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NMHC, NAA Applaud Bipartisan Bill to Curb Restrictive Zoning and Development Regs
U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Todd Young (R-IN) have introduced the Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply Act, legislation intended to encourage local communities to reduce burdensome zoning and development regulations. The National Multifamily Housing Council and the National Apartment Association have endorsed the measure.
The legislation would require recipients of federal Community Development Block Grants to report on whether they have already adopted less restrictive land use policies and/or to submit a plan for implementing these policies and how adopting them would benefit the jurisdiction. Schatz and Young pointed out that it isn’t intended to encroach on the rights of states and localities to set zoning policies.
“In order to reverse anti-housing policies, we need to know where they are in place and how they hurt communities,” said Schatz. “Our bill will provide HUD and the public with more transparency on policies that are stopping much-needed housing from being built.” In the House of Representatives, Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) and Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) have signed on as sponsors.
Among the policies encouraged by the bill are enacting high-density single-family and multifamily zoning, allowing manufactured homes in areas zoned primarily for single-family residential homes, reducing minimum lot size and allowing single-room occupancy development wherever multifamily is allowed.
In a joint statement, NMHC and NAA said the bill would “bring attention to barriers on housing development and help address the nation’s housing affordability crisis if signed into law … This critical legislation will encourage localities to address outdated and burdensome zoning, permitting and building regulations.”
- ◦Development
- ◦Policy/Gov't
