Within a week after the landmark 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (“ROAD”) became law, Smart Growth America (SGA) briefed Congressional staffers about the federal solutions that need to come next to deliver affordable housing at the right place, type, and price. Experts from think tanks, government, and the private sector shared insight to provide Congressional staffers with a comprehensive understanding of how federal legislation can shape housing supply.

Tina Lee, housing policy manager at the Economic Innovation Group, drew on her experience supporting cities implementing Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs. She spoke about the agency’s shift from supporting affordable housing construction to rewarding localities after they build housing or improve zoning. Moving forward, she recommended that Congress bolster critical programs like the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program, HUD's ongoing effort to fund local zoning reform—which is in danger of being defunded in transportation, housing, and urban development appropriations for the upcoming fiscal year—and the Build Now Act included in ROAD, which incentivizes high-cost areas to expand supply by rewarding them with additional funding for housing development.

Jenifer Acosta, housing developer and lead consultant at Housing Forward, shared her experience navigating federal funding for housing construction from the private sector. Along with calling attention to the challenges developers face in maintaining profits, she pointed out lengthy federal, state, and local approval processes that highlight the need for further reform to support zoning modernization efforts. Moving forward, Acosta encouraged funding the programs created under ROAD and advancing transit-oriented development policies such as the Build HUBS Act to help mission-driven developers deliver affordable housing in the right places.

Sophie Boumsidia, legislative assistant for Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), spoke about how housing and transportation are the highest costs for households and how behind the federal government is in leveraging land use to address these challenges. She drew attention to two of Sen. Blunt Rochester’s contributions to ROAD that contribute to improvements to land use: the Housing Supply Frameworks Act, which calls on HUD to develop guidance on zoning best practices, and the Section 207 grant program, which assists state and local governments in planning and implementing affordable housing at the regional level.

Focusing on what’s next, Boumsidia cited longstanding challenges with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) and Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) programs, noting their inability to support transit-oriented housing development. She offered solutions such as relieving National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) requirements for certain types of infrastructure and an expedited creditworthiness process, which were included in the Build HUBS Act.

Beyond each expert’s individual presentation, panelists raised other important federal actions during the moderated Q&A session. Boumsidia emphasized that the Accelerating Home Building Act within ROAD, which supports pre-approved designs for future housing construction, is an important cost-saving measure for local communities. Acosta spoke about the importance of policymakers focusing on missing-middle housing, spotlighting the Department of Agriculture’s role in supporting rural housing development. Lee highlighted several studies that members of Congress should review to better understand housing supply economics. Capitol Hill staffers in attendance also asked about converting commercial buildings and leveraging funding from community development financial institutions (CDFIs).

In the room, there was widespread agreement that the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act was a good first step in steering the nation’s policy priorities toward housing, but that more work needs to be done. Solutions highlighted during this briefing would ensure the U.S. is on a path to creating communities with not just affordable housing, but broad social and economic opportunity. As demonstrated by this event and the discussion with our partners, Smart Growth America will continue working with housing advocates at every level to educate members of Congress on the smart-growth strategies and housing policy solutions needed across the country.