HUD Awards Nearly $4 Million to Study Ways to Boost Housing Supply with Emphasis on Off-Site Construction Methods, Zoning and Land Use
Funds will fill critical knowledge gaps, help local leaders leverage off-site construction, land use and zoning reforms, and office-to residential conversions to meet their housing needs.
In a lengthy February 23,2024 news release, The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced nearly $4 million in awards to eleven grantees to support research that will fill crucial knowledge gaps and help build the evidence base to accelerate the adoption of innovative and effective practices and policies to increase the production and supply of quality, off-site affordable housing.
The following are six of the dozen plus awardees that will address local zoning reforms and building codes, particularly manufactured housing.
Awardees: Offsite Construction and Land Use Reform Notice of Funding Opportunities:
The Offsite Construction and Land Use Reform Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) awarded a total of $3 million to 10 institutions to conduct innovative research to assess the potential for off-site construction methods and zoning and land use reforms to increase the supply of quality affordable housing and reduce housing expenses for low-and moderate-income owners and renters.
The Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) was awarded $263,544.87 to examine the impact of local barriers on the placement of manufactured homes and propose necessary regulatory reforms to address these constraints.
The National Institute of Building Sciences awarded $499,878 to partner with six HUD regions to design pilot programs that will both identify regional barriers to the adoption of off-site construction and develop strategic plans for off-site construction growth.
The University of California, Los Angeles was awarded $458,340 to study the impact of accessory dwelling unit (ADU) legalization and production in California on rents and prices, as well as to assess how legalization changes land values even for parcels that do not exercise the new development option.
The Urban Institute was awarded $263,874 to leverage its housing market forecast model to examine the interplay between local zoning reforms and their impact on housing costs and segregation.
The National Institute of Building Sciences was awarded $499,878 to partner with six HUD regions to design pilot programs that will both identify regional barriers to the adoption of off-site construction and develop strategic plans for off-site construction growth. These regional pilots will serve as the basis for a pilot handbook to spur other regions to foster off-site construction capacity and encourage uptake.
