San Antonio Remains Affordable as City Grows

In spite of San Antonio’s rapid growth, the Texas city has managed to keep rent and housing costs more affordable than other U.S. cities, writes Christoper Swope in Governing. “A Redfin Analysis found that middle-income residents in San Antonio can afford 87 percent of the homes listed for sale. Compare that to 10 percent in Las Vegas, 3 percent in Boston, and 0 percent in most of California’s big cities.”

This affordability is due in part to a Housing Policy Task Force started by Mayor Ron Nirenberg in 2017. The task force created a 10-year housing plan that aligned city resources with private-sector actors to develop affordable housing strategies. The city made zoning reforms such as permitting ADUs and offering density bonuses for affordable housing, brought a bond measure to voters that approved $150 million for housing programs, and is experimenting with community land trusts to keep housing costs down. The city also hired a ‘chief housing officer’ focused on coordinating efforts between stakeholders. “That came into play in writing new zoning rules aimed at building affordable housing around bus rapid transit lines planned to open in a few years,” Swope adds.