Democrats at the federal and state levels want to kill off single family zoning. Written into the Dems Infrastructure bill is the ending of what Quid calls “exclusionary zoning”. What he means by that is that single family zoning allegedly excludes minorities into a community and prevents diversity .
During the campaign Quid made it an issue . But when Trump called him out on it ,Quid went silent on the issue .
But once in office Quid reintroduced the idea ;first in a policy paper in March that was adopted in the $2,3 trillion bill .
The President’s plan invests $213 billion to produce, preserve, and retrofit more than two million affordable and sustainable places to live. It pairs this investment with an innovative new approach to eliminate state and local exclusionary zoning laws, which drive up the cost of construction and keep families from moving to neighborhoods with more opportunities for them and their kids.
FACT SHEET: The American Jobs Plan | The White House
$213 billion would be allocated to Quid's total affordable housing initiative
In this they are dredging up a plan by the emperor called Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) . He adopted it in the waning days of his reign counting on a President Evita to enforce it . Trump suspended AFFH and eventually killed it. But Quid and the Dems doubles down on it by funding it as an infrastructure misdirection .
Besides the assault on federalism in taking zoning rules away from local governments ; it is clearly a ruse because despite their rhetoric ,they could care less about where minorities live . If they did then the money would be invested where minorities actually live.
The real objective is to service the well connected bank and real estate developers by changing the laws that prevents them from building high density apartments in residential neighborhoods where zoning restricts such building using federal funding to achieve the objective .
The bill would sweeten the pot by making Community Block grants dependent on the zoning changes . Some suburban communities would find it hard to resist the carrot. But if the Dems get more power on the issue then the gloves come off and the zoning bans will be taken national . By doing this they also believe they achieve a political objective by turning suburbia "blue " .
This move is already in motion at the state level . California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to abolish single family zoning in all of California. Oregon abolished single family zoning in 2019, and Minneapolis was the first major metropolitan area to abolish single family zoning, also in 2019. The New York Slimes called the Minneapolis plan "simple and brilliant " . In Virginia ,Guv Terry McAuliffe’s also intends to adopt this concept .
It remains to be seen if the Dems pay a political price for this . Newsom survived a recall because the Repubs in California are idiots . However SB9 's reversal will become a ballot initiative . Terry McAuliffe is on the ropes in Virginia because of a ,number of boneheaded policies he supports (critical race theory ,defund the police and this ban of single family zoning ) . He is in a tough Va Guv election . The Dems understanding the issues are going all out in supporting him .