New Bills Tackle Housing Shortage and Affordability Crisis

Legislators Identify Solutions to Expand Housing Options Across Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, PA – Today, a bipartisan group of legislators came together to announce legislation aimed at tackling Pennsylvania’s statewide housing shortage. Communities across the Commonwealth are facing a severe lack of housing, a challenge that is straining our economy and threatening the stability and vitality of our neighborhoods.

Representatives Solomon (Philadelphia-D), Inglis (Allegheny-D), Hogan (Bucks- R), Major (Allegheny-R), along with Representatives Irvin (Franklin, Huntingdon-R), Khan (Philadelphia-D), Zimmerman (Lancaster-R), Davidson (Cumberland and Dauphin-D), Smith-Wade-El (Lancaster-D), Rivera (Lancaster-D) called for immediate legislative action to address housing needs. 

“These bills set fair, common-sense expectations for municipalities and reflect the reality that housing markets cross local lines,” said Kat DeSantis, Policy Director at 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania. “By bringing more consistency to our housing laws, Pennsylvania can start to close the housing gap that’s pushing rents and home prices out of reach for too many people.”

Right now, people our communities rely on—like teachers, childcare workers, and service and retail workers—can't find homes they can afford in the cities they serve. And when there are not enough homes, the wealthy will always outbid working people, and everyone else has to move farther away.

"Pennsylvania is facing a serious housing and affordability crisis. We are not building enough homes; rents are rising faster than wages, and too many families are being priced out of the communities where they live and work,” said Representative Inglis (Allegheny-D). “Each of the bills discussed today addresses a different piece of the housing puzzle, but together, they form a comprehensive approach to affordability, supply and opportunity. For too long our state has made it too difficult for developers to invest in our communities, and other states ranging from Colorado to California to Texas, Florida and North Carolina have all begun making similar changes, cutting government red tape to spur housing development in their states. It’s time Pennsylvania does the same. The time for affordable, abundant housing in Pennsylvania is now.

The housing crisis won’t solve itself. Right now, we are pricing out and excluding an entire generation of families from taking part in the American Dream of home ownership. But with smart policy, modern zoning, and coordinated action, we can make Pennsylvania a state where everyone can afford a place to call home."

Allowing more homes of all shapes and sizes, like fourplexes and apartments, makes our cities and towns more affordable for local workers, shortening commutes, helping local businesses hire locally, and supporting a thriving community for everyone. 

“At Americans for Prosperity Pennsylvania, we strive to create an economy that works for all—empowering people to earn success and realize their potential,” said Zig Reichenbach from Americans for Prosperity PA said. “Overly burdensome regulations related to housing, land use, and zoning make housing more costly and erect barriers to economic growth that inhibit opportunity and geographic mobility… Overcoming these barriers through changes in state law would bolster property rights and foster economic opportunity, improving outcomes for workers, renters, homeowners, and landlords.”

Legislators Solomon and Inglis recently introduced a package of bills that will begin to tackle solutions to the housing shortage problem. 

“We have a housing crisis in PA and across the nation. Housing is too expensive- young and old are being priced out of the market," said Representative Solomon (Philadelphia-D). "Today, we are working collaboratively to ensure all Pennsylvanians have an affordable place to live and raise their families.”

Representative Solomon's co-sponsorship memos identify promising and creative solutions to build homes in growing communities, and seeks to identify and remove regulatory barriers and smooth pathways at the state level to more homes.

Representative Inglis’s legislation would allow homeowners to build “backyard cottages,” also known as accessory dwelling units, on their own property to help provide a home for family members, caregivers, or renters. The second bill would allow the creation of modest and affordable home types like duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. These home types were banned as modern day zoning codes prioritized larger homes on large lots. Allowing duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes opens up realistic opportunities for young families, working people, and others to find a home they can afford that meets their needs in a community of their choosing.

“As we are working to grow Pennsylvania’s economy, we need to make sure there is enough affordable housing,” Representative Major (Westmoreland-R) said. “I stand with my colleagues in efforts to remove barriers and work with local officials to spur more affordable housing options.”

"Pennsylvania and our entire Nation is facing a housing crisis decades in the making," said Representative Hogan (Bucks-R). "This bipartisan package of bills looks at some of the root causes, built up over years, of higher prices. If Pennsylvania is going to be economic leader in the Northeast, we need obtainable housing to keep and retain a world-class workforce."

Together, these proposals represent an opportunity to set state standards and give communities better tools to grow sustainably, increase housing opportunity, and prevent more Pennsylvanians from being priced out of their communities.

We are calling on the General Assembly to pass statewide legislation that restores missing housing options, brings back starter homes, allows more housing near jobs and public transportation, and legalizes accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

About PA Housing Choices Coalition

The PA Housing Choices Coalition is a statewide, nonpartisan alliance of organizations committed to one goal: expanding housing choices for all Pennsylvanians through smart, bipartisan policy. Co-chaired by 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania and Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, the coalition includes homebuilders, business leaders, economic experts, and more. Learn more: www.pahousingchoices.com.