Paul Bettencourt
Yesterday was the last day of the 89th Texas Legislative Session, during which over 140 days state lawmakers passed a number of bills concerning real estate development and housing. Here’s some of what we’ve been tracking at the state legislature this year. Mind you that bills in Texas can become law even without the governor’s…
Tighter guardrails for homeowners’ associations, periodic reauthorization of municipal building permit fees, and the creation and maintenance of tax appraisal databases for each jurisdiction are among the new laws that became effective Jan. 1. While the Texas Legislature doesn’t return to session until January 2025, that doesn’t mean lawmakers get to take a year off.…
Public Facility Corporation reform laws were approved in this year’s Texas Legislative session, but an affordable housing watchdog group says it falls short. It also grandfathers PFCs approved before the passage of House Bill 2071. The new legislation provides affordability, accountability, and transparency. It also makes headway in curbing abuses and tenant protections, advocates say. …
The public facility corporation structure — a new kind of housing project — was introduced in Dallas last year, but it seems that few have a tight grasp on how it works and what the return on investment is. That’s due in part to the city’s resistance to marketing Public Facility Corporation projects and confusion…
There’s a lot of buzz in Texas about Public Facility Corporation projects, and it’s made its way to the state Capitol. Controversy surrounding the PFC financing structure, which incentivizes developers for providing affordable housing, has been praised as the only way to attain much-needed “missing middle” housing and simultaneously criticized for taking property off the…