Lehigh Valley Real Estate

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh gave million-dollar grants to two organizations working to rebuild affordable housing in Allentown.

PBS39 broadcast a special, hourlong community forum on "housing gridlock," in which record-high prices, a 9,000-unit deficit and high interest rates have frozen the market for the workforce and first-time buyers.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, secured almost $3.7 million in federal funding to support the first phase of a project to redevelop the former Iron Works site in Catasauqua.

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.