Van Hollen, Curtis Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Affordable Housing Crisis, Strengthen USPS

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced bipartisan legislation to confront the shortage of affordable housing across the country while simultaneously helping to address funding shortfalls at the United States Postal Service (USPS). Amid record-breaking housing costs, the Senators’ new bill, the Delivering Americans Affordable Homes Act, would allow local communities to lease Postal Service property rights for new affordable housing construction. At the same time, this legislation protects against the sale of Postal Service assets, supports the rehabilitation and new construction of Postal facilities, and eases the Postal Service’s critical financial constraints. “Far too many working Americans are faced with housing costs they simply cannot afford. At the same time, the Postal Service faces financial struggles that, if left unaddressed, will result in USPS running out of money to operate. With this legislation, we’re not only bringing new, affordable homes to communities across the country, we’re also working to shore up the Postal Service so that it can continue serving Americans for generations to come. It’s a win-win,” said Senator Van Hollen. “Utah desperately needs more housing, and the Postal Service needs new sources of revenue; this commonsense legislation helps accomplish both,” said Senator Curtis. “By giving USPS the authority to lease underutilized property for housing development, we can put unused land to work, expand the housing supply, and strengthen an institution that millions of Americans rely on every day.” Currently, the Postal Service owns about 8,500 properties around the United States, many of which are located in places suitable for housing construction and in areas with high housing demand. According to a recent analysis from Brookings, housing construction on postal property could build over 200,000 new homes and bring hundreds of millions of dollars to the Postal Service each year. The Delivering Americans Affordable Homes Act would set guardrails on housing construction by USPS by allowing for the lease, but prohibiting the sale, of Postal Service property for housing construction and ensuring USPS maintains discretion over its real estate assets. The bill also requires housing units constructed on Postal Service property to include tenant affordability restrictions on at least 20% of units, among other provisions. This legislation is supported by a broad array of stakeholders including Chamber of Progress, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, Inclusive Abundance Action, and Up for Growth. “Solving the nationwide housing crisis calls for innovative solutions, and Senator Van Hollen and Senator Curtis are proposing one: repurposing U.S. Postal Service-owned properties into housing. This effort would drive new housing to supply-constrained areas like Maryland while also generating revenue and supporting the Postal Service's continued success,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “This approach echoes what the Moore-Miller Administration is doing at the state level, giving state government-owned property a new life as home to affordable housing, vibrant communities, and walkable places with easy access to transit. I commend the Senators for proposing this common-sense, bipartisan housing bill that would be a win-win for Americans.” “I applaud Senators Van Hollen and Curtis for their leadership in crafting this win-win legislation,” said Aaron Shroyer, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Metro. “This bill would enable the United States Postal Service to tap an underutilized asset – its land – to create a durable revenue source, while also adding much-needed housing to main streets and downtowns across the country.” “USPS-owned sites could offer meaningful opportunities to add homes in communities where housing is badly needed,” said Ben Metcalf, Managing Director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation. “Terner Center research has identified hundreds of USPS-owned sites that warrant closer evaluation for housing. While not every site will be feasible, underutilized postal properties could offer one solution to policymakers who are looking for ways to increase their affordable housing stock.” “The Postal Service owns 8,500 properties, many of them on prime, well-located land that cities and states need for housing,” said Colin Higgins, Executive Director of the National Housing Crisis Task Force. “In our Federal Housing Policy Agenda, the National Housing Crisis Task Force called for putting federal land to work this way, and it's good to see a bipartisan bill take up the idea. The hope is that cities and states can chart a path to build homes on underused public land while the Postal Service keeps its footprint and earns revenue.” “The Postal Service is sitting on excess land that could be used for more than 200,000 new homes,” said Adam Kovacevich, Founder and CEO of Chamber of Progress. “Sen. Van Hollen and Sen. Curtis’s legislation will turn underused postal sites and parking lots into housing in the places people want to live, and provide much needed revenue back to the Postal Service.” “America’s housing affordability crisis is driven, in part, by a severe shortage of homes. One of the most practical ways to close that gap is to build on well-located land the public already owns,” said Mike Kingsella, Chief Executive Officer of Up for Growth and Up for Growth Action. “This bill puts underutilized postal property to work creating new homes. Long-term leases on thousands of sites across the country could support affordable housing near jobs and transit while generating steady revenue to help keep the Postal Service strong.” "BPC Action commends Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and John Curtis (R-UT) for introducing the Delivering Americans Affordable Homes Act. With a housing supply shortage measured in millions of homes, we need more ideas this resourceful. This bill turns underused U.S. Postal Service assets into real solutions that will increase our nation's housing supply. With independent analysis suggesting this approach could unlock hundreds of thousands of new homes, this is the kind of practical, bipartisan idea that deserves to become law," said Michele Stockwell, President of Bipartisan Policy Center Action. A one-page summary of this bill is here . Text of the legislation is available here .