By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
Media Borough Council adopted Media 2035, a comprehensive plan that will guide land use, housing, economic development, traffic, and environmental decisions for years. The 166-page plan was built on feedback from roughly 500 residents in a borough of about 5,900 people.
Comprehensive plans sound like paperwork. They are not. They are the document that tells you what your town is going to allow people to build, and that shapes what your property is worth.
What Media 2035 Actually Says
The plan is built on four guiding ideas. Preserve the character of Media. Expand the range of housing options. Protect the environment. Become a more connected, less car-dependent borough.
The housing recommendations are the ones with teeth. The plan calls for deepening partnerships with affordable housing agencies, updating the borough’s zoning code to encourage housing development in key areas, and promoting nontraditional housing options like in-law suites.
The most interesting piece is the office conversion angle. Officials pointed out that many of Media’s vacant offices are already located inside former residential buildings, which makes converting them back into housing far easier than starting from scratch. That is a rare situation and it is a genuine opportunity.
Why More Housing Types Matter in Delaware County
Look at the numbers and the pressure becomes obvious.
The median sale price in Media was $469,719 in May 2026, up 2.1 percent from a year earlier, according to Redfin. Across all of Delaware County, the median was $366,900 over the same period, down 2.2 percent. That is roughly a $100,000 premium to buy inside Media compared to the county at large, and the county number is flat while Media is still climbing.
That gap is what happens when a small, walkable borough runs out of room. Demand keeps arriving. Supply does not. Prices do the rest of the work.
Adding in-law suites, converting offices, and rewriting zoning to allow more homes in the right places is how a town like Media absorbs demand without bulldozing what makes it Media. Whether the borough follows through is a different question. Plans are easy. Zoning code rewrites are hard.
What Owners and Buyers Should Watch Next
The plan itself does not change any rules. A comprehensive plan is a statement of intent. The zoning code is the law. The real event is the zoning rewrite that the plan recommends, and that process takes years and gets fought over line by line.
If you own property in Media, watch it closely. Rules about what you can build on your lot are rules about what your lot is worth. Permission to add an in-law suite or a second unit can change the value of a property overnight without a single nail being hammered.
If you are buying in the Delaware County real estate market, understand that Media is going to stay expensive relative to the county for a long time. Nothing in this plan changes that in the next twelve months.
What This Means for You
Sellers in Media are sitting on a scarce asset, and scarcity is why Media prices climbed while the rest of Delaware County went flat. That is a strong position. It is not a reason to overprice, because buyers still walk away from bad numbers, but it is a reason to be confident.
Buyers should understand what they are paying for. That premium buys walkability, a real downtown, and a borough that is actively planning for the next decade instead of ignoring it. If the premium is out of reach, look at the surrounding townships where you get the same access at a different price.
Either way, pay attention to the zoning rewrite. It is the single thing most likely to change the math in Media over the next five years.
Thinking about buying or selling in Media? Let’s talk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Media 2035 plan?
Media 2035 is the comprehensive plan adopted by Media Borough Council to guide land use, housing, economic development, traffic, and environmental decisions. It is a 166-page document built on feedback from around 500 residents.
Will Media 2035 allow more housing to be built?
The plan recommends it. It calls for updating the zoning code to encourage housing in key areas, promoting options like in-law suites, and converting underused office space into homes. Those recommendations still have to become actual zoning changes before anything gets built.
Does a comprehensive plan change zoning right away?
No. A comprehensive plan states the borough’s goals. Zoning is the enforceable law, and changing it is a separate process that takes time and public hearings.
How do I read the Media 2035 plan?
The full plan is posted on the Media Borough website in the document center. The Philadelphia Inquirer also covered the adoption.
Join The Discussion