House Bill 1001, which addresses housing matters and is a Republican priority bill, passed out of the House Local Government Committee in a 7-3 vote, with two of the no voters stating they are close to voting yes and likely would as the bill advances.
House Bill 1001 states single-family dwellings and townhouses in residential areas, an accessory dwelling unit within a single-family home, and affordable housing on property purchased by a religious institution before Jan. 1, 2025 in a residential or commercial zone are permitted uses that are approved without a hearing.
The bill restricts a unit’s ability to impose and increase fees related to building approval and permits, among other design-element limitations.
Bill author State Rep. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart, said such housing legislation “has been on (his) mind” for 12 years, which is as long as he’s served in the legislature. Miller offered an amendment to the bill to make some changes to the fee rate charges and duplex qualifications.
Miller said that portions of the bill are required, while other sections of the bill have an opt-in option for county and town leaders.
“We have to think about the underlying bill and the direction that House Bill 1001 is striving to take: to improve the ability of Hoosiers to either purchase a home or have a rental home to go to or, equally as important, to be able to exert their property rights,” Miller said.
In committee, 20 people testified on the bill, largely in favor of the bill but with some concerns.
David Bottoroff, executive director of the Association of Indiana Counties, said the organization supports the bill. Because of the impacts of Senate Enrolled Act 1, which offers some property tax cuts but will greatly decrease local budgets, expanding housing – and therefore property taxes – will help local communities.
“It is important for us, for our members, to have sustainable housing,” Bottoroff said.
Amy Krieg, government affairs director with Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, said the organization supports increasing housing opportunities and addressing barriers to housing production in Indiana. But, the organization has concerns with the bill because it “extends beyond setting state-wide guardrails into areas that remove local decision-making in ways that have unintended consequences,” Krieg said.
Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said he had concerns about House Bill 1001 because it would “wipe away most of the work that has been done to ensure we have balanced and sustainable growth moving forward and instead puts decision-making in the hands of national-level builders who are more focused on their bottom line.”
“Preserving that local role helps ensure development decisions align with what will serve the community over time,” Willis said.
When talking with the Westfield Council members, Willis said he doesn’t care about density but rather home type and its location to offer walkability within the community.
“We want attainable housing, but if everything goes attainable in Westfield, it’s just going to make our finances that much worse,” Willis said. “We don’t have a commercial tax base … but if the flood gates open, we’ll lose control of that.”
Clarksville Town Manager Kevin Baity said the town has concerns about the bill and its impact on local government. For example, Baity said with the bill’s proposal to limit fee increases to once every five years, “fees could not possibly keep up with our cost of operation with our planning and zoning departments.”
“Local governments are the boots on the ground and know first-hand how their residents want their community to develop and grow. Local zoning already takes into consideration various housing options, including affordability and character,” Baity said.
The bill would allow for affordable housing on property owned by a religious institution, which Baity said would allow the religious institution to build housing without input from local government or community members.
“In essence, we’re turning churches into a front for developers,” Baity said.
Rabbi Aaron Spiegel, executive director of the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance, said the organization supports the bill because of its provision to build affordable housing on property owned by religious institutions.
After government entities, the largest landowners in the United States are congregations, Spiegel said, many of which have “unused or underutilized” property.
“The faith community understands, perhaps better than any community, that the housing market is in crisis and that housing is a human right,” Spiegel said. “They want to repurpose their assets to match their mission of taking care of the most vulnerable. What stops them is the cost and the complexity of housing development.”
Alexander Mingus, executive director of the Indiana Catholic Conference, said the organization supports the bill because it would allow a religious organization to build affordable housing on its property as a permitted use.
“The Catholic Church is one of the largest non-governmental land owners in the world, and certainly has a lot of property in Indiana. We want to step up to that call in helping to be a good partner with addressing the affordable housing shortage,” Mingus said.
The amended bill passed the committee in a 7-3 vote.
State Rep. Blake Johnson, D-Indianapolis, said he “was very close to a yes” on the bill and will likely support it moving forward. But, Johnson said he wanted more clarity on the quality versus quantity of the affordable housing and to ensure the bill’s impacts could be tracked.
State Rep. Justin Moed, D-Indianapolis, said he shared some of his concerns with the bill with State Rep. Miller, but that he would likely support the bill moving forward.
akukulka@post-trib.com
