Drive to boost housing construction by easing regulations gains momentum

Three jurisdictions—Maryland, Chicago, and San Francisco—recently took steps to ease regulations on housing construction.

These actions fuel the trend of loosening housing rules to spur more housing construction. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order directing state agencies to identify state-owned properties for transit-oriented development and to reduce permitting timelines. It also establishes housing production targets for localities with planning and zoning authority and a state housing ombudsman reduce delays on development timelines.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie released a legislative package containing sweeping permitting reforms to remove barriers and streamline San Francisco’s permitting process.
The changes would reduce permitting fees for development projects of $100 million or more and eliminate a requirement to meet with city staff ahead of submitting a permit application for larger developments. The changes also add flexibility on how the city’s historic buildings can be used and make it easier to build accessory dwelling units.

Chicago has eliminated parking mandates for new construction, rehabilitation, or reuse projects that are located within a half-mile of a Chicago Transit Authority rail station, or within 1,320 feet of a high-volume bus line. The change impacts all zoning districts except downtown districts.