By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
Delaware County voters will see a referendum question on the November 3 ballot. It asks whether the county may take on up to $120 million in new debt to fund land conservation and environmental projects.
The council resolution lists what the money would cover: protecting drinking water sources, water quality in rivers and creeks, wildlife habitat, trees and wetlands, greenways and parks, and shielding natural areas from development. The measure needs more than 50% approval to pass.
What the Money Would Actually Fund
The bond would not be spent entirely by the county itself. Councilwoman Christine Reuther noted that the funding would let the county support projects started by municipalities, municipal authorities, and other groups working on environmental issues locally.
That structure matters. It means a borough or township with a specific parcel in mind could tap county dollars rather than carrying the whole cost alone. In practice, county open space bonds tend to fund a mix of outright land purchases, conservation easements on private property, park improvements, and stream and stormwater work.
What it does not do is dictate specific projects up front. Voters are approving the borrowing authority, not a project list.
What It Costs the Average Household
The council put the cost at roughly $24 per year for the average assessed household. Two dollars a month.
Set that against what homes actually cost here. The typical home value in Delaware County is $369,653, up 2.3% over the past year, according to Zillow data through May 31, 2026. The median sale price was $302,250 in April 2026. Homes were going to pending in about seven days, with 1,197 properties for sale countywide at the end of May.
So $24 a year is a small line item against a $300,000-plus asset. Whether it is worth it depends on what you think the county does with the money, which is exactly the debate.
What Open Space Does to the Delaware County Real Estate Market
This is the part that gets oversimplified in both directions. Preserved open space near a home is generally viewed favorably by buyers, particularly protected land with trail or park access. Appraisers and buyers alike tend to treat a permanent green edge as a feature rather than a risk, because it removes the possibility of a surprise development next door.
The counterweight is supply. Delaware County already has a tight market at seven days to pending. Land taken permanently out of development is land that will not become housing. In a county where inventory is thin, that trade is real and reasonable people land differently on it.
Both things can be true. A specific home next to a preserved parcel may benefit while countywide supply gets slightly tighter.
Scale matters too. At $120 million spread across a county this size, and with municipalities competing for the same pool, no single neighborhood is likely to see a dramatic shift. This is not a measure that reshapes the Delaware County real estate market. It is a measure that funds a steady stream of individual projects over a decade or more, and the effect on any given street depends entirely on whether a project lands near it.
What This Means for You
If you own in Delaware County, the question in front of you is not complicated. Roughly $24 a year, indefinitely, in exchange for conservation spending the county has broad discretion over. If you have a specific creek, park, or parcel near you that you would like protected, contact your municipality and ask whether they have a project in mind that this bond could fund. That is the level where these dollars actually get directed.
If you are buying a home in Delaware County this fall, ask about pending open space plans near any property you are serious about. It affects what can be built next to you later. Buyers looking at the western side of the county can start with our Radnor page to see how the Delaware County real estate market compares town to town.
Thinking about buying or selling in Delaware County? Let’s talk.
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