There are those who say colonias that have vacant lots should be allowed to fill up with houses. Others say that since many colonias are in poor condition it will be hard to ever bring them up to standard and so all building in the colonias should be stopped. Up to a third of the lots in colonias are not developed.
Current laws prevent unsold lots from being developed until basic utilities are provided.
If these laws were repealed, and minimum standards were put in place, then a large amount of land and housing would be made available for low income residents. One approach, based on the way Mexico has handled its colonias, would involve a set of minimum standards for building, rather than the high standards set by current law. Any standards should have the input of colonia residents. Building codes would emphasize low-tech, low cost methods that provide the minimum for a decent home. State and federal agencies would have to make a coordinated effort to bring colonias to standard, rather than the current piecemeal efforts.