Montgomery County real estate had a 2021 boom, with more than two million square feet of development added to the books. The stats for the residential side were not as healthy; however, the general response to the data, especially in a still-COVID-affected market, is optimistic. Natalie Kostelni plotted the details in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

“This was a banner year,” said Daniel Farina, Jr., senior county planner. “The only other year similarly high was 2016. If you go back further, it was in the ‘90s when the county was building big office parks and beyond the bedroom communities.”

In 2021, developers were particularly bullish on office construction, Farina noted. Its 863,932 square feet of new space — thanks to projects including Conshohocken’s Seven Tower Bridge and Oaks’ SEI office expansion — was the most seen in years.

And although office space is still in hybrid-onsite employee limbo, manufacturing sites are still a stronghold. “Industrial is on fire,” Farina characterized. Their benefit is seen in Souderton, Lansdale, and Hatfield, where transportation routes are plentiful.

Commercial was also robust, particularly in the expected county geographies of King of Prussia, Plymouth Meeting, and Bala Cynwyd.

Residential was the only lagger, down about 35 percent from 2020. The decline has been a countywide trend for a handful of quarters, Farina noted.

More on the status of Montgomery County real estate is at the Philadelphia Business Journal.