The City of Norman will receive $1 million as part of the federal government’s Pathways to Removing Obstacles in Housing (PRO Housing) program. The White House announced the awards January 14. City of Norman Planning & Community Development staff developed a preliminary plan to meet the City’s long-term housing needs and applied for federal funding through the program.
"PRO Housing provides grant funding to communities that have been actively taking steps and demonstrating progress in addressing local housing barriers such as outdated local regulations and land use policies, inadequate infrastructure, lack of available financing for development, and risks associated with extreme weather and an aging housing stock," according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Winners of this PRO Housing competition will update state and local housing plans, revise land use policies, streamline the permitting process, provide construction funds, and take other actions to create more housing-forward communities."
Norman – one of 18 awardees nationwide – joins cities like San Francisco; Austin, Texas; Tucson, Ariz.; and Cincinnati, Ohio in efforts to meet housing needs and reform regulatory processes.
The City of Norman will contribute approximately $200,000 to the effort, which aims to ensure that Norman residents have access to affordable housing. Locally, the funding will support efforts to modernize and streamline regulatory and planning processes. These proposed changes are designed to make it easier to build housing, add variety in housing types and guide development in Norman for decades to come.
“It is possible the updates to the regulations will help simplify the development process and promote the types of affordable, attainable housing that we would like to see in our city,” said Jane Hudson, Planning & Community Development Director for the City of Norman.
In addition, the City’s proposal includes development of a Neighborhood Pattern Book of pre-reviewed housing designs that will be aimed at infill construction on smaller lots – including duplexes and single-family homes. These plans should be available to residents for low-to-no cost and would receive expedited approvals from the City.
Other projects in the plan include conducting a parking study to update parking requirements and ensure the best use of the finite amount of land within the City of Norman and the development of an Affordable Housing Action Plan.
The Affordable Housing Action Plan will serve as a strategic blueprint to strengthen partnerships and establish sustainable funding mechanisms, including opportunities for public-private collaboration. These efforts will expand the capacity to develop, maintain, and preserve affordable housing, ensuring long-term affordability and accessibility. By leveraging collective resources and innovation, Norman is uniquely positioned to set a new standard for inclusive, attainable, and forward-thinking approaches to housing affordability.
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