Some members of Congress think federal public lands are an answer to the housing crisis. But dozens of conservation and affordable housing groups are pushing back, saying protecting land and expanding access to housing are not competing goals.
More than 60 organizations published “Shared Ground,” a policy paper in which they argue that the housing crisis is “fundamentally a policy and investment challenge—not the result of a simple shortage of land,” and point to alternatives like preserving existing affordable housing, building on vacant land within neighborhoods and zoning reform.
Noëlle Porter, the director of government affairs for the National Housing Law Project, said affordable housing advocates were caught off guard when members of Congress introduced several measures last summer to sell public lands – first Sen. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), and then a much broader plan from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
“We were like, ‘Well, we didn't ask for that. Your bill doesn't solve it,’” Porter said, adding that the proposals would not have led to greater affordability.
Those proposals failed, but the groups said they wanted to get ahead of future ones. “Shared Ground” lays out criteria they say any plan to use public lands for housing should meet to actually deliver on affordability, rather than leading to sprawl or spurring expensive development.
The report calls for legally binding affordability requirements, prioritizing already-developed sites and excluding land with significant conservation, recreation or cultural value.
“The goal is to sort of say, ‘You can't wrap this sale in a premise that isn't actually a part of the promise,’” Porter said.
The groups also say projects should fit with local land use plans and involve consultation with Tribes and communities.
Using federal land for housing can have bipartisan appeal. The Biden Administration launched a program to use Forest Service administrative parcels for housing employees. These organizations say they are not completely opposed to the concept but argue that large-scale land selloffs won’t address the problem.
“Proposals to sell off large tracts of public lands don’t meet affordable housing needs or public desires to protect open space,” said John Robison, the public lands and wildlife director for the Idaho Conservation League, in a statement. “By encouraging infill and by building up – and not out – we are protecting the trailheads and trail systems that make Idaho communities great places to raise families.”
Other Mountain West organizations that signed onto the policy paper include Nevada Housing Justice Alliance, Nevada Wildlife Federation, New Mexico Wild, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Conservation Colorado, Wyoming Wilderness Association and Wyoming Outdoor Council.
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has his own plan to use federal land for housing but has made no public moves since announcing it more than a year ago in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A department spokesperson said this week that HUD is now the lead agency on that initiative; HUD didn’t respond to a request for comment.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
