Voters seize the ‘say’ in key state battles for housing affordability
California voting on new housing reform ballot measures are underway; other states start early voting later this month
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North Carolina kicks parking rules to the curb in statewide reform
North Carolina housing advocates have tried for years to pass state-level zoning reform. They kept falling short. Broad reforms met the same fate in the recently ended session – except one: parking reform. What started as a stormwater management bill became one of the most aggressive parking reforms in the country. It passed with rare […]
Fault lines surface as projects tap California’s CEQA exemption law
Last July, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a landmark law shielding apartment and residential projects from lengthy environmental review processes to boost the state’s housing supply and improve affordability. It’s working – but not without a fight. Developers wasted no time seizing the opportunity. A growing list of housing developments are securing exemptions from reviews […]
Missouri may expand its first-time homebuyer savings tax break
Saving for a first home in Missouri is about to get a significant tax break – with a big if – provided the state Senate’s latest housing bill makes it through the House. Senate Bill 1001 passed the Senate this spring and now sits before a House committee. The bill includes a sweeping upgrade to […]
North Carolina Let Them Build Act targets environmental reviews
As North Carolina House Democrats take another swing at sweeping housing reform, a Democratic senator is seeking to streamline environmental reviews to accelerate construction. Sen. Woodson Bradley filed the “Let Them Build Act” on Thursday afternoon, days after House colleagues filed a bill titled “Relieving Housing Bottlenecks” to address the state’s affordable housing crisis. For […]
California bills target condo deposits and defect liability
California lawmakers are weighing bills that would reduce regulatory barriers to revive condominium construction, which has dropped significantly from its peak in the years before the Great Recession. Assembly Bill 1406 would raise the state’s liquidated-damages limit on new condominium sales from 3% of the purchase price to 6%. Backers frame the bill as “condo […]
Florida lawmakers muscle up on a raft of new housing reforms
One of the nation’s most aggressive housing policy reform agendas of the post-pandemic era greets Florida lawmakers as they enter their 2026 legislative session bent on improving housing affordability. With a coordinated set of “fix” bills, Sunshine State lawmakers want to add more muscle to the state’s workforce housing program. Proposed legislation would legalize more […]
Maryland bids for deeper reforms to address housing affordability
Three new bills would legalize smaller homes, speed up approvals, and promote building near transit stations.