'Affordable' housing becomes unaffordable when state and local governments put unreasonable restrictions and requirements on builders

NY Times:

As Affordable Housing Crisis Grows, HUD Sits on the Sidelines

Local officials seem resigned to the fact that they will receive little or no help from the Trump administration, whose main policy response has been a plan to increase some rents.
Places with the least affordable housing have the most restrictions on building from New York to California.  In New York, it is rent controls which make it difficult to get a return on investment, not to mention the bureaucracy of getting plans approved and an inspection regime that adds to the time an effort required to build housing.  Because it is harder to get a return on investment you get fewer new units added which drives up costs.

In California, it can be land use restrictions and goofy requirements like rooftop solar which adds to the cost of a home as well as inefficient energy.

While housing in Texas is much cheaper in most areas, Austin, which is run by a liberal city counsel is driving up the cost of housing and has made poor transportation decisions too.  In all three areas, the common problem is liberals in government.  Asking HUD to subsidize the inefficiencies of liberalism is a bad idea. 

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