraint employees (ALICE) who are struggling to maintain housing but are not eligible for government assistance. In her presentation, Miles said that KACS served 491 ALICE families in New Garden Township during 2024 – a total of 1,406 individuals. In addition, she discussed what defines “attainable” or “sustainable” housing, which is calculated as not exceeding 30 percent of an individual’s or family’s monthly income. In order to provide adequate and attainable housing options in New Garden, the township will need to see the construction of 1,713 units.

“Here in New Garden Township, there is a potential for one in three households to struggle with housing,” Miles said. “Therefore, there is a need to think about alternative type of housing for all residents in this area to receive. There is a change in demographic. You have more single people, retirees and small families. You need smaller homes and more affordable homes.”

If there was a component of the presentation that overlapped with the work New Garden is doing to provide attainable housing options in the future, it is in the area of middle missing housing. Rothenberger said that in Chester County, the majority of home building focuses on two options – detached, single-family homes and mid-rise condominium structures that house luxury apartments. Examples of middle housing options include stacked, side-by-side duplexes; stacked triplexes and fourplexes; courtyard buildings; cottage courts; townhouses; and workforce housing.  

‘It’s finding that balance’

Miles called for the development of mixed-use housing, in achieving the “delicate balance” of preserving the semi-rural characteristics of the township, while also meeting the housing needs of its residents, without creating overdevelopment.

In response to the arguments that were made at the meeting suggesting that the construction of more attainable housing in the township would increase traffic and overcrowding, Miles said that the township should place less emphasis on people moving to the area and more attention on those people who need attainable housing.

“It’s finding that balance,” she said. “It’s working with the township and figuring out the road maps, but there are people who are struggling here right now. Let’s try to help the people who are here, and then you will have time to prepare for additional people to come. One of the things that I am always concerned about is that when we talk about affordable housing, it’s going to attract other people. It will put out a signal that there is housing, but you have so many people in your area who are struggling, and I don’t want us to forget about them.” 

To learn more about housing advocacy initiatives in Chester County, visit www.attainablehousingadvocacy.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].