Yes In My Backyard Act
Bill: S.1614 | Sponsor: Sen. Young, Todd (R-IN)
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Yes In My Backyard Act
This bill requires certain Community Development Block Grant program recipients to submit to the Department of Housing and Urban Development information regarding their implementation of certain land-use policies, such as policies for expanding high-density single-family and multifamily zoning.

To require certain grantees under title I of the Housing and Community 
 Development Act of 1974 to submit a plan to track discriminatory land 
                 use policies, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Yes In My Backyard Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to discourage the use of discriminatory 
land use policies and remove barriers to making housing more affordable 
in order to further the original intent of the Community Development 
Block Grant program.

SEC. 3. LAND USE PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Section 104 of the Housing and Community 
Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5304) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
    ``(n) Plan To Track Discriminatory Land Use Policies.--
            ``(1) In general.--Prior to receipt in any fiscal year of a 
        grant from the Secretary under subsection (b), (d)(1), or 
        (d)(2)(B) of section 106, each recipient shall have prepared 
        and submitted, not less frequently than once during the 
        preceding 5-year period, in accordance with this subsection and 
        in such standardized form as the Secretary shall, by 
        regulation, prescribe, with respect to each land use policy 
        described in paragraph (2) that is applicable to the 
        jurisdiction served by the recipient, a description of--
                    ``(A) whether the recipient has already adopted the 
                policy in the jurisdiction served by the recipient;
                    ``(B) the plan of the recipient to implement the 
                policy in that jurisdiction; or
                    ``(C) the ways in which adopting the policy will 
                benefit the jurisdiction.
            ``(2) Land use policies.--The policies described in this 
        paragraph are as follows:
                    ``(A) Enacting high-density single-family and 
                multifamily zoning.
                    ``(B) Expanding by-right multifamily zoned areas.
                    ``(C) Allowing duplexes, triplexes, or fourplexes 
                in areas zoned primarily for single-family residential 
                homes.
                    ``(D) Allowing manufactured homes in areas zoned 
                primarily for single-family residential homes.
                    ``(E) Allowing multifamily development in retail, 
                office, and light manufacturing zones.
                    ``(F) Allowing single-room occupancy development 
                wherever multifamily housing is allowed.
                    ``(G) Reducing minimum lot size.
                    ``(H) Ensuring historic preservation requirements 
                and other land use policies or requirements are 
                coordinated to encourage creation of housing in 
                historic buildings and historic districts.
                    ``(I) Increasing the allowable floor area ratio in 
                multifamily housing areas.
                    ``(J) Creating transit-oriented development zones.
                    ``(K) Streamlining or shortening permitting 
                processes and timelines, including through one-stop and 
                parallel-process permitting.
                    ``(L) Eliminating or reducing off-street parking 
                requirements.
                    ``(M) Ensuring impact and utility investment fees 
                accurately reflect required infrastructure needs and 
                related impacts on housing affordability are otherwise 
                mitigated.
                    ``(N) Allowing prefabricated construction.
                    ``(O) Reducing or eliminating minimum unit square 
                footage requirements.
                    ``(P) Allowing the conversion of office units to 
                apartments.
                    ``(Q) Allowing the subdivision of single-family 
                homes into duplexes.
                    ``(R) Allowing accessory dwelling units, including 
                detached accessory dwelling units, on all lots with 
                single-family homes.
                    ``(S) Establishing density bonuses.
                    ``(T) Eliminating or relaxing residential property 
                height limitations.
                    ``(U) Using property tax abatements to enable 
                higher density and mixed-income communities.
                    ``(V) Donating vacant land for affordable housing 
                development.
            ``(3) Effect of submission.--A submission under this 
        subsection shall not be binding with respect to the use or 
        distribution of amounts received under section 106.
            ``(4) Acceptance or nonacceptance of plan.--The acceptance 
        or nonacceptance of any plan submitted under this subsection in 
        which the information required under this subsection is 
        provided is not an endorsement or approval of the plan, 
        policies, or methodologies, or lack thereof.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The requirements under subsection (n) of 
section 104 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 
U.S.C. 5304), as added by subsection (a), shall--
            (1) take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date 
        of enactment of this Act; and
            (2) apply to recipients of a grant under subsection (b), 
        (d)(1), or (d)(2)(B) of section 106 of the Housing and 
        Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5306) before, on, 
        and after such date.
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