Policy – Cantilever Real Estate

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

March 4, 2026 by bp56691

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 […]

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

February 19, 2026 by bp56691

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 […]

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

February 7, 2026 by bp56691

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, […]

Washington seeks to reset ground-floor retail rules for residential buildings

February 4, 2026 by bp56691

A fight over ground-floor retail mandates could become one of the most consequential zoning debates of 2026, with Washington state lawmakers moving to curb mandatory storefronts in new residential buildings. A bill in the Washington state Senate would flip the script on commercial zoning, requiring cities with more than 30,000 residents to allow housing by […]

Are homebuilders really launching a ‘Trump Homes’ rent-to-own plan?

February 3, 2026 by bp56691

An exclusive report published Tuesday by Bloomberg describes an ambitious proposal reportedly being developed by U.S. homebuilders: a massive, privately funded rent-to-own initiative branded internally as “Trump Homes,” potentially delivering up to one million houses and more than $250 billion in housing value. What more compelling story could there be, especially amidst a shaky, uncertain […]

Indiana bill targets housing affordability with state zoning changes

January 28, 2026 by bp56691

Another state vs. local jurisdiction showdown is brewing up in Indiana. Lawmakers there are poised to strip cities of much of their power over where and how new housing is built, setting up a clash over who holds the reins of local growth and – critically – housing development. Indiana’s proposed bill would transform how […]

How a state bar filing could derail a California upzoning plan

January 27, 2026 by bp56691

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 […]

Policy clash: how two housing policies blend to price out millions

January 26, 2026 by bp56691

It goes with the insanity of today’s U.S. housing affordability crisis that two rights can make a wrong. Two federal policies — each designed to lower the lifetime operating cost of owning a home — can instead combine to raise the barrier to entry so high that millions of households never get through the front […]

California housing reform faces new test as LA Metro resists transit zoning law

January 23, 2026 by bp56691

California has become a test lab for housing reform. The state stands as an ongoing experiment-in-process for how far lawmakers will go to legalize the development of more homes and how hard local officials and neighborhood activists will fight to stop it. The latest flashpoint struck on Thursday, as the Los Angeles transit agency board […]

Pennsylvania bill targets local curbs on shared housing

January 21, 2026 by bp56691

A group of Pennsylvania lawmakers wants to scrap local limits on shared living in a move that could reopen the door to boarding houses, single-room occupancy buildings, and other shared housing statewide. House Bill 2109 – with support from seven state legislators signing on sponsor a committee vote – would bar municipalities from using zoning […]