Commentary
Some things new laws just can’t fix. You first must change the old laws. That’s turning out to be the case with the drive to build new housing to deal with homelessness.
Senate Bill 9 was passed in 2021 and is called the Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act, or HOME Act. Here’s the Senate’s own explanation:
[It] streamlines the process for a homeowner to create a duplex or subdivide an existing lot. Any new housing created as a result of this bill must meet a specific list of qualifications that protects historic districts, preserves environmental quality and the look of communities, and prevents tenants from being displaced. This legislation will enable homeowners to create intergenerational wealth, and provide access to more rental and ownership options for working families who would otherwise be priced out of neighborhoods….