The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has made updates to its environmental review requirements for multifamily housing, seeking to lower development costs and decrease complexity.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is revising its Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) Guide to streamline outdated and burdensome requirements for lenders and borrowers seeking FHA-insured financing.
The changes, which will be implemented for any mortgage application that hasn’t reached initial endorsement, include:
- Removing standalone railroad vibration assessment requirements;
- Restoring prior policy for pressurized pipelines;
- Updating standards for high-voltage power lines and fall hazards; and
- Clarifying noise-sensitive outdoor uses.
“This is about fixing policies that have made housing expensive and difficult to build,” stated HUD secretary Scott Turner. “We are cutting outdated requirements, reducing costs and delays, and putting FHA financing back to work to support housing production and improve home affordability for American families.”
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) applauded HUD for its responsiveness to feedback from its multifamily members to help streamline requirements
“These updates roll back unnecessary and duplicative provisions—including changes to vibration standards, underground pipeline requirements, fall hazard rules, and noise regulations—that have added cost, delayed projects, and constrained new rental housing development,” said MBA president and CEO Bob Broeksmit. “Our members look forward to advancing practical, market-driven solutions that expand housing supply and improve affordability for renters across the country.”