Apply Online
Schedule a Call

Housing Policy

Local fees trap state housing affordability reforms in a vicious circle

Affordable housing, Housing Policy, Policy, The Builder's Daily, Zoning /

Procedural and zoning barriers are proving to be only the beginning of the gauntlet for adding new ground-up residential supply to America’s housing-starved communities. While removing red tape and outdated zoning laws might formalize more homes on paper, local fee structures still decide whether those homes are actually built. California is a poster child for […]

Local fees trap state housing affordability reforms in a vicious circle Read More »

Compromise Indiana housing reform law trims local zoning power

Affordable housing, Housing Policy, Policy, Residential Real Estate, The Builder's Daily, Zoning /

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun swiftly signed into law comprehensive state housing reforms after lawmakers spent weeks debating how much the state could and should override local zoning rules and design standards. The law adopts a softer approach to neutralizing local zoning authority after mayors, county commissioners and municipal planners complained that the initial bill overreached

Compromise Indiana housing reform law trims local zoning power Read More »

New York’s housing crisis won’t be solved by one mega-project

Affordable housing, Housing Policy, Policy, Residential Real Estate, The Builder's Daily /

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s attempt to revive an old plan to build 12,000 affordable units over a borough railyard is seen as a long shot, even if he gains support from President Trump. Mamdani has garnered headline attention for proposing to build units on a platform above Sunnyside Yard, a 180-acre freight and

New York’s housing crisis won’t be solved by one mega-project Read More »

Housing leaders say Trump’s plan must go deeper than lower mortgage rates

Affordability, Congress, Donald Trump, Housing Market, Housing Policy, HWmember, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Politics, Trump administration /

President Donald Trump highlighted taxes, inflation and trade in his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, but he made only a passing reference to housing, leaving affordability largely unaddressed to the chagrin of housing professionals. Housing professionals had expected a larger discussion on mortgage rates, homeownership initiatives and the policies introduced since Trump

Housing leaders say Trump’s plan must go deeper than lower mortgage rates Read More »

Trump State of the Union offers few housing details

Affordability, Congress, Donald Trump, Housing Market, Housing Policy, HWmember, Politics, Trump administration /

President Donald Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night and touched on a wide variety of economic topics. But he barely mentioned ways to make housing more affordable for everyday Americans. Housing professionals expected the speech to include subjects like mortgage rates, affordable homeownership and a slew of

Trump State of the Union offers few housing details Read More »

Gov. Pritzker calls for zoning reform to buoy Illinois housing access

Affordable housing, Housing Policy, Policy, The Builder's Daily /

Illinois state lawmakers took up housing affordability last year. The results underwhelmed. Now, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pushing to put housing at the center of Illinois’ broader affordability agenda.​ “The problem is clear – rent is too high and home ownership is too far out of reach,” Pritzker said in his State of the State

Gov. Pritzker calls for zoning reform to buoy Illinois housing access Read More »

Scott Cox: If you don’t know the why, you may miss the signal

Homebuilders, Housing Policy, Land, The Builder's Daily /

Many more people know how to do their job, than know why a given approach works.  This can cause severe and unknown risk, because if circumstances change, the previous “right” solution may no longer work, or opportunities may be missed.  A couple of examples: Risk Example In the mid- to late 1990s, as Sacramento was

Scott Cox: If you don’t know the why, you may miss the signal Read More »

Why antitrust talk may be a pressure tactic — not a probe — against homebuilders

Department of Justice, Homebuilders, Housing Policy, Policy, The Builder's Daily /

A Friday-morning news report suggesting that the Trump administration is exploring an antitrust probe into U.S. homebuilders landed with its intended shock value. The implication? Washington, having rattled its saber, may be preparing to treat large builders as a concentrated market actor whose behavior is contributing to America’s housing affordability crisis. By late Friday afternoon,

Why antitrust talk may be a pressure tactic — not a probe — against homebuilders Read More »

Sasha Jackson joins Housing Policy Council as SVP for market structure

Ed DeMarco, Fannie Mae, Housing Market, Housing Policy, Housing Policy Council, People Movers, U.S. Department of the Treasury /

The Housing Policy Council (HPC) — a trade association representing mortgage lenders and servicers, title insurers, and technology and data companies — said Monday that Alexander (Sasha) Jackson has joined the organization as senior vice president for market structure. Jackson brings more than 15 years of experience in housing finance across the public and private

Sasha Jackson joins Housing Policy Council as SVP for market structure Read More »

Spanberger unveils Virginia housing affordability plan

Affordable housing, Homebuilders, Housing Policy, HWmember, Policy, Politics, The Builder's Daily, Virginia /

Affordability has become the defining test of political electability today. From housing to groceries, voters increasingly judge candidates by their ability to reduce everyday costs.​ Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) focused on improving affordability during her campaign. To follow through, she rolled out a housing agenda that leans heavily on preservation of existing affordable homes,

Spanberger unveils Virginia housing affordability plan Read More »