What The Emergency Proclamation On Housing Means For Developers

Governor Josh Green has not been shy about issuing statewide emergency proclamations in response to issues that have plagued the state for decades. The first such proclamation addressed homelessness and was issued on January 23, less than two months after Green's inauguration. That proclamation – which waived certain land use laws to provide immediate housing for those experiencing homelessness – was a precursor to the Emergency Proclamation Relating to Housing (the "EP") issued on July 17 of this year. Like the prior proclamation, the EP suspends several state and county land use regulations to speed the construction of new housing. But unlike the prior proclamation, the EP creates a new regulatory scheme in its place which is managed by Nani Medeiros, the state's Lead Housing Officer (LHO), and a 23-member Working Group made up of state and county officials and certain community leaders.