The Biden Administration is considering how to spur more affordable housing construction with strategies to influence reform of local housing regulations.
The administration recently sent its Economic Report of the President to Congress with a whole chapter entitled Increasing the Supply of Affordable Housing. In that report, the White House suggested actions the federal government could take to encourage communities to change to local land-use and zoning regulations.
The report states that “limiting housing density and building heights or imposing minimum lot sizes or parking requirements—can create artificial barriers that hinder growth and drive up the cost of housing.” To overcome these barriers, “public funds could be tied to zoning reforms and used to reduce financing constraints for affordable housing developments, and workforce training could increase the supply of labor used to construct housing.”
Possible remedies for housing shortages, according to the report, include legalizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and eliminating minimum parking requirements, minimum lot sizes, minimum square feet requirements, and density restrictions.
Related Stories
MFPRO+ News | Aug 14, 2024
Report outlines how Atlanta can collaborate with private sector to spur more housing construction
A report by an Urban Land Institute’s Advisory Services panel, commissioned by the city’s housing authority, Atlanta Housing (AH), offered ways the city could collaborate with developers to spur more housing construction.
Modular Building | Aug 13, 2024
Strategies for attainable housing design with modular construction
Urban, market-rate housing that lower-income workers can actually afford is one of our country’s biggest needs. For multifamily designers, this challenge presents several opportunities for creating housing that workers can afford on their salaries.
MFPRO+ Research | Aug 9, 2024
Apartment completions to surpass 500,000 for first time ever
While the U.S. continues to maintain a steady pace of delivering new apartments, this year will be one for the record books.
Affordable Housing | Aug 7, 2024
The future of affordable housing may be modular, AI-driven, and made of mushrooms
Demolished in 1989, The Phoenix Ironworks Steel Factory left a five-acre hole in West Oakland, Calif. After sitting vacant for nearly three decades, the site will soon become utilized again in the form of 316 affordable housing units.
MFPRO+ News | Aug 1, 2024
Canada tries massive incentive program to spur new multifamily housing construction
Canada has taken the unprecedented step of offering billions in infrastructure funds to communities in return for eliminating single-family housing zoning.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Jul 31, 2024
Shipping containers converted into attractive, affordable multifamily housing in L.A.
In the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles, a new affordable multifamily housing project using shipping containers resulted in 24 micro-units for formerly unhoused residents. The containers were acquired from a nearby port and converted into housing units at a factory.
MFPRO+ News | Jul 24, 2024
Most popular cities for renters mid-2024
Rental activity in the U.S. continues to grow halfway through 2024. With the work-from-home boom stabilizing, more renters are eying desirable cities to relocate to.
MFPRO+ News | Jul 22, 2024
6 multifamily WAFX 2024 Prize winners
Over 30 projects tackling global challenges such as climate change, public health, and social inequality have been named winners of the World Architecture Festival’s WAFX Awards.
MFPRO+ News | Jul 15, 2024
More permits for ADUs than single-family homes issued in San Diego
Popularity of granny flats growing in California
Vertical Transportation | Jul 12, 2024
Elevator regulations responsible for some of ballooning multifamily costs
Codes and regulations for elevators in the United States are a key factor in inflating costs of multifamily development, argues a guest columnist in the New York Times.
