MAY 2026 | THE LATEST ON PLANNING IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA

MCPC Monthly is the Montgomery County Planning Commission’s monthly newsletter, sharing highlights from across the department, including staff and project successes, planning updates, announcements, reminders, and other relevant information.

FEATURE ARTICLES

Farmland Preservation – Year In Review

Last year was huge for the Montgomery County Agricultural Land Preservation Program. The County preserved its 200th farm—the Sitko Tree Farm in Lower Pottsgrove Township. The program has permanently preserved 203 farms and 10,990 acres of agricultural lands. Staff organized the fourth annual “Montgomery County Farmers Gathering” to celebrate and thank the County’s farming community. In 2025, the County reached settlements on 9 farms, preserving 361 acres of farmland. We can’t wait to see what 2026 holds for this important program!

Secretary Carroll Launches 2026 Construction Season in Montgomery County

On April 29, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Transportation, Michael Carroll, joined Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello to officially launch the 2026 roadway construction season for PennDOT District 6, covering Southeastern Pennsylvania. The event took place in Upper Providence Township at the Providence Town Center, overlooking US Route 422, which will be resurfaced as part of a $6 million investment to provide safe, smooth infrastructure for motorists.

Other major road construction projects ongoing in Montgomery County for 2026 include US Route 422 construction on Section M1B in Lower Pottsgrove, US Route 202 construction on Section 61N in Whitpain, Section 61S in East Norriton, sinkhole remediation in Upper Merion, and the County’s Ridge Pike Improvement Project Section B in Plymouth.

Welcome to the Speaker’s House!

After years of renovations—and just in time for the 250th anniversary of our nation—the County celebrated the dedication of the Speaker’s House in Trappe. Purchased in 1781, its then-owner Frederick Muhlenberg worked his way up from the Continental Congress to the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds, to the state constitutional convention, and to the first speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The public was welcomed inside the 18th-century historic home for the first time ever just a couple of weekends back.  

Rescuing the house from demolition, fundraising to restore it, and doing the renovation work has taken some 25 years. MCPC is pleased to have played a small role in the achievement of this project by providing two rounds of funding from the Montco 2040 Implementation Grant Program. Congratulations to Historic Trappe and the borough on this milestone event.

SEPTA Kicks Off New Bus Network Public Information Tour

It’s been a long process, including several years of input, refinement, and discussions, but SEPTA is finally moving ahead with the implementation of its New Bus Network service plan (formerly known as Bus Revolution). As part of its Fiscal Year 2027 annual service plan update, SEPTA will enact the first three phases of its network redesign, which will include a new Route 72 service along Cheltenham Avenue connecting to the Frankford Transit Center in Phase 1 (August 2026) and significant changes to services in the Norristown area in Phase 3 (June 2027).

MCPC Transportation Section visited SEPTA’s pop-up events in March and April at the Norristown Transit Center to support our partners in SEPTA’s Planning department and to listen to SEPTA employees and riders give feedback on the proposed changes. MCPC will continue to support SEPTA through the agency’s budget processes in May and June.

Get Out and Go Montco: The 2026 Trail Challenge Is Underway

Registration is now open for the 11th annual Montco Trail Challenge, running from April 25 through December 7, 2026. This popular Countywide program invites residents of all ages—and even their dogs—to explore Montgomery County’s growing network of trails and historic sites.

Participants can visit any of 18 participating trails and 4 historic sites, look for trail challenge markers, and record their visits on an official challenge card. Best of all, you don’t need to complete an entire trail to earn credit—just show up, explore, and enjoy. In past years, participants reported discovering new parks, learning more about their community, and improving both physical and mental health.

The trail challenge kicks off with a celebration on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Pennypacker Mills (rain date: May 3). Registration for the kickoff event is open through May 1.

The Montco Trail Challenge is a collaborative effort between the Montgomery County Office of Public Health; Planning Commission; Parks, Trails, and Historic Sites, and the County Commissioners. We hope to see you out on the trails!

FOCUS ON MONTCO 2050: What’s A Future Land Use Map?

The County’s Future Land Use Map, in the process of being edited for Montco 2050, helps MCPC staff and others envision what the future landscape of the County might look like in another 25 years. A lot of places will look very similar. Neighborhoods of suburban homes will likely have a similar character in the future. Other areas will likely look very different. Will the land around transit centers become more densely developed with homes and offices? How much of the County will remain rural? What types of land uses are appropriate in the downtowns and village centers of the County, and are there other uses that are more appropriate for commercial corridors or business centers? We’ll be wrapping up our edits to these maps soon and will be excited to share them with the public.

FOCUS ON HOUSING: 2025 Housing Price Report

Housing sale prices continued to go up in 2025. The Countywide median sale price rose to $485,000, a 6.3 percent increase from the year before. Single-family detached homes had a median sale price of $569,000. Attached homes, or townhomes, had a median sale price of $405,000. The median sale price for a multifamily unit (or apartment) rose more than 12% to $292,000. The supply of homes for sale continued to fall and the total number of home sales in 2025 declined as well. This year’s report also details rental costs and the number of cost-burdened households in the County (those paying 30 percent or more of their household income toward housing costs). The median gross rent in Montgomery County, calculated from the 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey, is about $1,683.

UPCOMING COURSE

^{Participants at The Course in Community Planning, Lansdale}

The Course in Subdivision and Land Development Review 

May 14, 21, & 28 | 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM | Cost: $125*
Lansdale Borough Hall
1 Vine Street, Lansdale, PA 19446 

The Course in Subdivision and Land Development Review is essential for planning commissioners and elected officials. This three-session course reviews the subdivision and land development process from pre-application meetings through project completion. It focuses on the principles of subdivision and land development, the requirements of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), effective plan management procedures, and design and technical standards for subdivisions and land development. The course is limited to 25 participants, and preregistration is required. Professional credits offered through PMPEI. 

 *Officials and staff from municipalities with a current planning assistance contract with MCPC are eligible for a discounted rate of $100

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

Applications Accepted on a Rolling Basis | Solar for Schools (S4S)
Helps fund solar installations (and other associated costs) for school districts, intermediate units, and other educational entities. More information

May 14, 2026 | Schuylkill Highlands Mini-Grant Program
Provides up to $15,000 in funding for projects within the Schuylkill Highlands geography. Eligible applicants include government agencies and nonprofit organizations working to advance the goals of the Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape. More information

May 22, 2026 | (Act 101, Section 902) Recycling Program Development and Implementation Grant
Open to municipalities and counties to develop and implement recycling programs. Programs must follow the rules of Act 101. More information

May 31, 2026 | PA DCED Act 13 Programs
Accepting applications for the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s (CFA) Act 13 Marcellus Legacy Fund programs through May 31, 2026. Seven separate programs funded include: abandoned mine drainage abatement; abandoned well plugging; sewage treatment; greenways, trails, and recreation; baseline water quality data; watershed restoration; and flood control. More information.

July 31, 2026 | PA CFA Multimodal Transportation Fund
Provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure a safe and reliable transportation system. Open to municipalities and economic development organizations, requests must have a total eligible cost of $100,000 or more with request exceeding $3,000,000 for any project. More information

August 21, 2026 | PennDOT National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding Round One
Available funds for contractors installing publicly available community chargers for the planning, design, and construction of charging stations. More information

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

First Open House for Cheltenham Avenue TCDI Project

STEM‑AG Expo Brings Science and Agriculture Together for Student Learning

The STEM-AG Expo is uniquely designed to showcase two major areas—STEM and agriculture—as distinct yet complementary fields, giving students the opportunity to explore each one in depth. Through this structure, students can better understand each field’s unique contributions to innovation, sustainability, and the future workforce. The Expo aims to spark student curiosity through hands-on, inquiry-based experiments; interactive demonstrations; and meaningful conversations.  More than 500 students from over 15 schools will be attending. 

Transportation Authority in the Spotlight in Hershey

MCPC Transportation Planning Manager and Montgomery County Transportation Authority (MCTA) Executive Director Matt Popek traveled to the International Right-of-Way Association (IRWA)’s Region 4 Spring Forum on April 30. Matt joined Matthew Edmond, current Chester County Planning Commission Executive Director and former MCTA Executive Director, in giving a morning keynote presentation to appraisal and right-of-way professionals from around the region on the processes of transportation project delivery from idea to ribbon-cutting. The MCTA has helped facilitate nearly $35 million in right-of-way appraisals and acquisitions for County infrastructure projects, including Lafayette Street, Ridge Pike, and dozens of County-owned bridges, since its creation in 2011.

STAFF UPDATES

MCPC Participates in "Take Your Child to Work Day"

MCPC was excited to welcome two very special "Junior County Planners" for the annual Take Your Child to Work Day!

Our little planners got a hands‑on introduction to the world of planning by learning about different land‑use types, designing their own city and park, and exploring why farmland preservation matters to Montgomery County’s future.

They also had the chance to dive into maps and see how planners use them every day to understand and shape our communities.

A special thank‑you to Austin Mosby for organizing such engaging activities and to Ellen Miramontes for leading the interactive map activity that helped bring planning to life for our youngest visitors.

MCPC Planners Take The National Stage...Again!

As part of the 2026 American Planning Association National Conference in Detroit, Michigan, Deputy Director Pattie Guttenplan and Transportation Planning Manager Matthew Popek once again joined a troupe of planning professionals from around the country to present Shakespearean-style tales of recent planning ethics cases for AICP credit certification.

A case on abuse of power, featuring characters from Julius Caesar, was presented alongside “Much Ado About Zoning.” Pattie and Matt were joined by several members of the American Planning Association’s national ethics committee, including AICP ethics officer Ralph Willmer, to present this year’s cases. This presentation follows several successful acting performances at state conferences and the 2023 national conference in Philadelphia.

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