NAHMA Update: White House Issues Report on Local Barriers to Housing Development

September 30, 2016

The White House recently published the following toolkit which discusses the local barriers to housing development in great length and how these barriers impact are exacerbating the housing affordability crisis, particularly in regions with high job growth and few rental vacancies.

Titled the 2016 Housing Development Toolkit, this report sheds light on the zoning policies which create roadblocks for housing development for low-income Americans. However, the toolkit also highlights actions that states and local jurisdictions have taken to promote affordable, high-opportunity housing markets. These actions include:
  • Establishing by-right development;
  • Taxing vacant land or donate it to non-profit developers;
  • Streamlining or shortening permitting processes and timelines;
  • Eliminate off-street parking requirements;
  • Allowing accessory dwelling units;
  • Establishing density bonuses;
  • Enacting high-density and multifamily zoning;
  • Employing inclusionary zoning;
  • Establishing development tax or value capture incentives; and
  • Using property tax abatements
The toolkit promotes these potential starting points for local efforts to modernize housing planning and development. While not exhaustive, the toolkit examines how changes at the local level can produce positive outcomes.
  
The toolkit may also be found here