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AANC Government Affairs Update | June 5, 2025

Date postedJune 5, 2025
AANC News,

NC UPDATE | From AANC

AANC and NAA worked together to develop an op-ed focused on rebuilding after natural disasters and some of the public policy challenges therein. The article was authored by our own Jon Lowder and was recently published by the Greensboro News and Record and the Winston-Salem Journal. Due to the challenge of paywalls, we are sharing the article in its entirety below: 

What’s left after the flood and smoke: The hidden regulations
May 30, 2025 

Over the past year, deadly wildfires and hurricanes have devastated communities in North Carolina and destroyed lives. As this state continues to face destruction and the ongoing threats of extreme weather, communities, especially in our western region, are still actively rebuilding, burdened by the hidden and prolonged costs of such devastation.  

In particular, many communities are facing rising housing costs exacerbated by skyrocketing expenses and the challenges that come with rebuilding after tragedy. On average, research shows that areas impacted by natural disasters face increased rents by 4-6%. In a broader sense, our nation’s longstanding housing affordability crisis is affecting nearly everyone; just about 70% of Americans report that they are “very concerned” about the cost of housing. That sentiment is only amplified for the thousands of Americans —and countless North Carolinians — recently impacted by a natural disaster.

It’s easy to look at the devastation and feel helpless, as if we have no control over the situations that have displaced so many of our family, friends and neighbors. Although we cannot control or predict when the unimaginable will strike, it’s clear there is a need for stronger disaster response and community recovery efforts — especially on the housing front. 

New research from economists at MetroSight has helped to uncover a key driver of these elevated housing costs: expensive, intrusive and often outdated regulations. The report shows that these rules lead to increased operating costs and are expected to delay new construction, increase the cost of housing and limit its accessibility and availability for Americans. In short, these regulations delay necessary and expedient recovery efforts, making it harder to rebuild after disasters and leaving ravaged towns with insufficient supplies of housing.

Policymakers across the country can learn from this research to help reduce regulatory costs and streamline rebuilding. In North Carolina the legislature and the governor have already passed reforms to expedite rebuilding in areas affected by Hurricane Helene, and multiple bills pending in the legislature would do the same for all housing across the state. We applaud their efforts and encourage them to continue finding ways to reduce the red tape that makes housing for all North Carolinians more expensive. 

Ultimately, we can’t control the weather, but we can control how we respond to ensure communities are informed, prepared and encouraged to rebuild swiftly and efficiently. We cannot allow unnecessary government bureaucracy to stand between families and a home that won’t financially devastate them. By empowering local governments to act quickly and reduce harmful regulatory costs, we can help communities, like the ones right here in North Carolina, recover faster and come back stronger than ever.

Jon Lowder is executive director of the Apartment Association of North Carolina.

Links of Interest:

PIEDMONT TRIAD UPDATE

Information provided by the Piedmont Triad Apartment Association (PTAA)

LAST CALL for Winston-Salem Pig, Poultry, and Politics! Last call to meet and mingle with elected officials in Winston-Salem. Join the PTAA and TREBIC at the 2025 Pig, Poultry, and Politics annual event in Winston-Salem! This Thursday, June 5, at Footnote Coffee & Cocktails in downtown Winston-Salem. If you operate in Winston-Salem, you should be there. Tickets are available at the door. More information here.

Kernersville comprehensive plan. Kernersville started this process earlier in May, but the full development of the plan has a few months to go. Comprehensive plans, long-term plans, whatever you want to call them, don't change the fact that these plans drive development discussions for years. I am not aware of any statutes that hold governments to follow their plans verbatim. Still, once a plan is out of draft form, it can be challenging to change the direction of the plan (or the opinions of local officials).

You can access their full website here, but we're asking everyone to take a look and complete the Kernersville Comprehensive Plan Survey here.

Forsyth County housing plan. The PTAA was part of a group that included local government officials (both elected and appointed), NGOs, and tenant advocacy groups, which met on Tuesday in Winston-Salem as part of a broader effort to develop a county-wide housing plan. The county is not leading this effort, but a mix of local organizations. This meeting focused on the need for housing and was more introductory than anything else. We'll update as things change.  

TRIANGLE UPDATE

Information provided by the Triangle Apartment Association (TAA)

A big thank you to Marla Newman, Director of Community Development & Neighborhood Connections for the Town of Apex, for joining TAA’s Housing Affordability Subcommittee!

Marla shared valuable insights on the updated Housing Plan, projected growth in Apex, zoning challenges, and the critical need for diverse housing options. We appreciate her time and expertise in helping us better understand the path forward for housing in our region.








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