Success of New Federal Housing Law Rests on States and Localities

3 hours ago

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is the first comprehensive federal law in decades to increase homebuilding, containing over 50 provisions to boost housing production through streamlined federal rules, new funding, and incentives.
State and local pro-supply reforms, such as those in Austin, Texas, have already succeeded: easing zoning for ADUs and apartments led to 120,000 new homes and a median rent drop from $1,546 to $1,296 between 2021 and 2026.
The law scales local lessons nationwide and ties federal dollars to future reforms, including grant programs for new construction and home repairs, but requires Congress to appropriate funds and agencies to issue regulations.
States, localities, and tribes should prioritize modernizing zoning, permitting, and building codes; certifying parity for manufactured homes; and positioning to win federal grants by implementing results-based reforms.
Key grant programs include: Carrots and sticks for new homes in expensive areas (Section 213), funding for regulatory reform (Section 208), preapproved plans (Section 209), single-stair apartment guidelines (Section 102), and grants for housing in Opportunity Zones (Section 201).
Grant programs for home repairs support lower-income Americans, including home repair grants (Section 202) and support for manufactured homes (Section 304).
New obligations for states: certify parity for manufactured housing (Section 301) and create a database of publicly owned land (Section 104) to qualify for federal benefits.
New flexibilities include streamlining environmental review (Sections 205, 206, 501), expanding the Rental Assistance Demonstration program (Section 212), reforming the HOME program (Section 501), and allowing CDBG funds for new affordable housing construction (Section 204).
Improved financing tools: raising FHA loan limits for manufactured housing and ADUs (Section 303), removing barriers to modular housing (Section 302), and enabling bank financing for affordable housing (Section 203).
Technical assistance programs, such as housing supply frameworks (Section 107), compile best practices in land use reform to help states and localities adopt proven policies.
The law signals that jurisdictions modernizing zoning, building codes, and permitting will benefit most from new flexibility and funding; state and local officials should act now despite pending federal implementation steps.

Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100ka month ago

The U.S. government owns and lists thousands of homes due to foreclosures on federally-backed mortgages, with 2,074 currently available.
Affordable options exist, including 334 homes under $100,000 across 38 states, 77 under $50,000, and 15 under $25,000, with concentrations in the Rust Belt and rural South.
An example is a Flint, Michigan house listed for $3,000, sold as-is and requiring significant repairs, illustrating the low end of the market.

Profiling the "Abundance" housing bottleneck with real data23 days ago

The article discusses 'chosen scarcity' or 'unaddressed technical debt' as a key barrier to societal progress, using housing as a primary example.
Data shows Austin, which streamlined regulations, permits 8 times more housing per capita than San Francisco, illustrating the impact of reducing 'valves' or bottlenecks.
Vienna's housing market contrasts with London's; despite similar building rates, Vienna's rents are much lower due to a large public/nonprofit housing sector, not just regulatory efficiency.

Reading List 06/20/268 days ago

The US House and Senate reached a deal on the combined ROAD to Housing Act, eliminating burdensome build-to-rent provisions.
Housing developments with grocery anchors like Costco or Safeway may face less NIMBY opposition due to trusted retailer co-sponsorship.
The Squamish Nation in Canada built the massive Senakw housing project on restored land, free from Vancouver's restrictive planning rules, expected to generate C$10 billion.

Modernizing Property Tax Assessments in Allegheny County23 days ago

Allegheny County has not conducted regular property reassessments since the 1970s, leading to inequities and reduced transparency in the tax system.
The report proposes using modern, open-source assessment methods with publicly available data to achieve fair and affordable countywide reassessments.
Findings include that automated valuation methods can bring assessments closer to market value, with the largest increases likely in rapidly appreciating neighborhoods like Pittsburgh.

Reading List 06/27/268 days ago

Trump refuses to sign the ROAD to Housing Act until the SAVE America Act passes, despite bipartisan support.
NIST report attributes the 2021 Surfside condo collapse to design and construction errors that reduced safety margins.
Major U.S. homebuilders like D.R. Horton and Lennar see rising construction defect costs and self-insurance reserves.

Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100ka month ago

The U.S. government owns and lists thousands of homes due to foreclosures on federally-backed mortgages, with 2,074 currently available.
Affordable options exist, including 334 homes under $100,000 across 38 states, 77 under $50,000, and 15 under $25,000, with concentrations in the Rust Belt and rural South.
An example is a Flint, Michigan house listed for $3,000, sold as-is and requiring significant repairs, illustrating the low end of the market.

Profiling the "Abundance" housing bottleneck with real data23 days ago

The article discusses 'chosen scarcity' or 'unaddressed technical debt' as a key barrier to societal progress, using housing as a primary example.
Data shows Austin, which streamlined regulations, permits 8 times more housing per capita than San Francisco, illustrating the impact of reducing 'valves' or bottlenecks.
Vienna's housing market contrasts with London's; despite similar building rates, Vienna's rents are much lower due to a large public/nonprofit housing sector, not just regulatory efficiency.

Reading List 06/20/268 days ago

The US House and Senate reached a deal on the combined ROAD to Housing Act, eliminating burdensome build-to-rent provisions.
Housing developments with grocery anchors like Costco or Safeway may face less NIMBY opposition due to trusted retailer co-sponsorship.
The Squamish Nation in Canada built the massive Senakw housing project on restored land, free from Vancouver's restrictive planning rules, expected to generate C$10 billion.

Modernizing Property Tax Assessments in Allegheny County23 days ago

Allegheny County has not conducted regular property reassessments since the 1970s, leading to inequities and reduced transparency in the tax system.
The report proposes using modern, open-source assessment methods with publicly available data to achieve fair and affordable countywide reassessments.
Findings include that automated valuation methods can bring assessments closer to market value, with the largest increases likely in rapidly appreciating neighborhoods like Pittsburgh.

Reading List 06/27/268 days ago

Trump refuses to sign the ROAD to Housing Act until the SAVE America Act passes, despite bipartisan support.
NIST report attributes the 2021 Surfside condo collapse to design and construction errors that reduced safety margins.
Major U.S. homebuilders like D.R. Horton and Lennar see rising construction defect costs and self-insurance reserves.

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Success of New Federal Housing Law Rests on States and Localities

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