Legislators in Georgia could soon consider a bill to make first-time homebuyers’ homes more affordable, as the entry-level housing market continues to price out many middle- and lower-class families.
Rep. Dale Washburn, a Republican from Macon, plans to introduce a bill soon to reduce some of the control of local governments to regulate housing design standards, which critics say can add to the cost. Local government organizations, however, oppose the controversial plan that they argue unfairly takes away local control while not resolving a demand for housing that greatly exceeds the supply.
Washburn chaired a House study committee that spent several months last year hearing from experts in housing, business and government leaders on how to build more homes for a growing labor force that’s getting squeezed out.
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