Robust economic growth and effective protections for private property are critical for a dynamic, free society. Yet numerous federal, state and local government roadblocks to housing construction undercut these essential policy goals. In recent years, center-right thinkers and legislators have sought to remove land use and zoning barriers for a more extensive, accessible housing supply for American families. So-called “yes in my backyard” (YIMBY) movements have no longer been relegated to predominately democratic “blue states” like California, but have seen increasing momentum in more conservative states, like Montana for example.
Jason Lynn, a federal legislative director with the National Apartment Association (NAA), recently served on a panel held on April 25 at the Americans for Prosperity’s Freedom Center in Washington, D.C. The event was held to make the case for the removal of barriers to housing development, learn from state and local experiences in this regard and discuss potential federal actions that could spur the development of more housing supply. Lynn made the rental housing industry’s case for why increasing housing supply through reducing barriers to development will improve housing affordability in the country.
“Housing affordability is a complex issue and can be driven by diverse factors including income levels, land and natural resource availability, population growth and housing supply-demand balances” Lynn stated. “One of the best ways to address our housing affordability crisis is to make housing more available through increased production of units where they are needed most. Unfortunately, significant barriers exist to increasing housing supply.”
Lynn was joined on the panel by Alex Armlovich of the Niskanen Center and Salim Furth from the Mercatus Center. The three panelists were asked about and discussed a wide range of topics related to land use reform and barriers to development. These included the history of land use in our country, persistent barriers to development, how these barriers hamper development and lead to higher housing costs, various reform efforts to increase supply and possible federal, state and local actions that could reduce development roadblocks and lead to improved housing affordability.
At the federal level, Lynn highlighted the NAA-supported YIMBY Act (H.R. 3507 and S. 1688), as a first step Congress could take to bring more transparency to the local development process, and ultimately encourage more thoughtful development practices. “The surge in demand for rental units has placed significant pressure on the available apartment supply,” Lynn said. “This has made it difficult for millions of families across the income spectrum nationwide to find quality affordable rental housing. As policymakers seek to address the affordable housing issue, we urge their support for the YIMBY Act which encourages localities to eliminate discriminatory land use policies and remove barriers that prevent needed housing from being built.”
The event audience largely consisted of center-right offices of Members of Congress from both the House and Senate, interest groups and associations in the housing policy space, alongside other housing policy thought leaders. Americans for Prosperity, the host for the event, hopes to hold additional housing policy events to further the narrative that housing reform is an issue that can and should be embraced by more conservative legislators at all levels of government.