NC lawmakers revive housing reform agenda, taking on its cities

"North Carolina lawmakers once again will try to pass statewide housing reform in a Tar Heel State push to catch up with several of its own cities. Several bills on the agenda this session prioritize housing affordability. They would preempt local control on parking, housing types, and permitting timelines. The measures would apply to all of North Carolina's districts the same types of reforms that cities such as Raleigh and Durham have already codified."

"Lawmakers are taking aggressive steps to boost housing supply and address worsening affordability. From Raleigh to Tallahassee to Sacramento, efforts to ease zoning and permit more homes often run headlong into resistance. Local governments, whose electorates tend to be dominated by property owners intent on protecting the value of their most prized financial asset, have been steadfast in efforts to retain control over development rules."

"Ending parking mandates has become a popular solution to eliminating a costly part of urban housing construction. They have also been blamed for creating vast empty spaces in urban neighborhoods. In a LinkedIn post, Aaron Lubeck, a Durham developer, equated current parking provisions and their accompanying car culture to urbicide. California, Colorado, Illinois, Washington, and Oregon are among the states whose legislators enacted laws upending minimum parking requirements statewide."

North Carolina lawmakers are renewing efforts to pass statewide housing reforms that would preempt local control over parking, housing types, and permitting timelines. A prior effort failed largely because of a budget stalemate, and that impasse continues into the reconvened legislative session. The proposed measures would extend reforms already adopted by cities such as Raleigh and Durham to all state districts. The push reflects a broader national trend where legislatures seek to boost housing supply and affordability through zoning and permitting changes. Local governments and property owners often resist such preemption, prompting pushback and lawsuits. Many cities and several states have moved to end minimum parking requirements.

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