Tag: Affordable Housing

Legislators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reform Opportunity Zone Incentives

Posted on by Trey Jackson
Senator Tim Scott interview on Opportunity Zones

Members of Congress introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation yesterday to update and amend the Opportunity Zones (OZs) program. If enacted, the bill would extend expired OZ benefits, sunset certain high-income OZ census tracts, and apply additional information reporting requirements for opportunity funds and their investors. (Congressional news release, April 7)

OZ Reforms

  • The Opportunity Zones Transparency, Extension, and Improvement Act was introduced in the Senate by Tim Scott (R-SC), above, and Cory Booker (D-NJ) – and in the House by Ron Kind (D-WI) and Mike Kelly (R-PA). (Full text of the legislation | One-page summary | Section by Section).

  • The bill includes a Roundtable-requested, 2-year extension of the initial capital gains deferral period for prior gain that is rolled into an opportunity fund by an investor. (Roundtable Comment letters: Dec. 21, 2021 and May 14, 2020)

  • The 2-year extension, from the end of 2026 until the end of 2028, will allow OZ investors to benefit from a partial step-up in basis that reduces their tax liability on their prior gain if their opportunity fund investment is maintained for at least 5 years. The extension would help OZs continue attracting capital and investment that is boosting job growth and supporting the local tax base in these communities. 

  • Other provisions include a detailed process for sunsetting certain high-income census tracts from the OZ program; new information reporting rules for Opportunity Funds and investors; and creation of a $1 billion State and Community Dynamism Fund to support OZ projects and businesses in underserved communities.
Maryland Opportunity Zone event photo
  • Census tracts subject to the sunset provision include those with a median family income that exceeds 130 percent of the national median. The sunset includes transition rules that grandfather in existing and planned investments.

  • The information reporting proposals were previously introduced by Senator Scott in 2019. They aim to improve program transparency and facilitate improved tracking of the OZ investment outcomes in the designated communities. The Roundtable and other real estate organizations previously encouraged Congress to adopt enhanced OZ information reporting, data collection, and transparency measures. (Roundtable Comment letter: Dec. 21, 2021)

  • In the short time since their enactment, Opportunity Zones have created jobs and spurred billions of dollars in new investment in economically struggling communities. The Roundtable worked closely with Members of Congress and the Treasury Department to ensure OZ implementing regulations would facilitate the program’s success, and has long-supported OZ legislation that could spur greater investment, promote capital formation and bolster job growth in economically disadvantaged communities. (Roundtable Weekly: May 15, 2020 and  (Roundtable Comment letter: Dec. 21, 2021) 

In the current legislative environment, prospects for the new bill are uncertain, but it will likely be the basis for any serious consideration of OZ changes going forward.  

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Blackstone Commits $1 Billion to Private Sector Affordable Housing Program

Posted on by Trey Jackson

Blackstone's Kathleen McCarthy image

Blackstone on Jan. 14 announced a $1 billion commitment to help address affordable housing challenges often faced by low-to-moderate-income families in historically under-represented communities. Blackstone’s single-family rental company Home Partners of America will expand their private sector program called Choice Lease, which offers qualified applicants below market rents and paths to homeownership without government subsidies. (Bloomberg, Jan. 14) 

An Affordable Housing Solution 

  • Kathleen McCarthy, above, Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate and Real Estate Roundtable Board Member, said, “The lack of housing supply is a national crisis. We are proud to support Home Partners’ mission of addressing housing access and affordability while also providing underserved populations with a new path to homeownership. Blackstone’s scale and long-term capital make a program like this possible.” (GlobeSt, Jan. 18)
  • Home Partners intends to use the Blackstone funds for purchasing approximately 4,000 homes over the next two years that will benefit eligible individuals and families facing challenges to homeownership, including lower credit scores and lack of savings. (News release, Jan. 14)
  • Bill Young, co-founder and CEO of Home Partners of America, said, “Our Choice Lease program is providing a critical service to many who would not otherwise be able to access the housing market. We are grateful that our partners at Blackstone have provided the support needed to implement this initiative. We have a unique opportunity to drive change that will help these groups access quality homes while providing a clear and transparent path to homeownership.” 

Program Details 

How Chose Lease Works

  • Bloomberg reports that Home Partners buys a home on behalf of its Choice Lease client, and rents it back on a series of one-year leases. Blackstone confirmed that throughout the lease, the tenant has the option to purchase the house at any time.
  • Choice Lease’s rental and purchase options, as well as free financial education and counseling programs, come as a housing shortage pushes rents and purchase prices higher throughout the United States. (National Mortgage Professional, Jan. 17) 
  • Choice Lease is intended for households who earn 80% or less of the area median income. The program also offers residents rental rates 10% lower than market rates – and caps a home’s eventual purchase price at a 3.5% annual increase. (Information on the Choice Lease Program and Chicago Agent Magazine, Jan. 17)
     
  • Home Partners has implemented Choice Lease in four metropolitan areas, including Atlanta and Phoenix, and is expanding the program to thirteen other markets. (Bloomberg, Jan. 14) 

The affordable housing shortage is one of the most important and complex political problems in America, and The Roundtable continues to work with our national real estate organization partners to jointly advocate for policies that will help to enhance the supply of safe, affordable housing. 

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Tax Proposals Under Scrutiny as Timetable Moves Up for Mammoth Reconciliation Bill

Posted on by Trey Jackson

The unanticipated commitment by Speaker Pelosi to allow a stand-alone vote on the bipartisan Senate infrastructure bill no later than September 27 has scrambled the Congressional calendar and put increased attention and focus on the potential for major tax changes.

Why It Matters

  • House Leaders are urging committees, including the powerful Ways and Means Committee, to complete their work on the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill by September 15.  Ways and Means Chairman Richie Neal has indicated a formal mark-up could start the week of Sept. 6 and continue 4-5 days.  (E&E Daily, Aug. 25)
  • Accelerating the consideration of the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill may allow its supporters and advocates to retain political momentum for the massive package of social safety net, environmental, tax, and other policies—momentum that could be lost once the infrastructure bill is sent to the President.
  • The shortened timetable, however, puts pressure on lawmakers who are considering complex changes to the tax code that would normally require hearings, extended debate, and substantial vetting.  

Industry Concerns

  • The Real Estate Roundtable has raised concerns regarding a number of proposals in the President’s plan that would raise the tax burden on capital formation, undermine property values and the functioning of real estate markets, and harm the industry’s ability to create jobs and support local communities through property tax revenue.  These proposals include restrictions on like-kind exchanges, an elimination of the reduced tax rate on capital gains, and the taxation of unrealized gains at death.
  • On Tuesday, the accounting industry expressed strong concerns with the President’s proposed changes to capital income. The letter noted that, “[t]he taxation of the capital gains on gift or death in many cases would be the third time that the gain is taxed.”  Imposing immediate tax on transfers by gift or death is an unreasonable requirement when the transfers are non-liquid assets such as real estate, business interests, etc., because it may require the forced liquidation of some or all of the assets transferred,” they continued.    
  • Last Friday, the Tax Foundation challenged the Administration’s claim that their tax proposals would spare 97 percent of small businesses.  The organization analyzed the most recent IRS data and concluded the President’s proposals would reach more than half of pass-through business income (because 54% of pass-through income is earned by taxpayers making more than $500,000).
  • At the same time, lawmakers are mobilizing to ensure that the $3.5 trillion bill includes priorities such as increased investment in affordable housing.  On Thursday, 111 House Democrats led by Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and Don Beyer (D-VA) wrote to Speaker Pelosi urging that the legislation include a significant expansion of the low-income housing tax credit.

Contact Congress

Treasury Releases New Guidance for Emergency Rental Assistance; YIMBY Act Reintroduced

Posted on by Trey Jackson
U.S. Treasury Department
US Treasury Department in Washington

The Treasury Department on May 7 issued new guidance for local municipalities administering emergency rental assistance programs, with rules aimed at directly assisting more renters in less time. The rules simplify applications for aid, expand covered costs such as moving expenses and hotel stays, and require programs to help tenants directly even if their housing providers choose not to participate. (New York Times, May 7) 

Distribution Challenges 

  • Congress approved $25 billion of emergency rental assistance in December 2020 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act. An additional $21.6 billion was allocated in March 2021 under the American Rescue Plan Act. The Treasury Department ‘s May 7 announcement releasing the second allocation was accompanied by its new guidance. (National Multifamily Housing Council, May 10)
  • State and local authorities have been overwhelmed with how to allocate the influx of funds, leaving many tenants and housing providers waiting weeks or months for the assistance. (Washington Post, April 8 and Wall Street Journal, April 13)  
  • The nine “enhanced policies” from Treasury aim to ensure that states and localities can move quickly to address the housing affordability crisis wrought by the pandemic. (Treasury’s May 7 Fact Sheet and FAQs on Emergency Rental Assistance)
  • The new guidance comes days after a federal judge overturned the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium, which is scheduled to expire June 30. Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia also issued an order on May 5 that temporarily allows the moratorium to continue while she considers an emergency appeal by the Biden Administration.  (Roundtable Weekly, May 7)  

Rental Assistance Support 

  • The Roundtable is part of a broad real estate coalition that recently urged state, county and municipal officials to distribute the allocated federal funds as soon as possible. (Coalition letter, April 15)
     
  • The coalition letter emphasized the need “to quickly and fully allocate available American Rescue Plan federal funds to provide assistance to renters, consumer-facing small businesses, and impacted industries such as retail, tourism, travel, and hospitality that are having trouble paying rents, mortgages or remaining viable enterprises due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

YIMBY Reintroduced 

Window in house. Architectural elements. Construction materials. Building house.
  • The bipartisan “Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) Act” was reintroduced on May 13 in the House by Reps. Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA).
  • The bill would require local governments applying for federal housing development funds through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to report whether they have enacted policies to reduce counterproductive regulations that may affect affordability. (Hollingsworth news release and text of the bill)  
     
  • The Real Estate Roundtable is one of many organizations that have endorsed YIMBY, which passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate. The Roundtable also urged support for the YIMBY Act in comments filed with HUD in January 2020.  (Roundtable Weekly, March 6, 2020)
     
  • A Senate YIMBY companion bill was also introduced May 13 by Sens Todd Young (R-IN) and Brian Schatz (D-HI).
     
  • “Discriminatory local zoning and land use policies drive up housing costs in communities across America,” said Sen. Young. “These policies exacerbate the housing affordability crisis and stifle the ability of Americans to move to areas of opportunity. My legislation will require cities, towns, and rural areas across America to face this reality under a new level of transparency and encourage them to cut these harmful regulations.” (Sen. Young news release, May 13)
     
  • “The YIMBY Act complements the many pro-housing proposals currently before Congress,” said Mike Kingsella, Executive Director of Up for Growth Action. “The YIMBY Act will empower communities across the country to clear the path for housing that is more affordable, equitable, and sustainable.” (Up for Growth’s YIMBY Fact Sheet)

The Roundtable and its coalition partners will continue to urge lawmakers to pass the YIMBY Act and similar legislation that eases burdensome rules that inhibit affordable housing development.

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Business Coalition Urges Senate to Pass Corporate Diversity Legislation

Posted on by Trey Jackson

The Real Estate Roundtable and 16 other national organizations sent a letter on July 27 urging leaders of the Senate Banking Committee to advance legislation that would require public companies to report the racial, ethnic and gender composition of their boards and executive officers. (The Hill and coalition letter, July 27)

  • The act would require issuers that must register under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to provide data regarding diversity on corporate boards and in executive management. Such diversity reporting would occur in annual reports and proxy statements regarding election of directors filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
  • The bill would also require securities issuers to disclose whether it has adopted a plan or strategy to promote board- and executive-level racial, ethnic, gender, and veteran-status diversity.
  • The coalition letter addressed to the Senate Committee’s Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH), cites a 2019 PwC Annual Corporate Directors Survey to show the benefits of diversity.  The survey results show that 94% of participating board directors indicated that a diverse board brings unique perspectives; 87% responded that diversity enhances board performance; and 84% responded that it improves relationships with investors.
  • Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden this week presented a series of proposals intended to address racial economic inequality. Biden said that as president, his future appointments to the Federal Reserve would be “diverse nominees for the Board of Governors and the regional Federal Reserve Banks.” (The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, July 29)
  • Last week the Biden campaign indicated its desire to eliminate several current law tax provisions, including like-kind exchanges under Section 1031, to pay for a 10-year, $775 billion “caregivers” proposal.

Roundtable President and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer responded, “The long-standing like-kind exchange tax law has encouraged investment in affordable housing and other properties, generated state and local tax revenue, and spurred new jobs through labor-intensive property improvement. As a result, exchanges allow cash-strapped minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses to grow their business by temporarily deferring tax on the reinvested proceeds.”  (Entire Roundtable Statement on like-kind exchanges, July 21 and Roundtable Weekly, July 24).

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Fannie & Freddie Get Updated Duty-To-Serve Criteria for Manufactured, Affordable and Rural Housing

Posted on by Trey Jackson

FHFA Duty-to-Serve x475

Strict criteria for how the Government Sponsored Entities (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must facilitate a secondary mortgage market for very low-, low-, and moderate-income families in manufactured, affordable and rural housing were released on March 11 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). (Updated FHFA Guidance)

  • FHFA oversees the GSEs, which remain in government conservatorship since the financial crisis of 2008.  The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 established a duty for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) to serve the three specified underserved markets.  (FHFA Duty-To-Serve Program)
  • Under the Duty-to-Serve regulation, each Enterprise must prepare a three-year plan showing how it will increase the liquidity of mortgage investments and improve the distribution of investment capital available for mortgage financing for the three markets.  The new evaluation criteria, which take effect 2021-2023 incorporate several changes:
    • Revised ratings framework – The revisions establish four ratings to describe Enterprise performance;
    • Higher expectations for impactful plans – The revisions require a minimum concept score of 30 for each objective, rather than the previous requirement that the concept scores of all objectives average a 30;
    • Increased threshold for determining compliance – The revisions increase the threshold for compliance scores; and
    • Technical changes – The updated Guidance also includes technical changes to reflect current practices that have streamlined processes and improved program administration.
  • The evaluation guidance sets forth the process and standards by which FHFA will evaluate, and report annually to Congress on the Enterprises’ performance and achievements under their plans.  The updated guidance will ensure that the Enterprises Duty-To-Serve programs have a measurable and significant impact in underserved communities.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria addressed his agency’s oversight of Fannie and Freddie – who own or guarantee $5.6 trillion in single and multifamily mortgages – during The Roundtable’s 2020 State of the Industry Meeting in January. (Roundtable Weekly, Jan. 31)

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House of Representatives Passes Affordable Housing Bill to Reduce Zoning Barriers with No Opposition

Posted on by Trey Jackson

The United States House of Representatives on Monday passed the bipartisan Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Act (H.R. 4351) on a voice vote, following last week’s unanimous approval by the House Financial Services Committee.  (Roundtable Weekly, Feb. 28, 2020)

  • Sponsored by Reps. Denny Heck (D-WA) and Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN), the YIMBY Act avoids a mandate from Congress to compel cities and towns to enact certain land use laws.  Municipalities that receive HUD’s Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) would be discouraged from limiting housing supplies through reporting on and disclosing their land use and zoning policies that inhibit high density land uses. 
  • The YIMBY Act would direct a community receiving federal CDBG money to consider, track, and report on implementation of over 20 pro-housing strategies, such as:
    • Enacting high-density zoning, and expanding by-right multifamily zoned areas;
    • Allowing manufactured homes and accessory dwelling units on single-family lots;
    • Reducing minimum lot sizes;
    • Increasing allowable floor area ratios for multifamily projects;
    • Providing property tax abatements to existing home owners to garner support for high development densities in their communities; and
    • Ensuring that impact fees paid by developers accurately reflect infrastructure needs generated by new units.
  • “Sunlight is the best disinfectant and we need to identify and reduce barriers to housing construction at the local level,” Heck said following the House vote. “I am proud that Congress is taking a critical first step towards bringing relief to cost-burdened renters and homeowners across America.”  (Heck press release, March 2.)
  • “We want more affordable homes for American families,” Hollinsgworth said on Monday.  The YIMBY Act’s unanimous approval “signals strong support across the aisle to reform our nation’s housing regulations at all levels of government.” (Hollingsworth Press Release, March 2)
  • The Roundtable joined Feb. 24 and March 2 coalition letters signed by real estate, “smart growth” and subsidized housing advocates, in a show of wide stakeholder support for the YIMBY Act.
  • The Roundtable also urged support for the YIMBY Act in comments filed with HUD in January.  (Roundtable Weekly, Jan. 17, 2020). Companion legislation is pending in the Senate (S. 1919), sponsored by Todd Young (R-IN) and Brian Schatz (D-HI).  The bill also reflects the goals of President Trump’s Executive Order for “Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing.” (Roundtable Weekly, June 28, 2019)
  • Speaking at the 2020 Pension Real Estate Association Spring Conference this week Roundtable President and CEO Jeffrey D. DeBoer, said: “The Roundtable has long recognized that safe, decent, and affordable housing is essential to the well-being of America’s families, communities and businesses. The YIMBY Act is a positive first step in eliminating discriminatory land use polices and removing barriers that prevent much needed affordable housing from being built throughout the country.”

The Roundtable and coalition partners will continue to urge lawmakers to make progress on the YIMBY Act in the Senate and similar legislation that eases burdensome rules that inhibit affordable housing development.

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House Committee Unanimously Advances Bill to Reduce Zoning Barriers to Affordable Housing

Posted on by Trey Jackson
  • The Real Estate Roundtable joined a Feb. 24 coalition letter to support H.R. 4531, the Yes in My Backyard (“YIMBY”) Act. The bipartisan bill – sponsored by Reps. Denny Heck (D-WA) and Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN) – would direct local governments that receive HUD Community Development Block Grants (“CDBGs”) to develop favorable planning and zoning strategies that enable affordable housing development.
  • “We have a national housing crisis, one that is brought on in part by zoning and land use policies,” Rep. Heck said upon the Committee’s approval of the bill today with no opposition.  “The YIMBY Act is a crucial first step to addressing these policies in order to increase affordability and construction.”  (Heck-Hollingsworth joint press release)
  • The YIMBY Act respects federalism principles and avoids a mandate from Congress to compel cities and towns to enact certain land-use laws.  Rather, the bill aims to discourage localities from limiting housing supplies through reporting and disclosure rules attendant to HUD’s grant process.
  • Specifically, the YIMBY Act directs that a community receiving CDBG money must consider and track implementation of over 20 pro-housing strategies, such as:
  • Enacting high-density zoning, and expanding by-right multifamily zoned areas;
  • Allowing manufactured homes and accessory dwelling units on single-family lots;
  • Reducing minimum lot sizes;
  • Increasing allowable floor area ratios for multifamily projects;
  • Providing property tax abatements to existing home owners to garner support for high development densities in their communities; and
  • Ensuring that impact fees paid by developers accurately reflect infrastructure needs generated by new units.
  • Speaking at the Annual Real Estate Forum held at the University of Colorado (Boulder) this week, Roundtable President and CEO, Jeffrey D. DeBoer, said:  “The YIMBY Act recognizes that local zoning ordinances coupled with lengthy duplicative permitting hurdles frequently result in decreased housing availability and increased housing costs.  Asking local authorities to report on their efforts to ease these regulatory hurdles makes a lot of sense.”  DeBoer and Roundtable board member Ric Clark (Senior Managing Partner and Chairman, Brookfield Property Group) focused their keynote presentation at the event on national policy issues, including housing affordability, as well as current and expected trends in national real estate markets.
  • The Roundtable urged support for the YIMBY Act in comments filed with HUD in January.  (Roundtable Weekly, Jan. 17, 2020). Companion legislation is pending in the Senate (S. 1919), sponsored by Todd Young (R-IN) and Brian Schatz (D-HI).  The bill also reflects the goals of President Trump’s Executive Order for “ Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing.” (Roundtable Weekly, June 28, 2019)
  • The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) issued a statement praising the Committee’s action on the YIMBY Act – and also noted the successful markup of the Housing is Infrastructure Act (H.R. 5187), sponsored by Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA).  H.R. 5187 would direct greater investments to construct new affordable housing units for low-income households, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.  It would also provide more federal funding to build, repair and modernize public housing.
  • A bill similar to the YIMBY Act — that uses the “carrot” of federal grants to incentivize high density land uses – is the Build More Housing Near Transit Act (H.R. 4307).  While the YIMBY Act leverages HUD CDBG dollars, H.R. 4307 leverages Federal Transit Administration grants to require local authorities to evaluate housing development along proposed rail, bus, and other mass transit routes.  H.R. 4307 is under consideration as part of “must pass” infrastructure legislation to reauthorize the Highway Trust Fund, which is scheduled to expire on Sept 30. (Roundtable Weekly, Oct. 4, 2019)

The strong bipartisan showing for the YIMBY Act at the Committee level bodes well for full House consideration in the coming weeks.  While the path forward in the Senate is presently unclear, The Roundtable and coalition partners will continue to press lawmakers to make progress on the YIMBY Act and similar legislation.

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White House Report: Over-Regulation Constrains Housing Supplies; Walker & Dunlop Report Considers Barriers, Solutions to Improve Housing Affordability

Posted on by Trey Jackson

2020 CEA Annual Report

The Trump Administration yesterday issued its Council of Economic Advisers’ 2020 Annual Report, which warns that regulatory constraints on affordable housing development in key markets drive up costs, increase homelessness and pose a potential threat to U.S. economic growth.  (White House, Feb. 20)

  • The White House report also lists issues such as the opioid crisis as a drag on the historic economic expansion, while focusing on affordable housing constraints as a major impediment.  (PoliticoPro, Feb.20)
  • “We find that a key driver of the housing unaffordability problem is the overregulation of housing markets by State and local governments, which limits supply,” the report states. “By driving up home prices, overregulation adversely affects low-income Americans in particular, who spend the largest share of their income on housing.”
  •  To illustrate how rising housing unaffordability in U.S. real estate markets adversely affects economic growth, the report profiles 11 supply-constrained geographic areas.  The report finds that deregulation in these areas would increase affordability enough to reduce homelessness by an estimated 31 percent on average. 
  • The report explains, “Such overly restrictive regulations include zoning and growth management controls, rent controls, building and rehabilitation codes, energy and water efficiency mandates, maximum-density allowances, historic preservation requirements, wetland or environmental regulations, manufactured-housing regulations and restrictions, parking requirements, permitting and review procedures, investment or reinvestment tax policies, labor requirements, and impact or developer fees.”
  • The Trump Administration has focused on deregulation by establishing the White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing, while the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is encouraging State and local governments to focus on increasing housing supply in areas where supply is constrained. (Roundtable Weekly, June 28, 2019)
The Roundtable on Jan. 21 submitted a suite of policy suggestions to HUD aimed at improving access to affordable housing.  The Roundtable’s comments offer specific policies intended to bring safe, decent, and affordable housing within reach of indigent and low-income households.  The comments also urge HUD to focus on the scarcity of homes accessible to middle class families, and recommends policies to increase both purchase and rental options for teachers, first responders, and other contributors in America’s workforce. (Roundtable Weekly, Jan. 17) 
 
Industry Focus
 
Walker & Dunlop’s this week published its Winter Multifamily Outlook – Focus on Affordable Housing that focuses on the economics driving the affordable housing crisis, a Q&A with Fannie-Freddie’s lead regulator Dr.  Mark Calabria; and a report on how Opportunity Zones can be paired with HUD programs to provide new affordable housing.
 
  • Affordable housing policy was also the topic of a panel discussion moderated by Walker & Dunlop Chairman & CEO Willy Walker during The Roundtable’s Jan. 28 State of the Industry Meeting in Washington.  Participants included House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria – whose agency oversees the Government Sponsored Enterprises that own or guarantee $5.6 trillion in single and multifamily mortgages.  (Roundtable Weekly, Jan. 31) 
  • In Walker and Dunlop’s previous Outlook Quarterly Report (Fall 2019) a policy Q&A with Roundtable President and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer addressed housing affordability and rent control.   DeBoer states in the interview, “Although we focus on national issues, we do have concerns about the more local trend to enact rent control. These laws are destructive. They may help those people in the short term but those same people are hurt in the long run by giving them lower and lower quality housing. It ends up being very inequitable over time and hopefully the trend will not gain additional traction.”

  • Bibby states, “A full 32.1% of multifamily development costs are driven by government regulations—fees, standards, approval requirements, impact studies. … Places with the heaviest hand of government are hurting hardworking families trying to make ends meet the most. We should streamline regulations, give people more housing options and bring costs down.” 

The national dialogue about affordable housing policy challenges and solutions, along with the evolving dynamics of the upcoming elections, will be discussed during The Roundtable’s Spring Meeting on March 31 in Washington. 

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari Endorses More Private Sector Development to Counter Affordable Housing Crisis, Echoing Roundtable’s Policy Agenda

Posted on by Trey Jackson

Kashkari x475 JCHS event edit

The increasing cost burden of rental housing is now reaching middle-income Americans, according to a Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) report, America’s Rental Housing 2020.   Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President and CEO Neel Kashkari introduced the report at a Jan. 31 event.  “We need a lot more private sector development to come in, build many, many more units across the spectrum, create more supply, that’ll make things more affordable for everyone.  Unless we unlock the private sector, we’re never going to help the vast majority of people who are struggling with affordability today,” Kashkari said.  (KSTP video, Jan. 31)

  • Kashari noted the challenge is how to encourage the private sector to create and preserve affordable housing alternatives at scale so that other targeted government programs can also do their part.  “Our research has shown, as many others have shown, that if the private sector builds more units, even market-rate units, it adds supply to a city or region that ends up creating space for everybody, Kashkari said. (YouTube video of JCHS event and ULI’s Urban Land Magazine, Feb. 5)

     

  • The latest research from Harvard shows rising rental demand and constricted supply have reduced the stock of low- and moderate-cost units.  This shift has significantly altered the profile of the typical renter household, resulting in a growing number of renters with incomes between $30,000 and $75,000 paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing – meeting the definition of “cost-burdened.” (JCHS interactive map of the U.S.).

     

  • The report also notes that the rising cost of affordable rentals has resulted in a majority of lower-income renters spending more than half of their monthly income on housing – conditions that have led to increases in homelessness, particularly in high-cost states. (Bloomberg, Jan. 31 and JCHS chart)

     

  • According to the JCHS, climate change also poses a threat to the stability of American renter households.  Between 2008 and 2018, 10.5 million of the country’s 43.7 million renter households live in zip codes that incurred at least $1 million in home and business losses due to natural disasters.  Additionally, 8.1 million renter households report that they do not have the financial resources to evacuate their homes if and when a disaster strikes.

 

  • The report’s Executive Summary concludes, “Local governments have found themselves on the front lines of the rental affordability crisis. In response, many jurisdictions have adopted a variety of promising strategies to expand the affordable supply, including increased funding and reform of zoning and land use regulations to allow higher-density construction. Organizations ranging from hospitals and universities to tech companies have also started to address the crisis. Ultimately, though, only the federal government has the scope and resources to provide housing assistance at a scale appropriate to need.” (PDF of entire JCHS report)

     

    Industry Response

     

    The Real Estate Roundtable’s recently released 2020 Policy Agenda addresses affordable housing challenges facing the nation’s communities.   The policy agenda states, “The Roundtable aims to galvanize policy makers and like-minded real estate organizations around a set of pro-housing recommendations designed to increase the dearth of affordable units across the nation. ‘One-sizefits-all’ rent control mandates and anti-eviction laws will only further distort the housing supply-and-demand curve without addressing the underlying conditions that create market shortages in the first place.”

     

  • The Roundtable recommends more enduring solutions, such as:

     

    • Federal grants could put a premium on local commitments to high-density zoning, the expansion of by-right multifamily zones, transit-oriented growth and affordable housing.

       

    • Ensure that banks receive “credit” under the Community Reinvestment Act for lending to middle class families.

       

    • Support the production of manufactured housing.

       

    • Free up under-utilized federal properties for affordable housing development.

       

    • Consider the impact of student loan debt on federally-backed mortgage qualification.

       

    • Short-term housing rentals must be regulated to combat long-term housing shortages.

       

  • The Roundtable also remains focused on legislative and regulatory action that will increase the availability of housing, like a more robust low-income housing tax credit program from Congress and a plan to reasonably reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  On Jan. 21, The Roundtable submitted a suite of policy suggestions to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to improve access to affordable housing.  (Roundtable Weekly, Jan. 17) 

     

  • The Roundtable’s comments to HUD offer policies intended to bring more safe, decent, and affordable housing within reach of indigent and low-income households.  It also urges HUD to focus on the scarcity of homes accessible to middle class families, and recommends policies to increase both purchase and rental options for teachers, first responders, and other contributors in America’s workforce. 

 

During The Roundtable’s State of the Industry meeting last week in Washington, DC, a discussion of housing availability and affordability featured Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria and Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee. (Roundtable Weekly, Jan. 31)

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