What can be done about the Lehigh Valley's housing shortage?

It’s no secret that the housing market in the Lehigh Valley has been favoring the seller for a long time. Just how long was put into context by the CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors on Wednesday.

There’s also no end in sight, though many people are trying to even things out.

“The Lehigh Valley is a party that everyone wants to be a part of, and it’s going to be a continued game of intense musical chairs,” the GLVR’s Justin Porembo said at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s annual Lehigh Valley Real Estate Outlook at the Delta Hotel by Marriott in Upper Macungie Township.

Becky Bradley, executive director, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission speaks during...

Becky Bradley, executive director, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission speaks during the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Tony Iannelli, president and CEO of Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, speaks during the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

A tear sheet from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s 2025 Annual Report at the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Ariana Fazil of Collaboration3 attends the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Dynegy give-away keychains at the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

The 2025 Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Annual Report rests on a chair at the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Investors and real estate professionals attend the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Don Cunningham, president and CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., speaks during the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Bill Erdman of Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc., attends the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Arif Fazil and Mike Metzger, owners of Collaboration3 and recipients of the Real Estate Award, attend the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. attends the Lehigh Valley Real Estate Development Outlook on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Delta by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley in Upper Macungie Township. Hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together industry leaders, investors and real estate professionals for panel discussions, market trend analysis and networking opportunities. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)

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The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has said there is a shortage of more than 9,000 housing units in the region and it will continue to grow as more people and companies such as pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. move in.

Porembo presented the latest Valley real estate statistics, but what stuck out was the housing inventory, which stood at 1.1 months in March, a number that has held steady in recent years.

Housing inventory is a metric used by Realtors to differentiate between a buyers’ or sellers’ market. Six months worth of inventory is considered to be a healthy balance, while anything less than that is considered to be in the sellers’ advantage with high competition and faster sales.

The last time the Valley had that was more than a decade ago.

“We have not had six months of inventory in our metropolitan area in about 10 years,” Porembo said. “We’re hovering at the one month mark. We need shovels in the ground.”

Porembo said homes are currently “flying off the shelf,” averaging 20-27 days on the market across all price points. The median price at the end of 2025 was about $350,000.

Becky Bradley, executive director of the LVPC, said the commission has reviewed housing proposals with 830 units so far in 2026, including 659 apartments, 73 condominiums and 43 single-family homes.

For all of 2025, the number was just below 6,000.

“That matches the accelerated pace that picked up after the pandemic,” Bradley said, “and underscores the pressing demand for housing in the region.”

Bradley said the LVPC is getting ready to release a comprehensive supply and attainability strategy to help close the 9,000-unit gap.

“Growth pressures won’t be concentrated in just one area or one type of community,” she said. “Instead, we’ll need to continue to plan for housing across an interconnected set of Lehigh Valley communities.”

Both Porembo and Bradley were concerned about affordability as the median age of the first-time homebuyer has been on the rise across the country.

“We are at the highest first-time homebuyer age in American history — 40 years of age,” Porembo said. “Think about how urgent this is to secure people and get those first-time homes.”

While newcomers are coming in, the competitive market may be discouraging for young people who grew up in the Lehigh Valley.

“We can’t accept a situation where people have grown up in a community and they can’t afford to stay in that community,” Bradley said.

The speakers all agreed that the solution isn’t just to simply build more houses. Bradley emphasized streamlining zoning ordinances across the Valley’s 62 municipalities and building more multifamily buildings while backfilling urban properties to help preserve farmland.

Bradley said the LVPC will soon have a portal on its website to allow developers to track reviews in real-time, reducing the time from proposal to occupancy by eliminating administrative delays.

In a taping of “Business Matters Live!” later in the program, developers shared their thoughts on what can be done.

Zach Jaindl of Jaindl Enterprises, which is building The Waterfront complex in Allentown, said it’s important to cultivate public-private partnerships for projects.

“Without the city and the public sector and the private sector in direct lockstep and hand in hand, it’s very difficult to create that sense of place that everyone’s looking for today,” he said.

Kevin Serfass of Serfass Construction is developing the Lynden in Easton, a condominium complex in the downtown area. He said it’s important to think outside the box. He noted the Lynden is the first large-scale condo project in the Lehigh Valley in over a quarter century.

He said it may be a “big risk” but thinks it’s the right time for this type of housing

“I think we’re in the golden age of the Lehigh Valley. We’re seeing growth everywhere in every sector of the market,” Serfass said.

Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.

What can be done about the Lehigh Valley’s housing shortage?

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