All Aboard the Bus

“It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten up that early,” a friend told me when she learned that the Advocacy Day bus departs the Lansdale area on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. 

I’m proud to be participating in this event for the third year. For the second year in a row, the Montco 30% Project is a partner organizer for this event alongside principal organizer The Bucks Mont Collaborative, in addition to Community Collaborative Connect, Mental Health Partnerships, and the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania. 

We need everyone – in these times especially – driving together instead of alone. It not only stretches and conserves valuable resources, but also buoys up each other when clouds gather or a flat tire strikes. 

On Tuesday, a swarm of yellow shirts will advocate in one confident voice inside the halls of our state Capitol. We will meet with legislators in support of behavioral health goals such as mental health treatment parity and a continuum model of care. 

Our priority housing legislation is outlined below in a recent op-ed I penned with Nicole Brunet of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania (and a key organizer behind the PA Housing Choices Coalition). 

This column was originally published in The Reporter (Lansdale).  

Pennsylvania faces a severe, statewide shortage of homes that threatens our state’s stability. Our commonwealth’s families, essential workers, seniors, and recent college graduates deserve better.

We believe there are several solutions to reduce prices and expand supply within reach in Harrisburg. These policy prescriptions respect and enhance private property rights while removing arbitrary regulations that interfere with the housing market. Despite a general skepticism about the Legislature’s abilities, Pennsylvania voters would rather the state tackle this issue compared with local governments, according to a recent YouGov poll.

But we need to face the facts: More than 2,500 municipalities are relying on locally elected volunteers and appointed civil servants on planning and zoning boards to oversee the development of housing, one of life’s most basic necessities. They aren’t meeting the needs of their constituents. This results in a patchwork quilt of regulation that slows production and increases costs for buyers and renters. Municipal officials’ service is laudable, but greater consistency and predictability are needed.

Voters agree. A March poll by YouGov, commissioned by 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, found cost was a major barrier for housing. About 84% of respondents said the General Assembly should take action to address Pennsylvania’s housing shortage and cost of housing in the state.

Two-thirds of those polled specifically supported allowing unrelated people to live together as roommates or housemates, which is banned or limited in some municipalities.

House Bill 2109, sponsored by Rep. Tarik Khan, a Philadelphia Democrat, invokes the popular 1980s television show “The Golden Girls,” where four senior women choose to live together to save money. The proposal, also sponsored by Armstrong County Republican Rep. Abby Major, would strike arbitrary limits at the local level.

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Meanwhile, House Bill 2186, sponsored by Rep. John Inglis III, an Allegheny County Democrat, would create statewide standards allowing accessory dwelling units or ADUs (“granny suites”) on residential properties — reducing unnecessary municipal red tape that prevents people from adding onto to their private property. These additional units can help boost supply, especially in communities that are mostly built out.

You may be wondering if municipalities already have the option to allow these housing types. While local governments can allow options such as ADUs or housing in commercial areas, most do not. In many communities, zoning restricts development primarily to single-family homes. Without clear local rules, homeowners or developers must pursue a variance, which is costly, time-consuming and uncertain. These bills set clear statewide standards to reduce those barriers while still allowing municipalities to oversee health and safety.

A few critics argue these types of housing create a burden on infrastructure such as water and sewer. In most cases, homes like ADUs or mixed-use developments are typically built within existing communities where infrastructure is already in place. They make more efficient use of existing systems rather than requiring entirely new ones. Local governments also retain authority to ensure adequate capacity and enforce health and safety standards.

Some folks worry that adding more housing overwhelms schools. School districts and communities are required to plan for future growth and enrollment, but today’s increased housing costs are pricing out families with kids. Plus, a growing share of new households in the state don’t have kids (the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors asserts that about 30% of households are singles or couples without children). New homes can help share the cost of municipal services across multiple homes.

The fact is, whether you want to move back to your hometown after college or are a grandparent who wants to live with family or friends, there are not a lot of housing options for you. These proposals represent an opportunity to set state standards and give communities better tools to grow, and prevent more Pennsylvanians from being priced out of their communities.