Housing Affordability and Zoning

The House of Representatives voted 390–9 to approve a wide‑ranging bipartisan housing bill aimed at easing America’s home‑affordability crunch by boosting supply, especially for first‑time and lower‑income buyers. Championed by House Financial Services Chair French Hill, R‑Ark., and ranking Democrat Maxine Waters, D‑Calif., the measure would push state and local governments to allow more multifamily and 'missing middle' housing—such as small apartment buildings and taller structures on smaller lots—by tying new incentives and streamlined permitting to more flexible zoning. It directs HUD to launch a pilot program funding 'pattern books' of pre‑approved, code‑compliant housing designs to speed up approvals and lower soft costs for developers building small and mid‑sized projects rather than luxury units. The bill dovetails with President Trump’s second‑term focus on affordability, including his recent executive order targeting large investment firms’ purchases of single‑family homes and tax incentives for distressed communities under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, though it stops short of overriding local decisions in oversupplied markets. Polling cited in the article shows strong public backing for expanding missing‑middle housing, reflecting broad frustration with high rents, record home prices and zoning rules that lock many families out of ownership.