Record Number of Homes Built in Chester County, Pennsylvania

According to an article by Michaelle Bond in The Philadelphia Inquirer, one of Pennsylvania’s wealthiest and fastest-growing counties saw a record number of new homes built in 2021. 

“Last year, 3,743 homes were built in Chester County — more than in any year since 2001, according to the county’s annual housing report, released this month. And despite rising housing costs that pushed the county’s median sale price in 2021 to a record $420,000, more homes sold last year than in any year since 2005” thanks to the area’s rapid growth. “Chester County’s population grew by 7% from 2010 to 2020, according to census data, on par with Montgomery County and faster than any other county in the region.”

County leaders want to balance development with open space conservation. “As of early 2021, 30% of the county was protected open space, according to county data.” The county is also adding more multifamily housing to meet rising demand. “More than half of the homes built in the county in 2021 — 1,963 — were apartments. That’s more than three times as many as were built in 2020, according to the county.”

The source article details the steps taken by municipalities in the county to make housing more affordable for their residents, such as adaptive reuse of industrial properties, mixed-use development, and other zoning reforms that accommodate more housing production.