In March of 2020, just months after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down societies around the world, Sharon Rorie’s house burned down.
Rorie had lived in the home for 20 years. The retired nurse and her husband, who worked for the U.S. Department of Education, raised their four children there and had no plans of leaving.
Since the fire, Rorie and her husband have lived in five different rental properties. Their current residence has been infested with rodents for months, she said, and their landlord has not eradicated the pests.
“It’s just been one bad thing after another,” Rorie said. “We have enough income to pay, but we’re caught in that middle where we want to have a nice place to live,
but it’s hard. We’re caught in this spiral where we need a little bit of a break to get back into owning a house again.”
Rorie is not alone. She falls into what the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County calls the “missing middle” — those who make too much to qualify for traditional income-based rental and mortgage assistance programs, but not enough to comfortably purchase a house on the open market.
Members of the nonprofit are working on an initiative to help those who fall into that group.
Habitat is selling seven income-restricted townhomes in a new 34-home Levittown development. Four of the homes are designated for households earning up to 80% of the median family income in Bucks County, and three are allocated to those earning up to 120% of the median income.
Buyers with annual household incomes of up to $195,000 may qualify, depending on household size. Habitat is accepting applications through Aug. 27.
“We’re really excited that we’re opening up the opportunity for folks who just keep getting passed over for this opportunity,” said Stefanie Clark, Habitat’s family program director.
For Northampton Township resident Melissa Marziano — who attended an in-person interest meeting Aug. 11 with her husband, 2-year-old daughter and almost 1-year-old son — being able to purchase the townhome through Habitat’s affordable model will be what “makes or breaks” her ability to become a homeowner in the near future.
In Bucks County, the median home price currently stands at nearly $525,000, according to data from Redfin.
“We’ve always wanted to own a home, but right now, this market is crazy,” Marziano said. “Hopefully by this time next year, if it all works out and if it’s in the cards, we can be in a house.
The income-restricted homes, located in Middletown Township within the Neshaminy School District, are part of a partnership with private North Wales developer W.B. Homes. Middletown Township’s supervisors unanimously approved plans for the Thatcher Square Townhomes at 1492 Woodbourne Road in October 2025.
The three-bedroom townhomes are more than 1,700 square feet and include two-and-a-half bathrooms and a garage.
The assumed market listing price for the townhomes is $525,000, but Habitat is helping to offer more affordable mortgages of between $100,000 and $450,000, Clark said. “Quiet liens” will make the income-restricted townhomes more affordable.
Qualifying applicants must live or work in Bucks County, have a demonstrated financial need, be willing to partner with Habitat on future home-building projects and have a credit score of at least 600.
“We are not a giveaway program. You work really hard to fill out the application, and we’re going to work together to have you get those keys in hand,” Clark said at the interest meeting Aug. 11. “In exchange, you’re going to help participate in the Habitat experience and help us build other homes.”
Since its founding in 1990, Habitat Bucks has built 137 homes and repaired more than 500 others in the county. This time, Habitat partnered with a private developer to build the homes.
The townhomes are spread throughout the new Thatcher Square development in what Clark called a “mixed-income, integrated community.”
“We give so much credit to Middletown Township for putting attainable housing at the forefront,” Clark said.
Middletown Township is the first municipality in Bucks County to adopt an inclusionary zoning ordinance.
The properties are to be sold through a community land trust, meaning homeowners can build equity while agreeing that, when they eventually sell, the home must be sold to another income-qualified buyer. This model is designed to keep the homes affordable long after the first buyers move out.
Habitat-selected residents would then be able to pass down the homes to their children if they choose.
“With our model, we are ensuring there will be affordable, attainable housing forever,” former Habitat CEO Florence Kawoczka said.
Rorie and Marziano were among the more than 15 people who attended the interest meeting Aug. 11, where Habitat discussed the seven available properties.
Rorie said her hope is to be able to buy property that can be her “final home.” She added that her four now-adult children and her eight grandchildren all live in Levittown, and she wants a space big enough to host them all on Christmas and other holidays.
But she knows the demand for these income-restricted properties will likely surpass the supply.
“If it doesn’t happen for me, that means somebody with children or somebody who needed it more will get it,” Rorie said. “Seven families are going to be happy.”
Ben Shapiro is a news intern at the Bucks County Courier Times. Reach him at bshapiro@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Affordability at center of Middletown housing project | Exclusive
