Regulatory Barriers Affecting Your Business? Air Your Concerns on HUD Web Site
Last year, NAHB worked with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop a clearinghouse for local government officials and builders to air their concerns about regulatory impediments to home building.

The Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse (RBC) hosted on the HUD USER housing research Web site, is intended to support the home building industry, and builders are strongly encouraged to share their regulatory challenges and solutions.

The RBC aims to identify barriers in the areas of

• Tax policy
• Land use controls
• Zoning ordinances
• Building codes
• Fees and charges
• Growth controls
• Other policies that affect return on investment.

In addition to identifying and sharing regulatory obstacles, the Web site also contains a database, an electronic newsletter, and a toll-free hotline (800-245-2691 Option 4). All three are good sources of information on affordable housing laws and policies and especially for regulatory solutions that have been developed and codified throughout the country.

Builders can contribute their regulatory challenges and solutions to the clearinghouse by sending an e-mail to rbcsubmit@huduser.org. Content should describe the barrier to affordable housing and how you responded to it, and should include support materials —especially Internet links to the enabling regulation.

For more information on the RBC, contact Sam Leyvas at 800-368-5242, ext. 8326. [ return to top ]