WYOMING — U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) along with co-sponsors Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) have co-sponsored the Helping Open Underutilized Space to Ensure Shelter (HOUSES) Act, which would allow federal land to be used for public housing.
The Joint Economic Committee of Congress estimates the HOUSES bill would lead to the construction of 2.7 million more homes in the U.S., alleviating 14 percent of the nation’s housing shortage.
The HOUSES Act is endorsed by the National Association of Counties and offers small parcels of federal land at a reduced price or Payment in Lieu of Taxes ratioed price to states or local government entities. Payment in lieu of taxes essentially means that the state will receive money from the U.S. government for federal land in the absence of state tax revenue.
Lummis said the legislation could have a particular benefit for a number of Wyoming communities like Jackson, Sheridan and Cody that border federal land, which makes up nearly 50 percent of Wyoming’s total acreage.
“As affordable housing becomes scarcer in Wyoming, we need innovative solutions to help families be able to continue calling Wyoming home,” said Lummis. “The HOUSES Act frees up some federal land to be purchased and repurposed for residential development and helps western families fulfill and continue to live the American dream.”
The bill stipulates that at least 85 percent of the land will be dedicated for residential purposes and the community’s related needs, according to the Wyoming Senate Delegation’s press release. It also includes density requirements of a minimum of four homes per acre and prohibits the development of luxury second homes on these parcels. The legislation expressly prohibits the use of national parks and lands with special designations, such as national monuments.
The bill text states that the construction of community amenities like assembly halls, firefighting facilities, grocery stores, health clinics, hospitals, libraries, churches, police stations, recreational facilities and schools would be allowed. It would also require the construction of water, sewer, electricity, communications infrastructure and some connection to public transit. Creating industrial areas would also be allowed if they include “manufacturing, assembling, processing, extracting or otherwise treating raw materials.”
Not all Wyoming citizens and groups support the bill. Center For Western Priorities raised concerns as whether the bill would actually help address the West’s affordability housing crisis, when Lee attempted to pass HOUSES over a year ago.
“Sen. Lee says that federal land ownership in the West is driving the affordability crisis, but land availability is not the main factor driving up home prices in the West, rather, it’s a lack of housing stock caused by a sustained decline in home building following the Great Recession,” the nonprofit said in a 2022 statement.
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers view the bill as anti-public lands. “The availability and affordability of housing is a real concern that impacts everyday Americans; however, the HOUSES Act does not present a meaningful attempt to solve this issue,” the group said. “Rather, it would facilitate the removal of multiple-use lands from the public estate.”
