DOVER, Del. - Gov. Matt Meyer on Wednesday ceremonially signed two laws aimed at making it easier and less expensive to build housing in Delaware.
The Housing for Every Delawarean Act, Senate Bill 23, and the ROAD-DE Act, House Bill 450, are designed to work together to streamline development and make housing planning and permitting more predictable.
SB 23 requires local jurisdictions to develop affordable housing plans and identify ways to meet their communities' housing needs.
HB 450 changes parts of Delaware’s development review process and is aimed at better coordinating new growth with transportation infrastructure.
Meyer said the goal is to make sure Delaware workers can afford to live near their jobs.
"People who are teachers, police officers, firefighters, working in our libraries and supermarkets, our hospitals. We need to make sure they have a high quality, affordable places to live close to where they work," Meyer said."These two bills together are going to help make that possible."
Meyer also said lengthy permitting processes can drive up the cost of building homes. Developers, he said, can spend years paying lawyers, engineers and other professionals before construction even begins.
He said reducing those costs could help increase the housing supply and eventually put downward pressure on prices.
But the legislation has drawn criticism from local governments, particularly in Sussex County.
The League of Local Governments and several towns, including Millsboro, have called SB 23 government overreach and argued that local governments should have more control over development.
Critics also say the law limits public input on some development projects.
Under SB 23, certain developments that do not require a county zoning change can move through the approval process without a public hearing. Public comments and meetings on whether a project meets development standards can still take place.
Millsboro officials have argued that towns are best positioned to manage growth in their own communities.
Supporters of SB 23 say the law is meant to create more predictable development while requiring communities to take concrete steps to address housing needs.
Senator Russ Huxtable, a sponsor of the legislation, said the goal is to encourage smarter growth while helping working families live closer to where they work.
Transportation Secretary Shanté Hastings said HB 450 also connects housing growth with the infrastructure needed to support it.
"We have to make sure that the transportation infrastructure supports that growth and that our infrastructure investments and land use decisions are working together," Hastings said.
Meyer said the new permitting process is already in effect, but it will take time to see the impact on housing construction and prices.
