Feds Annouce $100 Million for Housing and Zoning Reform Programs

The program is aimed at helping local and state governments spur housing construction by reducing regulatory barriers.

1 minute read

August 14, 2024, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


A new house is under construction with the walls and the roof installed but only the frames and trusses, respectively.

Michael Flippo / Adobe Stock

A $100 million round of federal grants will target state and local efforts to boost housing construction through eliminating regulatory barriers, reports Kriston Capps in Bloomberg CityLab. According to Capps, “Actions across a number of cabinet-level agencies will address permitting, financing and regulations in order to speed up construction.”

Instead of funding individual projects, the goal is to build long-term capacity for increasing the supply of homes organically by providing carrots to cities to reform their zoning ordinances. For example, leaders in Bend, Oregon, received a $5 million grant to develop a five-year plan to ramp up housing construction and address ongoing infrastructure limitations.

The program aims to support local governments in zoning reform efforts. “The HUD and the Department of the Treasury are also expanding low-cost federal financing available to state and local housing agencies through an innovative public-private risk-sharing initiative that has seen tens of thousands of new affordable housing units built since 2021.”

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 in Bloomberg CityLab

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