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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 5, 2024
Up for Growth Action Champions Groundbreaking Legislation to Reduce Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing
WASHINGTON, DC – Up for Growth Action is thrilled to announce its support for the “Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Housing Act,” newly introduced by Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and Representative Blunt Rochester (D-DE). This critical legislation is designed to help state and local governments that are proactively exploring solutions for reforming regulatory barriers to housing, but need additional resources, data, and models to adequately address these challenges.
“Supporting legislation that empowers state and local governments with the resources, data, and innovative models they need to reform regulatory barriers is essential to solving the housing crisis,” said Up for Growth Action CEO Mike Kingsella. These proactive measures will tip the scales in hundreds of communities who are eager to create more housing but need help getting started.”
The “Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Housing Act” will direct HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research to provide technical assistance on zoning and land use, coordinate housing development efforts across the federal government, and research best practices to develop non-preemptive guidelines for states to encourage housing production.
The Act will create new grant programs to digitize zoning codes by district and help local governments establish pre-approved designs for affordable housing units, and develop standardized models of legislation, codes, and processes for local reform, including mechanisms to encourage adoption.
According to Up for Growth’s 2022 Housing Underproduction in the U.S. Report, the U.S. is 3.89M homes short of meeting housing need, all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia are experiencing a housing shortage, and one-third of U.S. households are cost-burdened.
Additional research highlights the stark impact of regulatory barriers on housing affordability, showing that these obstacles can inflate the cost of new homes by up to 41% for multifamily developments. The proposed measures in this bill aim to reduce these costs and facilitate the construction of urgently needed housing.
“We are facing a housing crisis in Pennsylvania and across the country” remarked Senator Fetterman. “The housing supply simply doesn’t meet the need. We need to change that, but excessive regulatory red tape and overly burdensome and restrictive zoning requirements get in the way. This bill will address this persistent issue by providing capacity and technical assistance to support zoning reform efforts at the state and local level. I’m proud to co-lead it.”
“The affordable housing crisis must be met with action. In Delaware, there is a severe lack of affordable housing units while rent prices and homelessness only continue to rise. It’s why I’ve spent my time in Congress working to bring more resources to the First State to expand available housing units while lowering the cost of housing,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “The Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Housing Act builds on my work in Congress. It will ensure that states and localities have the investments and guidance they need to break down barriers in obtaining housing so more families can have a safe place to call home. I thank Senator Fetterman for joining me in introducing this critical legislation and look forward to working with colleagues to get the bill to the House floor for a vote.”
“If passed, this transformative legislation will increase housing stock, promote economic vitality, and enhance community led growth,” added Kingsella. “We commend Senator Fetterman and Representative Blunt Rochester for their leadership and dedication to solving America’s housing affordability crisis.”
Contact:
Leah MacArthur, Communications Director, Phone: 202-716-2064; Email: lmacarthur@upforgrowth.org
David Garcia, Policy Director, Phone: 209-598-3484; Email: dgarcia@upforgrowth.org
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About Up for Growth Action: Up for Growth Action® is a 501(c)(4) federal legislative advocacy organization committed to fostering accessible growth through the removal of systemic barriers to housing development. Affiliated with Up for Growth®, a 501(c)(3) organization, it engages in research and advocacy to achieve housing equity and meet the nationwide need for more homes.