Zoning

Spanberger’s Virginia housing agenda falls short on local pushback

New Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s first-year housing agenda delivered new money and new tools for affordable housing preservation, but it fell short on the package’s biggest supply-side proposal: a statewide push to allow multifamily housing by right in many commercially zoned areas. A pair of bills would have required local zoning codes to allow multifamily […]

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Local fees trap state housing affordability reforms in a vicious circle

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 While removing red tape and outdated zoning laws might formalize more homes on paper, local fee structures still decide whether those homes are actually built.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

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Compromise Indiana housing reform law trims local zoning power

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

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Whitmer calls for Michigan housing reform to cut red tape

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is using her final year in office to champion a sweeping housing package centered on a new affordable-housing tax credit. The proposal aims to boost construction for working- and middle-class Michiganders who are increasingly priced out of many communities. To do so, she wants to remove regulatory barriers and is piggybacking on

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What the Housing for the 21st Century Act means for real estate agents, lenders

The Housing for the 21st Century Act — a sweeping housing reform package moving through Congress — is the boldest step yet in a broad federal push to increase housing supply and improve affordability. The legislation directs the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to publish “best practices” for states and local governments

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How a state bar filing could derail a California upzoning plan

The latest “not in my backyard” tactic in California’s local zoning disputes and state housing law battles? Filing a complaint with the state bar association. A case in point: An attorney who failed in an effort to derail a Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., upzoning lodged a complaint with the California State Bar about a March

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NAR supports major housing reforms in 2026 legislative agenda

There’s no shortage of differing opinions within housing, but one thing most industry professionals can agree on is that affordability is a key ongoing struggle for many prospective homebuyers.  Real estate agents and members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) are on the front lines of this battle, as they work with buyers to

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Connecticut rolls back zoning limits to target housing shortage

Connecticut will officially join other states in rolling back decades-old zoning limits to make ground-up homebuilding easier and more plentiful. Last Wednesday morning, Gov. Ned Lamont signed compromise legislation created during a special session in mid-November, months after he vetoed the original bill as the state addresses an estimated 100,000-unit housing shortage. According to sister-title

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Experts offer multi-faceted solutions to the housing supply shortage

As the nationwide housing inventory and affordability crisis persists, a trio of experts sit down with HousingWire to detail proposed solutions. The solve? It’s multi-faceted and it comes down to fixing supply issues, changing zoning and updating regulation. Kent Colton, president of the Colton Housing Group and former CEO of the National Association of Home

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