Governor Shapiro’s Housing Action Plan
Alexa Martin
Recognizing that homes are the foundation of opportunity, Governor Shapiro released a ten-year Housing Action Plan (the “Plan”) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Plan establishes five goals: (1) building and preserving Pennsylvania’s housing stock; (2) expanding housing opportunities for all Pennsylvanians; (3) providing pathways to housing stabilization and sustainability; (4) modernizing Pennsylvania’s housing development regulations; and (5) achieving operational excellence across state and local government. Successful implementation of these goals will establish Pennsylvania as a national leader in access to safe and affordable housing by 2035.
The Plan sets forth various action steps to accomplish each goal. Among other things, the Plan seeks to accomplish the first goal by growing the existing housing supply through new development while also preserving existing housing units. Specifically, the Plan supports investment in residential site infrastructure, office-to-residential conversion, and mixed-use development. The Plan aims to reach the second goal by strengthening legal protections for renters and tenants and creating pathways to ease the homebuying process for first time homebuyers. The Plan aims to achieve the third goal by aligning homelessness support programs and helping Pennsylvanians transition into safe, stable housing. The Plan strives toward the fourth goal by reforming state and local regulations governing housing development to reduce costs and accelerate the delivery of high-quality homes. Specifically, the Plan recommends updating the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code to increase speed, certainty, and efficiency in local zoning, subdivision, and land development approval processes and create new opportunities to add more homes in communities across the Commonwealth. It also proposes strengthening municipal land banks to return blighted residential properties to productive use.
Lastly, the Plan targets the fifth goal by recommending the appointment of a deputy secretary for housing and improving the Commonwealth’s data collection for housing programs and the sharing of housing data across executive departments. The Plan calls on local governments, developers and builders, labor unions and contractors, and homeowners to join in a collective effort to ensure its success. If you are curious about how Governor Shapiro’s Housing Action Plan might impact you, contact Appel Yost today.
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