Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) introduced H.R. 7054, the “Housing Innovation Act,” which would establish an Office of Housing Innovation within HUD. The new office would focus on “developing new approaches for increasing and diversifying the supply of housing and for meeting the challenges of housing shortages, housing affordability, and traffic congestion, and for other purposes.”
Under the bill, the Office of Housing Innovation would administer three types of grants: one to localities committed to addressing affordable housing issues through planning and regulatory reform, another to further pilot projects and research on innovative solutions to addressing the lack of affordable housing, and a third for public awareness and outreach.
The largest grant program, capped at $2 million per grantee, would support efforts to address the housing needs of eligible localities through planning and regulatory reform efforts. These reform efforts would aim to increase the supply of affordable housing, improve the affordability of the existing housing supply and commute times, and diversify the housing supply to include “more multifamily housing options or newer and less common forms of housing, such as multifamily housing focused on smaller private spaces and more shared amenities, micro-unit housing, housing developments that incorporate co-working spaces, and housing for students.” The competitive grants would be evaluated on the extent to which localities justify the need for a comprehensive planning process to address affordable housing needs of the locality, demonstrate an intent to collaborate with regional planning efforts, and detail the specific steps the locality intends to take if awarded the grant.
To learn more about the bill, read the Housing Innovation Act of 2018 at: https://bit.ly/2PIQoIR
Read the press release from Representative DeSaulnier’s office at: https://bit.ly/2EurHyo