Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), members of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, today introduced the Accelerating Home Building Act.
To address rising housing costs, communities across the nation are turning to pattern zoning—an innovative approach that streamlines the construction approval process by allowing developers to use pre-reviewed building designs. These standardized designs are compiled in documents known as pattern books.
The bipartisan Accelerating Home Building Act would:
- Establish a pilot HUD-administered grant program to fund the creation of pattern books with a focus on missing middle and infill construction; and
- Provide set-asides for rural communities and prioritize high-opportunity areas and localities working to reduce barriers to housing development.
“We are in the middle of a housing affordability crisis in Delaware and across this nation,” said Senator Blunt Rochester. “One of my top priorities in the Senate is ensuring all Americans have a roof over their head and a place to call home. The bipartisan Accelerating Home Building Act supports pattern zoning, a creative and cost-effective method to reduce the cost of housing in our communities. I am grateful to Senator Moreno for his collaboration on this bill and look forward to getting it passed into law.”
“Out of control housing costs are making the American dream unaffordable for average Americans, forcing them choose between home ownership or paying for basic necessities,” said Senator Moreno. “I’m proud to work across the aisle on this innovative new program for local governments to streamline housing construction and lower costs, empowering working-class Americans to achieve homeownership with dignity. When combined with the ability to have on time rental payments count for the purposes of getting credit, we are able to make the American dream more accessible.”
In communities across the nation, complex and restrictive land-use regulations, permitting processes, and other regulatory burdens hinder housing production and drive housing costs up. These regulations have contributed to an acute housing supply crisis with an estimated shortage of nearly 5 million housing units. This shortage makes housing unaffordable, leaving a growing number of households cost-burdened—or severely cost-burdened—by their housing expenses.
“We should be doing everything we can to accelerate the building of safe and affordable housing in Delaware, and this bill helps us reach that goal,” said Matthew Heckles, Director of the Delaware State Housing Authority. “These designs, once approved, could make the planning, approval, and building of missing middle housing easier and faster to obtain. There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to fixing the affordable housing crisis, but there are certainly great ideas that will help us solve it, and this is just that. We endorse this proposed legislation and thank Senator Blunt Rochester for her continued work on this issue.”
“Pre-approved plans and designs are a proven tool for meeting a common and essential national goal: accelerating housing supply and opportunity,” said Sue Schwartz, FAICP, President of the American Planning Association. “This tool takes a community’s vision for the future, embodied in a plan, and translates that into resources that help homeowners, builders, and developers deliver the housing options we want and need more quickly. This bill recognizes that smart federal support can lead to big local housing outcomes. The American Planning Association is proud to endorse the innovative Accelerating Home Building Act.”
“America’s housing shortage is exacerbated by complex permitting processes that delay construction and inflate home prices and rents,” said Mike Kingsella, CEO of Up for Growth Action. “The Accelerating Home Building Act addresses the urgent need for more homes by empowering towns and cities to adopt pattern books—pre-approved plans that enable builders to secure permits and break ground the same day. We applaud Senators Blunt Rochester and Moreno for introducing legislation that demonstrates how the federal government can help communities rapidly accelerate housing construction and lower costs for working- and middle-class families.”
“NAA applauds the introduction of the Accelerating Home Building Act of 2025, which provides strategic policy solutions to increase the nation’s housing supply at all price points, potentially reduce the upward pressure on rents caused by limited supply and expand access to high-quality, affordable rental housing for millions of Americans,” said Bob Pinnegar, President & CEO, National Apartment Association. “We look forward to working with Senators Blunt Rochester and Moreno to help promote the zoning reforms essential to addressing the nation’s housing challenges.”
“Housing is a national crisis, and outdated rules continue to limit what you can build and where you can build it,” said Beth Osborne, interim CEO of Smart Growth America. “We applaud Senator Blunt Rochester and Senator Moreno’s leadership in introducing the Accelerating Home Building Act of 2025. By helping communities cut through red tape and opening new pathways for development, this bill would help speed up housing production, expand housing options, and make homes more affordable for Americans at every stage of life.”
This legislation has been endorsed by the American Planning Association, Congress for the New Urbanism, Up for Growth Action, National Apartment Association, Smart Growth America, Main Street America, National Association of REALTORS, Delaware Association of REALTORS, the Delaware State Housing Authority, BPC Action, and the National Urban League.
This bipartisan bill is another piece of Blunt Rochester’s broader housing affordability agenda, which includes cutting unnecessary red tape and empowering localities to increase housing supply and lower costs. The first bill Blunt Rochester introduced in the Senate was the bipartisan Housing Supply Frameworks Act which would help communities rehaul their zoning and land use regulations. She also introduced the bipartisan Veterans Housing Stability Act to help keep veterans and servicemembers in their homes. Legislation based on the Veterans Housing Stability Act passed the Senate by voice vote on July 15. Blunt Rochester also leads the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Act, legislation that permanently authorizes and expands the Choice Neighborhoods Program. Additionally, in May, Blunt Rochester recently toured the first affordable housing development funded with state and federal funds in Lewes, Del. since 2003.
A one pager on the bill can be found here.
The full text can be found here.
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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.