By Giulia Carbonaro – US News Reporter
Texas lawmakers trying to solve the state’s housing affordability crisis passed a bill during the last legislative session that experts say will be a “game-changer” for the development of multifamily homes.
Senate Bill 840 or SB 840, which was introduced by Republican state Senator Bryan Hughes and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in June, would streamline the process of turning non-residential commercial buildings in the state into mixed-use and multi-family residential ones.
Under the new legislation, any land that is already classified as a zone for office, commercial, retail, warehouse or existing mixed uses could be turned into mixed-use residential housing without the need for a zone change. Essentially, the legislation does away with a process that some have complained can be time-consuming and expensive—at least in some cases.
