Dive Brief:
- HUD has updated environmental review requirements for multifamily housing projects, “removing outdated provisions that have increased costs and complexity for lenders and developers,” according to a May 4 press release from the agency.
- The changes, issued through HUD’s Federal Housing Administration via a Mortgagee Letter, revise the Multifamily Accelerated Processing Guide and streamline requirements for lenders and developers seeking FHA-insured financing. Last updated in 2021, the MAP Guide sets national standards for borrowers, lenders and others to prepare and underwrite loan applications for FHA multifamily mortgage insurance, per HUD.
- Nicole Upano, assistant vice president of housing policy and regulatory affairs at the National Apartment Association, told Multifamily Dive that the revisions, "paired with other sensible deregulations across the housing space," will help reduce barriers to development and expedite approvals, "in turn lowering costs and easing affordability challenges."
Dive Insight:
HUD is revisiting the MAP Guide requirements as part of President Donald Trump’s “Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis,” which directs agencies to pursue actions to lower the cost of housing and expand housing supply, per its Mortgagee Letter. Last year, the Trump administration also eliminated prior rules under the National Environmental Policy Act and gave HUD more leeway to shape its policies.
“This is about fixing policies that have made housing expensive and difficult to build,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner in the May 4 release. “We are cutting outdated requirements, reducing costs and delays, and putting FHA financing back to work to support housing production and improve home affordability for American families.”
Specifically, the FHA is making the following changes:
- Removing standalone railroad vibration assessment requirements
- Restoring prior policy for pressurized pipelines
- Updating standards for high-voltage power lines and fall hazards
- Clarifying noise-sensitive outdoor uses
Apartment industry groups think the updates will be helpful. The National Multifamily Housing Council supports the changes and “appreciates the Administration’s continued commitment to reducing onerous burdens for multifamily housing providers,” Colin Dunn, spokesperson for the NMHC, told Multifamily Dive in an email.
Streamlining environmental review requirements and clarifying key standards will help improve operational efficiency, Dunn said.
“This is particularly beneficial for housing providers using FHA-insured multifamily mortgage programs, such as the Section 221(d)(4) program, and will support the development and preservation of affordable housing nationwide,” Dunn said. Section 221(d)(4) loans are targeted to developers and investors looking to construct or rehabilitate a multifamily property.
Last year, the Mortgage Bankers Association pushed for many of the environmental rule changes that have now been implemented, saying they were delaying projects and inflating housing costs. In a May 4 statement, MBA President and CEO Bob Broeksmit said the updates “roll back unnecessary and duplicative provisions” and applauded HUD officials “for their responsiveness to feedback from our multifamily members to streamline requirements in FHA’s multifamily lending programs.”
The MAP Guide changes will be implemented immediately for any application that has not reached initial endorsement, per the letter.
Click here to sign up to receive multifamily and apartment news like this article in your inbox every weekday.
