Resource

The Guide for Developing Housing on County-Owned Land outlines how counties can strategically use their vacant or underutilized land to help address the nationwide affordable housing shortage. It walks county leaders through a structured process: identifying suitable parcels, evaluating zoning constraints, modeling financial feasibility through pro formas, and selecting the right ownership and development structure. The report emphasizes how these steps—when combined with an understanding of local infrastructure, neighborhood context, and potential housing typologies—can reduce land and development costs while boosting long-term affordability.

By following the practices shared through the Counties for Housing Solutions program, led by SGA and the National Association of Counties (NACo), counties can overcome common barriers, build public trust, attract developers, and ultimately expand housing supply.

While this guide was created with counties in mind, planners and local and state-level governments can take lessons from the report to help them build affordable housing on vacant and underutilized land.