Inglis tackles housing issues with legislation in state House

It’s a growing problem in Pennsylvania, which ranks near the bottom in recent new home construction.

State Rep. John Inglis, D-West Mifflin, has been working with colleagues since early December to lay the foundation for new housing legislation in the state House.

Since Dec. 12, Inglis has co-sponsored or initiated the process for five housing-related bills aimed at addressing rising housing costs.

According to the Pew Research Center, Pennsylvania ranks below almost all other states in recent new home construction.

One of the pieces of legislation would aim to require cities, boroughs, incorporated towns and townships with a population of 5,000 or more or a population density of 6,000 or more to permit the use of duplex, triplex, and quadplex housing in areas currently zoned for single- family residences only.

“According to researchers, average home prices grew more than twice as fast as average incomes between 2020 and 2023,” Inglis wrote in a memo to other legislators. “The cost of living continues to rise, and more Pennsylvanians are being priced out of affordable housing near their workplaces.

“Experts believe that zoning restrictions have hindered the growth in housing stock necessary to make housing more affordable. Helping to create more affordable housing in the Commonwealth will require making use of certain areas that are not currently zoned for certain multi-family dwellings.”

Inglis said the legislation relating to duplex, triplex and quadplex housing would still allow for municipalities to have the authority to deny projects that are not a good fit for their communities.

Inglis has also started the process for legislation that would work to remove barriers for Accessory Dwelling Units, which are residential dwelling units that are accessory or secondary to a primary residential dwelling unit. The ADU legislation would also provide flexibility for municipalities if ever approved.

Inglis co-sponsored a bill for the “Golden Girls Law” that was introduced by state HOUSING •A5

“The cost of living continues to rise, and more Pennsylvanians are being priced out of affordable housing near their workplaces.”

STATE REP. JOHN INGLIS Rep. Tarik Khan, D-Philadelphia. It would help remove restrictions on housing for unrelated roommates. The bill was officially introduced in the House, but has not been referred to a committee yet.

“Pennsylvania is short more than 265,000 affordable housing units,” Khan said. “At the same time, some local occupancy limits restrict how many unrelated people can live together in one home. These limits drive up housing demand and prevent friends, workers, older adults and families from saving money by sharing a place.”

Inglis is also helping co-sponsor with Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, legislation that would create a Commonwealth Housing Council to develop a more cohesive housing plan for the state.

So far, the Golden Girls Law is the only piece of legislation that has officially been introduced as a bill on the House floor.