How Do You Push For Better Housing Laws? Follow The Lead Of Nicole Nosek – The Mortgage Note

Advocates can convince people in power to pass laws that address the housing crisis, according to the chair of Texans for Reasonable Solutions.

Nicole Nosek is credited with getting lawmakers to pass bills that address the housing affordability challenges in Texas. During a keynote address on Monday at the American Enterprise Institute’s 14th Annual Housing Center Conference, she walked audience members through what her organization did to push four bills to the finish line this year.

Nosek believes the reason the United States is in the situation it’s in today – six million homes short nationally, according to AEI – is because NIMBY opposition has made it seem like they’re representative of the majority of the population, but they are not.

Nosek said 75% of Texans are in favor of allowing apartments near transit or job centers. And although there may not be an overwhelming acceptance of growth in existing neighborhoods, almost seven out of 10 residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth area approve of building homes to varying affordability levels in new neighborhoods.

This year, Texans for Reasonable Solutions spearheaded SB 840, which states that large Texas cities cannot prohibit the development of multifamily housing in zoning designations that permit commercial activities, such as retail and office space.

This means housing can be built on top of restaurants and stores, Nosek said.

“I want SB 840 to be done in every state across America. I am so excited about SB 840, and would you believe that this received the least amount of pushback out of any of our bills?” Nosek said.

SB 15 states that large Texas cities may not enforce or adopt an ordinance that requires a residential lot to be more than 3,000 square feet in new neighborhoods. Nosek said even legislators who support size requirements for lots in existing neighborhoods were not against dropping them for new neighborhoods.

SB 2477 aims to create more housing by removing regulatory barriers that prevent the conversion of empty office buildings into residential units. Nosek said those units could be used for senior living or student dormitories and will help reduce the number of vacant offices in Texas.

HB 24 makes it harder for residents to stop new homes from being built near them by altering the process for challenging zoning changes. Prior to this bill passing, a small minority of neighbors could stop people from adding accessory dwelling units on their land, Nosek said.

Nosek offered advice for others who want to implement pro-property land use policies in their own states.

Find tough-skinned lawmakers to work with:

“I think it is extremely important from the outset to find legislators that have fought controversial fights before, and they are okay with getting angry phone calls from angry NIMBYs, because that is exactly what will happen,” Nosek said.

Build a coalition:

Texans for Reasonable Solutions has built partnerships with dozens of organizations like AEI, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Texas Association of Builders, and Texas Association of Business.

“We had faith-based allies. We had pastors from Houston, from Evangelical churches, from Catholic churches, that were walking the halls with us, so even if it’s a Republican legislator who doesn’t quite buy the argument when Texas Public Policy Foundation talks to them, somebody would follow up with the Catholic bishop’s association,” Nosek said.

“What I learned was for folks that were on the fence, it takes about two to three touches from organizations that they respect and that they have a relationship with to help them either become neutral or even understand the data behind the supply argument is absolutely factually correct, and it works.”

Use data:

Nosek said AEI helped them provide answers to frequently asked questions.

“When we were able to walk into legislators’ offices and say, ‘Look, do you want one-third of the houses in 10 years from now that are going to be McMansions, or do you actually want your teachers, firefighters, and policemen to be able to live here and have 3X the amount of housing without raising taxes?’ That data was extraordinarily helpful from folks like American Enterprise Institute,” Nosek said.

Recognize that an opponent is different from an enemy:

“In my experience, people work desperately hard when you are their enemy. People work when you are their opponent but it’s a different kind of game,” Nosek said. “I think it’s worth your time, even if you don’t get to any negotiations, it’s worth it to take an enemy down to an opponent, a friendly opponent.”

That means being amicable enough to sit across the table from legislators and groups that oppose a bill to see if there is any space for mutual agreement.

According to the Texans for Reasonable Solutions website, Nosek became passionate about housing while working as a paralegal, earning just below $50,000 per year. Today, she is married to Luke Nosek, a co-founder of PayPal. The couple moved from California to Texas in 2019.

AEI’s Annual Housing Center Conference took place in Washington, DC. The event was livestreamed.