New Report: SB 840 Already Driving Thousands of New Homes Across Texas

Texans for Reasonable Solutions, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Texas Appleseed have released a new report examining the first nine months of SB 840, one of Texas' landmark housing reforms.

The results are encouraging.

The report documents 8,764 housing units that have already been proposed or approved because of SB 840. That includes 1,529 homes directly enabled by the law and another 7,235 homes that SB 840 helped move forward by changing the negotiating landscape for housing projects.

SB 840 allows multifamily housing and mixed-use development on many commercially zoned properties without requiring a rezoning. The law also limits unnecessary local regulations that can prevent new housing from being built.

The report also found that many SB 840 projects include affordable housing. Based on confirmed projects, between 170 and 341 affordable homes are already connected to developments made possible or supported by the law.

The findings also show that implementation has been uneven across Texas. Several cities have embraced the law and worked with developers, while others have adopted new requirements designed to discourage housing projects, including minimum height mandates, costly amenity requirements, and other regulations that apply specifically to SB 840 developments.

The report concludes that SB 840 is already accomplishing the Legislature's goal of allowing more housing to be built, even during a relatively slow period for apartment construction. It also identifies several targeted improvements the Texas Legislature could make in 2027 to ensure the law works as intended statewide.

Read the full report: