Texas lawmakers are passing several laws aimed at increasing the state’s housing supply, seeking to reduce the growing housing burden that many Texas households face, reports Joshua Fater of Texas Tribune.
Among the passed legislation, Senate Bill 15 allows developers to build small homes in small lots, except that cities require a minimum lot size of more than 3,000 square feet in new areas. “Another bill by R-Mineola State Senator, Senate Bill 840, allows for the development of apartments and mixed-use in more locations. The law allows delays in shopping malls, strip centers, offices and warehouses. Both bills apply to cities with over 150,000 people in counties of more than 300,000 people.
Another important bill “destroyed” a law known as the “tyrant veto.” The law has been criticized as a Jim Crow-era tool to help people become deemed undesirable by their neighbours. The new law, House Bill 24, will raise the threshold to 60%. “The property owners were also unable to block citywide zoning changes, or citywide zoning changes, as they did in Austin.”
While the bill aimed at criminalizing homelessness failed, another bill speeded up the eviction process and raised concerns among advocates that more people become homeless.
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