Public Lands Can Help Us Tackle the Housing Crisis in the West

As housing costs soar in Western communities, public lands could offer a solution for creating affordable housing while preserving outdoor spaces. But first, we must protect these lands from privatization efforts.

Mark Allison of New Mexico Wilderness Alliance explains how federal land management agencies already have tools to help address the housing crisis. For instance, The Bureau of Land Management recently sold 20 acres of public land to Clark County, Nevada. The county is using the land to build 200 affordable homes. And Summit County, Colorado, partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to lease land to build 162 income-restricted rental units.

However, these opportunities face threats from privatization campaigns. Utah's governor recently sued to force federal “disposal” of public lands, while additionally proposed legislation would make it easier to sell public lands to private developers by counting them as having no value in federal budgets.

Allison argues that strategic use of the U.S.'s 650 million acres of public lands could help create affordable housing in high-cost Western communities without sacrificing the outdoor access that makes these places special. The key is using existing federal tools to identify appropriate parcels for development while conserving others.