The Trump Administration has taken the first step in making good on the president’s campaign promise to open up federal lands to home building.
Uncle Sam oversees more than 500 million acres throughout the country, “much of it” suitable for residential development, according to an agreement announced late last week between the departments of the Interior and Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The heads of those agencies, Interior Sec. Doug Burgum and HUD Sec. Scott Turner, signed the agreement during an unusual 90-second YouTube video in which they announced the initiative. They also published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.
The Joint Task Force on Federal Land For Housing will identify land that’s available for residential construction and “streamline the transfer process” to move that ground from the government rolls to state and local governments and eventually private developers, Sec. Turner said in the video.
“We need more affordable housing, about 7 million to be exact,” he said.
“A brighter future, with more affordable housing, is on its way,” the two cabinet members wrote in the op-ed piece, promising to invest in America’s “many forgotten communities,” including Tribal communities.
Under their agreement, Interior will identify locations that can support new housing while HUD will pinpoint places where housing is most pressing. They said they would work with state and local leaders and would carefully consider land-use restrictions and environmental concerns.
“Working together, our agencies can take inventory of underused federal properties, transfer or lease them to states or localities to address housing needs, and support the infrastructure required to make development viable — all while ensuring affordability remains at the core of the mission,” they said in the op-ed.
At the same time, they called the effort to refine the regulatory process the “cornerstone” of the partnership.
Historically, they noted, building on federal land has been a “nightmare of red tape.” Bottlenecks include lengthy environmental reviews, complex transfer protocols and disjointed agency priorities, they said.
But the partnership aims to cut through the bureaucracy. Interior will reduce the red tape behind land transfers or leases to public housing authorities, non-profits and local governments while HUD will ensure these projects align with affordability goals and development needs.
“This isn't a free-for-all to build on federal lands,” Burgum and Turner wrote. “It's a strategic effort to use our resources responsibly while preserving our most beautiful lands.”
