Date: March 5, 2026
To: Chairman Casteel and members of the House Commerce Committee
From: Erica Robbins, Affordable Housing Policy Manager, Empower Missouri
Re: Support for HB 3230
Empower Missouri believes a Missouri without homelessness is possible. We convene a statewide coalition supporting the advancement of evidence-based public policy to increase the availability of affordable housing and support our neighbors with housing needs. We are the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in the state, and as part of our work, we organize a statewide Affordable Housing Coalition composed of individuals and organizations who work diligently to ensure every Missourian has access to secure, safe, and affordable housing.
On behalf of our staff, board, and coalition members, we support HB 3230 and urge you to vote yes.
Missouri has a severe affordable housing shortage. Our partners at the National Low Income Housing Coalition show 72% of very low income renter households in Missouri overpay for their housing, and are housing cost burdened. Cost burden occurs when a household pays more than 30% of their income towards housing costs alone, leaving very little for medical care, food, childcare, and other expenses. There is nothing left for these families to save for an emergency, and we should consider that they are all one emergency away from homelessness.
In addition, Missouri has over 120,000 families who will be unable to secure housing that is affordable because it does not exist in the state. These families cannot simply move to find more suitable housing, there is no county in Missouri with adequate housing for everyone with low incomes. Restrictive zoning has and is preventing builders from building the types of homes that are in high demand right now– apartments, townhomes, duplexes, and other affordable housing options for working class Missourians.
More than a century after the first single-family zoning laws were passed, roughly 75% of land that is zoned for housing in American cities is for private, single-family homes only. In some suburbs, zoning laws make it illegal to build apartments in nearly all residential areas. Municipalities have also made minimum lot sizes bigger and added height requirements. This has had the effect of encouraging ever-larger single-family homes and limiting housing options, like smaller houses.” Regulation costs account for 23.8% of the average sales price of a new single-family home in 2021. This works out to $93,870 of the cost of an average new construction build in the US.
Local governments often require that new development conform to community design standards which may include specific requirements like lot size and design, placement of sidewalks, landscaping, etc. and many states have a ‘universal building code’ which allows builders to reduce costs associated with local and municipal building codes. HB 3230 allows for local governments to adopt zoning ordinances and land use regulations that allow manufactured homes where other single-family housing is permitted, providing an opportunity for neighborhoods to revitalize unused land, attract new residents and businesses.
Each dollar invested in affordable housing stimulates local economies by leveraging public and private resources to generate income—including resident earnings and additional local tax revenue—and supports job creation and retention. Zoning restrictions, permitting hurdles, and other regulatory constraints have limited the pace at which new construction can meaningfully close the supply gap in many markets. As a result, the cumulative housing deficit surpassed 4 million homes in 2025.5 By allowing flexibility in lot size and the building of homes on a variety of sized parcels, Missouri will be providing the opportunity for rural and urban residents alike to live near desired jobs and amenities, revitalize their neighborhoods, and build homes where people want to be.
Building in flexibility for lot size and density will help unleash new housing supply, restore affordability for both buyers and renters, and reopen the path to ownership for working families. Please vote yes on HB 3230.
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