The U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Interior (DOI) have formed a joint task force to identify federal lands that are ideal locations to build affordable housing.
The Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing will lead the combined agencies’ efforts to determine where housing needs are most pressing and streamline the development process. Currently, DOI has more than 500 million acres of largely unused federal land, much of which could be considered prime real estate for future housing development.
The task force will focus on identifying underutilized federal lands viable for residential development, streamlining land transfer processes and supporting policies that increase the affordable housing supply. One of the interagency initiative’s cornerstones is cutting through red tape that slows down land transfer and leases for public housing authorities, nonprofits and local governments.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that the federal government owns 30%— or 650 million acres— of the nation’s total surface area. The lands are predominantly managed by four major agencies:
- The Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
- Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
- National Park Service (NPS).
A large portion of available federal land is located in western states, including California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. These areas are expected to be impacted the most by future initiatives spearheaded by the task force.
Rural and tribal communities historically overlooked in affordable housing initiatives will be major targets under the joint task force. Notably, identified locations for development will be pursued while preserving public lands and considering environmental impacts and land-use restrictions.
(Photo courtesy of Breno Assis on Unsplash.)
