Pennsylvania Housing Action Plan Calls for $1B Fund, Expanded Renter Protections, Homebuyer Assistance

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced an expansive housing plan designed to make homebuilding faster and less costly and reduce the cost of housing for the state’s residents. 

According to an article by Michaelle Bond and Katie Bernard in The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Shapiro called the plan a long-term housing strategy that ‘brings together all different groups who are doing this work, builds on their expertise, and tackles housing access and affordability from every single angle.’”

The plan requires cooperation from state lawmakers to pass any binding legislation. The governor acknowledged while he can take some executive action, much of the plan requires legislative and local government buy-in. 

The plan calls for a $1 billion infrastructure fund that would largely go toward housing production. It also recommends that the state create a tax credit to incentivize homebuilding in underinvested areas, investing in small residential developers, streamlining regulations, and strengthening protections for renters and manufactured home residents. It would also streamline the process for passing down homes after homeowners die, and pursue new ways to assist homebuyers.