New Construction Tracker: October 2026

This is the New Construction Tracker, a monthly roundup of residential construction activity across the Lehigh Valley, covering Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Nazareth, and surrounding communities in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Each edition reports what is being built, where, expected timelines, and current builder incentives, with a link to the builder or municipal source behind every item, and it flags projects that have wrapped up or stalled. Everything in this edition was verified against the sources linked below as of October 13, 2026.

Building Permits Snapshot

The most current published building-permit data for the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area shows 234 new private housing units authorized in July 2026, including 140 single-unit structures, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED permit series). That is the latest month published and gives a baseline for how much new housing is being permitted region-wide.

Two regional policy items sit behind those numbers. In late August 2026, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission unveiled its two-year Housing Supply and Attainability Strategy to address the region's housing shortfall, which LVPC estimates at more than 9,000 units; the strategy calls for adding more than 51,000 housing units region-wide. LVPC's executive director recently described the next phase as the hard part: actually building, in a Morning Call column published October 9, 2026. See the WFMZ coverage of the strategy unveiling and the Morning Call column for details.

Major Developments Moving Forward

Promenade Park, Upper Saucon Township

The largest new residential plan on the boards is Promenade Park, a roughly 130-acre mixed-use walkable neighborhood proposed by Arcadia Land Company and Realen Properties on the former Stabler Corporate Center site behind the Promenade Saucon Valley shops. The plan calls for about 1,200 residential units, split between roughly 850 apartments, about 200 for-sale townhomes, and 150 senior-living residences, plus office and medical space and a hotel. On April 27, 2026, the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to adopt Ordinance 141-FF, permitting planned residential development in the Enterprise Overlay zoning district, the key step that lets the project move forward. Construction has not yet begun and the plan remains in the entitlement phase; township approval processes and land development plans will set the timeline. WFMZ on the zoning vote and Morning Call on the plan.

Allentown Riverfront Apartments

In Allentown, Urban Residential Properties is pursuing a 16-story, 267-apartment mixed-use building at 249 N. Front Street on the former American Atelier factory site. The project received Lehigh Valley Planning Commission review in May 2025 and Allentown Planning Commission approval in June 2025 and remains in the city's development pipeline. Separately, in March 2026 the Allentown Planning Commission conditionally approved two more mixed-use apartment projects, including a seven-story, 240-plus-unit building near the river, signaling continued city momentum for rental development. WFMZ on the 16-story plan, Morning Call on the approval, and WFMZ on the March 2026 conditional approvals.

Fields at Farmersville, Bethlehem Township

Kay Builders' 108-home Fields at Farmersville development on Farmersville Road in Bethlehem Township received preliminary plan approval from the township in September 2025. The developer is currently marketing other new-construction communities in the region while this plan works through the township process. WFMZ on the preliminary approval and Kay Builders communities.

Homes at Forks, Forks Township

In Forks Township, Northampton County and Habitat for Humanity received final approval in May 2026 for Homes at Forks, a 25-home owner-built attainable-housing neighborhood, one of the county's first for-sale attainable-housing developments of its kind. The county and Northampton County's announcement and lehighvalleylive's coverage outline the timeline as the neighborhood moves toward construction.

Autumn Estates, Bethlehem/Bethlehem Township Border

A 65-home proposal called Autumn Estates, near Route 22 on the Bethlehem and Bethlehem Township border, was under municipal review in May 2026 and had not received final approval as of the sources reviewed for this edition. lehighvalleylive coverage.

Status Check: Stalled and Wrapped-Up Projects

Jaindl Land Company's Farmersville Estates, a proposed 190-home cluster development in Bethlehem Township (revised down from an earlier 206 lots) north of Route 22 between Hecktown and Farmersville Roads, was tabled by the Bethlehem Township Planning Commission on March 23, 2026. The plan remains in the review process with no final approval or construction to date, following the township's 2024 approval of an open-space variance for the project. WFMZ on the tabling.

This is the first edition of the tracker, so there are no previously reported items to close out yet. Future editions will mark projects as wrapped up when the builder or municipality confirms completion. In Allentown, municipal attention this fall is on policy: in mid-September 2026, Allentown City Council's Community and Economic Development Committee took up a proposed city-code amendment adding a workforce-housing chapter intended to spur workforce-affordable development. WFMZ on the Allentown workforce-housing proposal.

Current Builder Incentives (Fall 2026)

Builder incentives are time-limited and change month to month, so treat the figures below as current as of publication and confirm terms, eligibility, and end dates with each community's sales office. These are the promotions builders were advertising this fall.

• Landmark Homes: Fall Flex Cash Savings. Landmark is offering $15,000 in Flex Cash toward a design-gallery credit, closing-cost assistance, or a rate buy-down, valid with an executed agreement of sale on or before October 31, 2026. Landmark incentives page.
• Keystone Custom Homes. At Fallbrooke Farms and Estates at Fallbrooke Farms in Breinigsville, Keystone runs monthly builder and community incentives of up to about $18,000 that can be applied to closing costs, design-studio upgrades, or buying down the interest rate, plus separate Quick Move-In Home incentives. Keystone incentives page.
• K. Hovnanian Homes. Across its Lehigh Valley communities, K. Hovnanian advertises rate buy-downs, builder forward commitments, special fixed interest rates, and flex-cash offerings; the builder notes these offers are limited and may be discontinued without notice. K. Hovnanian Lehigh Valley page.
• Ryan Homes. Ryan Homes is building-for-sale across seven Lehigh Valley communities; an example currently listed is a Roxbury plan with a finished basement at $449,000 with a December 2026 availability. Incentive terms are offered through each community's sales office. Ryan Homes Lehigh Valley page.
• Berks Homes. Berks Homes' current promotions include a Quick Move-In Bonus of up to about $10,000 to $15,000 in savings, a $2,500 Hometown Heroes incentive toward closing costs or a price reduction, and a Homeowner Referral Reward. Berks Homes promotions page.

NewHomeSource keeps a running list of Lehigh Valley communities currently carrying special offers on its hot-deals page, which is worth checking between monthly trackers.

Where New Homes Are Selling Now

A sampling of actively selling new-construction communities across the region, per the builders' and listing sites linked here: Sunny Slope Crossings by K. Hovnanian in Bethlehem, Farmhouse Village in Bethlehem, The Fields at Twin Run in Macungie, Fallbrooke Farms and Estates at Fallbrooke Farms by Keystone Custom Homes in Breinigsville, The Fields at Lafayette Way in Easton (an active-adult community), and Wolf's Run, Tumble Creek Estates, and The Estates at Steeplechase North in Easton. Pricing and availability change as homes sell out, so check each community's page for current base prices and move-in dates. A county-wide overview is on NewHomeSource's Lehigh County page.

Buying New Construction: Three Worthwhile Questions

If you are considering a new build, a few questions tend to pay off before you sign:

• What incentives apply to this specific home and closing date? Builder promotions usually carry end dates, and the offer can differ between a to-be-built home and a finished quick move-in.
• What is the realistic completion timeline? Builders quote an estimated delivery date, but weather, permits, and material schedules move it. Ask what the current built-out neighborhood is actually running.
• What will the finished property really cost? Base price, lot premium, and upgrades add up before closing costs and taxes, so a written breakdown is worth asking for.

Tim's new-construction resources go deeper on buying new construction in the Lehigh Valley, and the site's investor section covers new-construction investing for buyers weighing a build as a rental or flip.

A Note on Sources

Every project and promotion in this tracker links to its primary source: the builder's own incentive or community page, the municipality's approval coverage, or the outlet that reported the decision. Figures like incentive amounts and permit counts are accurate as of October 13, 2026 and can change; the sources are the place to confirm anything before making a decision.

Whether you are weighing a new build against an existing home, wondering what is coming next in your area, or ready to tour new-construction communities this fall, Tim Tepes can help you make sense of the options and current incentives. Call or text (484) 275-0056, email timtepes@gmail.com, or book a free consultation to talk through your next move.