President Biden is calling on all federal agencies to assess surplus federal land that can be repurposed to build affordable housing, with the goal of collaborating with city, county, or state land and development agencies to build more affordable and climate resilient housing.
Examples of this plan moving forward include:
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, BLM is opening a public comment period to sell 20 acres of public land at below-market value to Clark County, NV to enable the development of nearly 150 affordable homes for households making less than 80% of AMI.
Through an MOU between BLM and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), BLM is proposing to sell 18 acres of land at below-market value to the City of Henderson, NV, which will provide nearly 300 affordable rental housing units.
BLM is considering the disposition of an additional 562 acres of public lands in the Las Vegas Valley that could support the building of up to 15,000 affordable rental and homeownership units.
United States Forest Service (USFS)
USFS is announcing plans to lease strategically positioned sites for workforce housing developments in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Ketchum, Idaho. It’s actively exploring additional land that can be leveraged to support workforce housing in high-cost areas across the country.
United States Postal Service (USPS)
USPS, which owns more than 8,500 facilities nationwide, will pilot the repurposing of surplus properties for housing.
Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD) & General Services Administration (GSA)
Together, these agencies are planning to release a final rule that would make it easier for public and nonprofit developers to use federal buildings and land to house people experiencing homelessness. This is made possible through the Title V program, which allows federal agencies to use unutilized, underutilized, excess or surplus federal properties at no cost to develop housing for people experiencing homelessness.
Department of Transportation (DOT)
DOT has published interim guidance to allow transit agencies to use their property to support transit-oriented development.
Note: Although the announcement names the construction of affordable housing as a primary goal of public land disposition, there are no affordability requirements or mandates in the referenced acts, MOUs, or proposed rules.
Alliance for Housing Justice is a coalition of organizations including Center for Popular Democracy, Housing Justice for All NY, Housing Now! CA, Liberation in a Generation, PolicyLink, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Housing Law Project, PowerSwitch Action, Poverty & Race Research Action Council, Public Advocates & Right to the City Alliance