Schatz, Banks Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Build More Affordable Housing, Address America’s Growing Housing Crisis

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) today introduced the Build More Housing Near Transit Act. The bipartisan legislation continues Senator Schatz’s efforts to address America’s housing shortage by offering federal benefits and encouraging local governments to build more housing near transit-oriented urban and suburban spaces, where options are especially lacking.

 

“The clearest way out of our national housing shortage is by building more housing,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bipartisan bill incentivizes cities and towns to build housing when they expand or redevelop their public transit systems. This will help put more families in homes, grow local economies, and cut carbon pollution. It’s a win for everyone.”

 

“This bill makes it easier for communities to build homes for working families by cutting red tape and giving them the freedom to create strong, family-friendly neighborhoods near public transit,” said Senator Banks.

 

Specifically, the legislation directs the Secretary of Transportation to provide a scoring boost to the competitive grant applications of public transit projects that include regulatory reforms that legalize new housing near stations, including removing expensive parking mandates, streamlining approval for new housing, allowing houses on smaller lots, raising height limits, and other pro-housing policies.

 

Currently, 47 percent of renter households are cost-burdened, and lack of housing options in transit-friendly areas is a major contributor to this. In addition, transportation costs are often a household’s second-largest expenditure behind housing, meaning more housing in transit areas would have a two-fold benefit.

 

By offering easier access to transit centers, the Build More Housing Near Transit Act will connect more employees with jobs and boost economic output, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased public transit ridership. It will also make federal transportation projects more efficient and ensure federal dollars are used most effectively.

 

“America is experiencing a severe housing shortage that affects every aspect of American lives and the economy,” said Mike Kingsella, CEO of Up for Growth Action. “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act addresses the critical link between transportation and housing and would create greater access to affordable commutes and abundant housing. We applaud the lead sponsors for introducing this bill, serving as an example of how the federal government can use its leverage to ensure the right types of housing are available in the places people want to live.”

 

“For decades, the federal government has funded mass transit projects in cities whose growth control laws do not allow people to live near and ride on transit. The Build More Housing Near Transit Act finally corrects this. It protects transit riders and the federal taxpayer from spending scarce transit capital on projects doomed by rigid zoning regulations to low housing growth and low future ridership, while uplifting projects in localities that welcome housing & transit ridership growth. This bill is the essential first step in restoring bipartisan confidence in America's mass transit investments for taxpayers and transit riders alike,” said Alex Armlovich, Senior Housing Policy Analyst for the Niskanen Center.

 

The full text of the bill is available here.

 

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