Lehigh Valley Real Estate

With rising rents and limited inventory, the Lehigh Valley housing crunch is making it harder for many people to find affordable apartments or even think about buying a home.

The full story, to publish Wednesday, will explore why newly available apartments are attracting large numbers of applicants and what that reveals about the balance between housing supply and demand.

PBS39 will broadcast a special, hourlong community forum tonight on data centers — their demand, their needs and their potential impact on the Lehigh Valley.

In December alone, there were 676 eviction filings and defaults in Lehigh County — the highest monthly total since August 2023.

In counties such as Lehigh, eviction filings have reached their highest point in years, even as rental vacancy rates have fluctuated. That apparent contradiction — rising vacancy estimates alongside persistent eviction volume — is part of a broader housing dynamic playing out across the region.

The Central Park Apartments property borders a massive redevelopment project that's set to transform the former Allentown State Hospital property.

Officials signed off on plans that call for 73 condominiums — 15 one-bedroom units, 36 two-bedroom units and 22 three-bedroom units — and about 2,500 square feet of commercial space.

Officials are looking to secure a developer to build a mixed-use space at a property that features a large parking lot and a 7-Eleven built almost a half-century ago.

Developers have announced a $67 million, 216-unit apartment complex is headed to Palmer Township, offering residents what they say is a wealth of amenities in close proximity to local metro areas.

Lower Macungie Township's planning commission voted Tuesday to recommend approving a 55,000-square-foot light manufacturing facility near Schoeneck and Alburtis roads.

The 15,100-square-foot facility would be constructed in consolidated lots at 1415 and 1425 Lehigh St.

A total of 44 one- and two-bedroom apartments will be offered at the Walnut Street location.

Easton's planning commission has granted conditional final approval to Jacob's Knoll, a 110-unit rental development set to be constructed along the South Side's East Grant Street.

City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a certificate of appropriateness to allow for the development of a 141-room hotel in South Bethlehem’s Historic Conservation District.

Simply put, a yes vote is a vote to let council raise the deed transfer tax. A no vote would keep the city's cap in place.

The Jaindl Land Co. plan calls for turning four parcels — three north of Route 22 and one south — into 190 residential lots and open space.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at The Hamilton at Grand Plaza in Allentown on Wednesday. The eight-floor building has been transformed into condominiums for purchase and apartments for rent on Hamilton Street in the downtown area.

Racecar driver Marco Andretti wants to put in 18 total apartments at his grandparents’ former duplex, a three-story addition to the rear of the home and a neighboring property along West Broad Street.

Some plan modifications proposed by the Historic Conservation Commission included lowering the uppermost cornice by six feet, and a change in the storefront window choice for a better rhythm for passersby along the Third Street corridor.

The stage is set for the transformation of the overgrown former foundry site at 300 Furnace Street into 144 apartments in four buildings.

After years of sitting untouched and vacant, the Salisbury Township mansion that went up in flames hours after its sale in 2021 has a new owner. The compound was donated to the township for $1 and was sold at an auction with a starting bid of $400,000.

The initial plan to rezone a nearly four-acre lot for a six-story, 240-unit building was before Bethlehem City Council more than a year ago. The equitable land owner is back with another plan, this time with some changes.

Easton City Council approved a $1.5 million sale for the former Easton Iron and Metal site to VM Development Group, with the developer planning to build housing and commercial space.

The Hamilton Square development in Lower Macungie will be a 1.628-acre parcel with one 6,850-square-foot building and one 3,150-square-foot building, both dedicated to retail and dining space.