Manufactured Housing Barriers Are Falling Thanks to Advocacy
April 2, 2020
Currently, the United States is facing an affordable housing shortage of approximately 7 million units. Given the situation, it is not surprising that H.R. 4351, called the "Yes in My Backyard" (YIMBY) Act, has passed the House. To understand the effects of this bill on lower-income families, let's look at the proposed changes. These changes will take effect if the bill becomes law.
Manufactured Homes Will Be Allowed in Different Residential Districts
Local zoning ordinances and land-use regulations are two important barriers to affordable housing. These rules have kept manufactured homes out of many communities. This has hurt the growth of the manufactured housing sector and made affordable housing harder to find.
As these rules have become stricter each year, fewer affordable homes have been built. This has caused a shortage of affordable housing and a steady rise in property prices.
The good news is that the federal YIMBY Act is about to change and even eliminate some of the exclusionary zoning regulations and other regulatory barriers to affordable housing.
The new bill requires local areas to find and remove any unfair land-use rules. This means manufactured homes will be part of both single-family and multi-family neighborhoods.
The YIMBY Act says that local areas must allow high-density housing. This includes both single-family and multi-family homes. This change will help increase the production of manufactured housing. It is part of the solution to the country's housing affordability crisis.
The YIMBY Act requires local areas that receive CDBG funds to provide regular reports. These reports must detail the steps they have taken or plan to take. The goal is to remove land-use policies that unfairly exclude manufactured homes from their communities.
The new bill understands how important CDBG funds are for local areas. It encourages local governments to team up with affordable housing advocates and the Administration. Together, they can tackle zoning rules that have hurt the creation of affordable housing.
Local input from communities can greatly affect the development of affordable housing, like manufactured homes. A law that encourages local governments to ease or remove certain zoning rules will help increase affordable housing production.
The new bill will help make affordable housing easier to find. It will also make local zoning and land-use decisions clearer. This change will provide some relief to lower-income families facing high rental rates and home prices.
The MHI has suggested a new rule. This rule tells HUD to make sure local areas include manufactured homes in their affordable housing plans. It also applies to community development strategies.
The YIMBY Act Will Encourage Manufactured Housing Production
The new bill supports including manufactured homes in more communities. It gives advocates a strong reason to object to actions that would keep manufactured homes out of certain neighborhoods.
Manufactured homes can save money and look just as good as site-built houses. The YIMBY Act will increase the demand for these homes. This will encourage the production of manufactured homes.
This increase will boost the supply of affordable housing. It could help end the current affordable housing crisis. It may also lower home prices and rental rates.
Additional Bills Support Smaller Manufactured Home Loans
In addition to the YIMBY Act, the H.R. 5931 also passed in the House on March 2, 2020. This bill requires the FHA to review its rules.
It aims to remove barriers for homebuyers seeking smaller loans. These loans are for manufactured homes costing under $70,000. The goal is to create a better lending environment for these loans and for potential borrowers.
Affordable housing is a key topic nowadays. Manufactured homes are the biggest source of affordable housing in many areas. Including them in more communities is key to promoting fair housing and improving our neighborhoods.
Legislative efforts that help local areas improve housing availability, affordability, and fairness could end the affordable housing crisis. This could also boost economic productivity.