Texas lawmakers aren't finished talking about housing affordability.
Nearly a year after a package of housing reform bills took effect, the Texas House Land and Resource Management Committee is set to revisit the issue during an interim hearing on Monday, July 20, as lawmakers weigh how the new laws are working — and whether more changes are needed when the Legislature returns in January.
The committee, chaired by state Rep. Gary Gates, R-Rosenberg, will review four housing bills passed during the last legislative session: House Bill 24, Senate Bill 840, Senate Bill 15 and Senate Bill 1567. Together, the measures were aimed at making it easier to build more housing across Texas by reducing regulations that supporters say have slowed development and driven up costs.
The bills tackle different parts of the development process. HB 24 limits the ability of neighbors to delay zoning changes. SB 840 allows housing to be built in some commercial areas without requiring zoning changes. SB 15 prevents larger cities from enforcing certain restrictions on residential lot density, while SB 1567 limits how strictly cities can regulate who can live in a home.
Housing affordability was one of the top priorities for state leaders during the last legislative session, and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, has directed lawmakers to continue studying the issue during the interim.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who authored SB 15 and SB 1567, said the goal was simple.
"This was a suite of bills that we put out, and what we were trying to do is cut the red tape to get more multifamily residential built in areas that were zoned commercial," Bettencourt told The Texan.
Developers say the new laws have started to remove some of the biggest roadblocks to building more homes.
"Right now, the cities are micromanaging what can be done on a property. They have all these outdated zoning categories. We've just lost sense of why, and it's become this political gridlock issue within the cities," San Antonio developer David Morin told The Texan.
"There are sites where you could do a car wash, you could do a McDonald's, but you can't build a townhome."
But not everyone is on board.
Several cities, including Plano, Baytown, Leander and Irving, opposed portions of the legislation during the session. The mayors of Lewisville, Flower Mound and Georgetown also spoke out against SB 15.
Plano argued the new rules could encourage higher-density developments without requiring builders to help cover the cost of infrastructure.
"Less restrictive density, height, setback, and parking requirements, and prohibitions on requiring studies, improvements, parkland and permit fees, as mandated by SB 840, encourage multifamily development of inferior quality which will strain local resources, such as parks, roads, and sewer capacity, without paying the typical fair share of costs. Those costs will be borne by current residents," the city said in a statement.
Some cities also moved quickly before the laws took effect last September by adopting new local development rules. According to The Texan, Irving approved new height requirements, Arlington required electric vehicle chargers in some developments, and Plano adopted a new 75-foot minimum height rule for certain projects.
Bettencourt said he expected pushback but believes expanding the housing supply is worth it.
"You're gonna have these little brushfires when things get changed, but the key thing is, to reduce scarcity, to keep prices under control, and to build more housing, you've got to have this cumbersome bureaucracy trimmed back," he said.
The committee hearing comes as housing remains a major issue at both the state and federal levels. Congress recently passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which became law Saturday after President Donald Trump did not sign the measure.
Gates and state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
