Opinion: Failed Housing Bills Could Signal California-Style Housing Crisis in Texas

Legislators in a state that so often touts its policies as the opposite of California’s defeated several bills that would have made housing construction easier, leading to concerns that a constricted housing market may exacerbate the housing crisis.

2 minute read

June 8, 2023, 10:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Wood-frame two-story housing under construction

Alexandr Ivaschenko / Housing construction

For decades, Texas land use and zoning policy has gone in a different direction than much of California, writes Duncan Hosie in an opinion piece for The Dallas Morning News. “Its land use and zoning regulations are less stringent. And affluent homeowners and bureaucrats have less power to block housing. As a result, more housing gets built every year in Texas than anywhere else, and far fewer people are rent burdened.”

But after the failure of several zoning-related bills to pass in the state legislature, Hosie charges Texas state legislators with being “all hat, no cattle” when it comes to their staunch opposition to ‘California-style’ policies, noting that NIMBY obstructionism and the unintended consequences of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) have led to one of the nation’s worst housing crises.

The Texas bills in question would have permitted accessory dwelling units (ADUs), reduced minimum lot-size regulations, and “curbed so-called compatibility restrictions that limit the height of apartment buildings near single-family homes.” Hosie writes that “Disturbingly, many Democrats and Republicans in Texas trotted out the noxious NIMBY arguments that have reigned supreme in California to sink these proposals.”

According to Hosie, “while California offers a cautionary tale of bad housing policy, its growing YIMBY movement is charting a different course.” Texas legislators may want to look to this movement as a more effective model to “avoid the mistakes of its archrival.”

Monday, June 5, 2023 in The Dallas Morning News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

People with bikes ordering at food trucks outdoors.

Raleigh Launches Greenway Food Truck Pilot to Enhance Park Experiences

Raleigh’s new Greenway Food Truck Pilot Program brings local food vendors to popular greenway locations to enhance park experiences, support small businesses, and encourage community use of public spaces.

45 minutes ago - City of Raleigh

"Units for sale - contact your local realtor" sign in front of homes.

‘Displaced By Design:’ Report Spotlights Gentrification in Black Neighborhoods

A new report finds that roughly 15 percent of U.S. neighborhoods have been impacted by housing cost increases and displacement.

May 19 - Next City

Turquoise blue Pyramid Lake near Reno, Nevada.

Nevada and Utah Groups Oppose Public Land Sell-Off Plan

A set of last-minute amendments to the budget reconciliation bill open up over half a million acres of federally managed land to sales.

May 19 - Inside Climate News

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.