According to the Texas Comptroller, Texas is more than 300,000 housing units short of meeting the growth in population the state has been experiencing over the last decade. There are ways for the state government to intervene on behalf of the people to remove overburdensome regulations that have contributed to an artificial scarcity of homes. The purpose of SB 840 is to allow by right mixed-use residential and commercial zoning, which would make converting empty office spaces into housing units much easier. Converting offices into housing has a lower construction impact than new development because the structure and much of the infrastructure (e.g., electricity, plumbing, HVAC) are already in place. This, combined with other measures, would add to the housing supply and aid in bringing prices down to a more affordable range for consumers.
Higher Taxes on the Horizon: Highland Park ISD
Many city, county, and school district officials are in the early stages of deciding where to set their tax rates for the next fiscal year. In some cases, these local decisions will push property taxes higher, creating new challenges for family budgets and forcing tough personal choices. Given the very real prospect of tax hikes on the...