Agreement?
At a recent conference held in Austin, Texas, liberal young professionals, and city planners came together to push for a relaxation of local zoning laws.
It has been called the YIMBYtown Conference and has been going on since 2016. It originated in Boulder, Colorado. The participants advocate for bike lanes, public transit, and higher density in suburbs and cities. An unlikely new group of conference participants were added…Republicans from red states.
YIMBY stands for “Yes In My Back Yard.” The keynote speaker was Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, a conservative Republican, who last year signed into law a housing package now known as the “Montana Miracle” in YIMBY circles.
The pro-housing bill, formally known as the Montana Land Use Act, overrode local zoning ordinances and enacted laws for multifamily and ADUs in single family neighborhoods. Montana, about as Republican as a state can be, looked at proposals from planners, city officials, home builders, and nonprofits before enacting this legislation which is far ahead of more liberal blue states when it comes to different housing alternatives.
One of the speakers at this year’s conference was a Republican Texas legislator who is pushing to loosen zoning regulations in addition to his advocacy on a near total ban on abortion. He was joined on the panel with lawmakers from Vermont, Arizona, and Montana discussing eliminating what may be considered exclusionary zoning and anti-free market local regulations on the state level.
This is now a big tent movement with sponsors such as the Mercatus Center and the Pacific Legal Foundation joining more liberal ones. The lack of housing has reached a critical point throughout the nation. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, state government now wants to find a solution even if local codes must be overridden to enact the solution.
In deep red Martin County and purple Stuart, we may find that the state will no longer allow an unwarranted fear of more housing of all stripes and character which prevents its being built. Either our zoning laws will become more inclusive, or we may find ourselves with a state zoning code much like we have a state building code here in Florida.
