Richard Lawson

Alpharetta

Contributing Writer at Freelance

Contributing Writer at The Builder's Daily

Writer

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Articles

Texas Lawmakers Move Ahead On Bill Triggering Smaller Lots

4 days ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

As hours ticked away toward Tuesday's expiration of the current legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed a bill somewhat trimmed in its ambitions to reduce lot-size minimums to 3,000 square feet in cities with a population of at least 150,000 and counties with a population of at least 300,000. The measure, Senate Bill 15, would allow the development and ground-up construction of smaller homes on smaller lots.
Big Texas Lot Reform Measure Inches Forward - With A Catch

1 week ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

When Texans have the mentality “everything is bigger in Texas,” going big on smaller can be a Lone Star State-sized challenge, especially when it comes to housing. Despite an 11th-hour hold-up, the Texas House passed a bill Tuesday evening that overrides zoning in the state’s largest cities. This will allow for the reduction of lot sizes and the encouragement of building starter homes. There's still a hurdle that could derail the goal of reducing lots across the state's largest cities.
How Missing Middle Housing Wins Approval And Works

1 week ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

[Architect and urban planner Dan Parolek coined the phrase "missing middle housing" more than a decade ago, and it is now a part of most conversations about how to solve housing shortages and improve affordability.
Florida’s Bold Housing Bet Earns Ivory Prize For Breaking Barriers

2 weeks ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

The Sunshine State outshone all other states' population growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Victory had its rewards – economic growth, new tax revenues, and a deeper, more diverse workforce pool to draw from. It also came at a cost, one that keeps on taking. Florida housing prices shot up to record levels, putting intense pressure on already challenged affordability. Florida wasn’t alone. Other Sun Belt states have endured similar housing affordability struggles.
Arizona’s Starter Home Push Stalls Amid Local Pushback

2 weeks ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

As housing affordability continues to dominate political agendas, state legislatures attempting to encourage once-ubiquitous starter homes face stiff resistance from local governments that fear losing control over zoning. Lawmakers have been trying to neutralize or circumvent zoning rules and regulatory hurdles at the local levels that drive up costs and stall new construction, heeding calls for relief to give first-time homebuyers a fighting chance.
Building For Tomorrow Today: Neighborhood Scale Resilience

4 weeks ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

[Editor's note: Wildfires in Los Angeles. Hurricanes across Florida and the Southeast. Floods, extreme heat, and severe weather events are no longer rare occurrences—they’re becoming the new normal. The homebuilding and residential development industries face an urgent reckoning: how to build homes, neighborhoods, and communities that can withstand the increasing severity of climate-related natural disasters.
San Fran Plays Catch-Up In Bid To Reset Vacant Towers To Residential

1 month ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

Downtown San Francisco’s commercial towers by-the-dozen, once a buzzing throng of new-economy office workers, stand empty. They're looming, silent, massively costly reminders of a city transformed by post-pandemic remote work trends, shifting business priorities, and a damaged public safety reputation. This protracted office vacancy has prompted city leaders and developers to reimagine these empty high-rise shells to address San Francisco’s pressing housing crisis.
3rd-Party Options Gain Traction Battling Code Inspection Friction

1 month ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

Homebuilders — always, everywhere, and all at once — face challenges when it comes to securing timely building inspections they require in their build cycles to “progress” and complete new homes for delivery. Locality by locality, it’s the part of the business operation where what homebuilders can control meets head-to-head with forces of friction they don’t. In a current moment of narrowed margins for error and stupefying volatility, velocity is a homebuilder’s best friend.
Rebuilding After Fire: Can Hempcrete Help Future-Proof Homes?

1 month ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

[Editor's note: Wildfires in Los Angeles. Hurricanes across Florida and the Southeast. Floods, extreme heat, and severe weather events are no longer rare occurrences—they’re becoming the new normal. The homebuilding and residential development industries face an urgent reckoning: how to build homes, neighborhoods, and communities that can withstand the increasing severity of climate-related natural disasters.
New Arkansas Zoning Strategy May Loosen NIMBY Chokehold

1 month ago | thebuildersdaily.com | Richard Lawson

Neighborhood activists wield immense power over what gets built in their communities. Public hearings and discretionary reviews often give organized “not in my backyard” groups opportunities to delay or derail projects they oppose, frequently affordable or multifamily housing. Across the country, a growing chorus of lawmakers, urban planners, housing advocates and real estate developers has encouraged legal changes that blunt NIMBY opposition in zoning efforts.