only those making $100,000 or above — can afford to buy a median-priced home in the city. As of 2022, the city faced a shortage of nearly 40,000 rental homes affordable to those who earn 50% of the area median income, about $55,000. “Without intervention, this rental deficit is projected to grow to 70,210 rental homes by 2033, as job growth continues to outpace home production,” the report states. “Over the years, [cities have] just added more and more regulation. Now is the time to think about it differently,” Dallas Planning and Development Director Emily Liu said during the NLC panel. “The more restrictive you are, the more constraints you put on the housing supply.” Here’s how Dallas rewrote its housing policies and how other local governments are following similar paths to spur housing production in 2026. A HOUSING CONSTRUCTION LEADER, STILL FALLING SHORT OF NEED Dallas already issues permits for and sells more new homes than most other U.S. cities, but housing supply and affordability challenges persist. According to the Dallas 2024 housing action plan, 72% of renters with mid-range incomes were costburdened in 2022, and fewer than 20% of renters — 8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 01
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx