When the Housing Crisis Comes to Town Hall

In this APMM series episode, Nancy Hess speaks with John Ernst, Borough Manager of Lansdale, and Sandra Zadell, Township Manager of Upper Gwynedd, about what the housing crisis looks like from the municipal manager’s desk.

The conversation begins with an encampment near the border of their two municipalities and moves into workforce housing, shelter, zoning, public opposition, state legislation, and the limits of what local government can do alone. John and Sandra offer a candid look at how housing pressure shows up in parks, public meetings, police calls, comprehensive plans, and the lives of people trying to stay housed.

Guests

John Ernst

Borough Manager, Lansdale Borough, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Sandra Brookley Zadell

Township Manager, Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

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APMM

An advocate for municipal management and professional assistance in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The Association for Pennsylvania Municipal Management (APMM) is an organization of professional township, borough, city, home-rule and county managers, administrators and COG directors. APMM is dedicated to the promotion of professional and effective local government management of Pennsylvania.

Quotes

“It might be more affordable — but affordable to who?” - John Ernst

“As a municipal manager, I would never advocate for any state legislation that takes away local control... I strongly believe that towns should be able to govern. That's what our Commonwealth was founded upon." - Sandra Zadell

“These are the small things that make a culture. This is what makes a community. It’s a way to show up for humanity, not a political leaning. That is just a human desire.” - Nancy Hess

Mentioned in the Episode:

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond

Recommended by Sandra. The book won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and examines eviction as both a consequence and a cause of poverty.

Upper Gwynedd Planning Commission presentation

Background resource on the township’s planning work and the Pennbrook Parkway affordable housing development.

Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHCP)

The federal tax credit program discussed by Sandra in connection with the Walters Group workforce housing development.

Walters Group

The New Jersey-based developer working with Upper Gwynedd on the proposed workforce housing development.

Nomadland

The film Nancy was trying to recall during the conversation. It is a narrative feature film starring Frances McDormand, not a documentary. It won Best Picture at the 2021 Academy Awards and was inspired by Jessica Bruder’s nonfiction book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century.

Kayleigh Silver, LSW

Administrator for Montgomery County’s Office of Housing and Community Development. Nancy spoke with Kayleigh as part of her background preparation for this episode.

Pennsylvania zoning and permitting context

The episode refers to recent reporting on how zoning, permitting, local regulation, and construction costs affect homebuilding in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania House Bill 2186: Accessory Dwelling Units

HB 2186 passed the Pennsylvania House on June 1, 2026, by a vote of 139–62. As of July 10, 2026, it had been referred to the Senate Urban Affairs & Housing Committee. The bill would require municipalities to allow accessory dwelling units by right in areas where single-family detached homes are permitted, while allowing some local standards related to safety and neighborhood compatibility.

New Jersey affordable housing model

Sandra references the New Jersey framework shaped by the Mount Laurel doctrine and the Fair Housing Act, which creates municipal fair-share obligations for affordable housing. The guests compare that approach with Pennsylvania’s stronger tradition of local control.