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 […]
How a state bar filing could derail a California upzoning plan Read More »
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
Policy clash: how two housing policies blend to price out millions Read More »
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
California housing reform faces new test as LA Metro resists transit zoning law Read More »
The rent stabilization bug has hit Providence, RI. Municipal officials there are jumping on the bandwagon with other cities and states whose local officials have adopted or are weighing the policy as a housing affordability strategy. Providence City Council President Rachel Miller, alongside council allies, introduced an ordinance this week that would cap most annual
Providence mulls 4% rent cap as national rent control debate boils Read More »
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
Pennsylvania bill targets local curbs on shared housing Read More »
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
Florida lawmakers muscle up on a raft of new housing reforms Read More »
California’s emerging housing fracas over a single stairwell may become a lightning rod, affecting both building codes and capital investment in more multifamily projects in more places. California’s Fire Marshal is reportedly in the final stages of a report due this month on whether the state will allow single‑stair multifamily buildings above three stories, and
California weighs single-stair multifamily to ignite housing supply Read More »
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani suffered defeat in his first skirmish with multifamily property owners as part of a strategic war to remake the city’s rent-stabilized housing. On Friday, Summit Properties USA became the winning bidder for more than 5,000 rent-regulated units owned by bankrupt Pinnacle Development Group. The sale went through despite Mamdani’s
Mamdani notches a loss in opening gambit to take on NYC landlords Read More »
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday rolled out a trio of housing bills that push his state deeper into the trenches of a national fight over affordability and land use. Set for introduction when the new General Assembly session starts next week in Annapolis, the Governor’s proposals would jump‑start construction near transit, legalize smaller starter
Maryland bids for deeper reforms to address housing affordability Read More »
Affordability has become the defining test of political electability today. From housing to groceries, voters increasingly judge candidates by their ability to reduce everyday costs. Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) focused on improving affordability during her campaign. To follow through, she rolled out a housing agenda that leans heavily on preservation of existing affordable homes,
Spanberger unveils Virginia housing affordability plan Read More »