See below for a press release from Sen. Mark Warner’s office about addressing the national housing crisis. I’d argue that these are mostly good ideas, but not nearly sufficient, given that a TON of housing is blocked due to NIMBYism (e.g., oppposition to “missing middle” housing, density, etc.), exclusionary single-family zoning, continued incentives to sprawl/exurbia and disincentives to transit-oriented development/cities/close-in suburbs, etc. Also, of course, there’s pretty much no chance that at least during the Trump administration, and while Republicans control Congress, that much of Sen. Warner’s agenda will be signed into law. But…yes, we need to keep pushing on this, as it’s a huge problem, including in many deep-blue areas, and it’s simply not sustainable on multiple fronts…
P.S. This gets at the whole debate over an “abundance agenda,” including on housing. I can see pros and cons to this agenda, but I definitely think it’s a worthwhile discussion to have, because obviously what we’ve seen the past few decades hasn’t been working very well. And that’s not just on the housing front, but also in terms of things like permitting transmission lines for wind and solar power (and not just transmission lines, also the solar and wind power projects themselves); building high-speed rail and transit; etc. I mean, we don’t want to be China of course, but it’s infuriating – and shuld be unacceptable – to see that country racing FAR ahead of us on solar, wind, high-speed rail and many other fronts.
AT HOUSING SUMMIT, WARNER CHARTS COMPREHENSIVE PATH FOR ADDRESSING NATIONAL HOUSING CRISIS
[ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE HERE]
RICHMOND – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), in partnership with the Virginia Association of Counties, the Virginia Housing Alliance, and Henrico County, convened the “Keys to Housing Affordability Summit” at The Westin Richmond.
As part of this half-day summit, the senator hosted a series of panels that delved into nonprofit efforts to address housing challenges, current housing market data and forecasts, and smart local initiatives that are making a difference in places like Fairfax, Henrico, and the town of Marion. The senator also delivered a keynote address during which he charted a comprehensive path for addressing the national housing crisis through his Road to Housing legislative agenda.
“Affordable housing isn’t just about buildings or budgets, it’s about people, families, and communities,” said Sen. Warner after the event. “If we want communities to thrive, we’re going to need an ‘all-the-above’ approach to tackling the housing crisis. I was proud to host this summit today to bring Virginia’s best housing minds together and collaborate on real, tangible solutions.”
A national leader on the issue, Sen. Warner has put forth a number of legislative proposals to address the problems contributing to the national housing crisis:
In July, the Senate Banking Committee advanced a package of bipartisan housing proposals to the Senate floor which included several measures championed and supported by Warner. That package now awaits consideration by the full Senate.
