LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- Governor Joe Lombardo is urging President Biden's administration to streamline the process of acquiring federal land for housing and development in Nevada, as the federal government owns over 80% of the state's land.
“Our communities have to rely on acts of Congress and costly, years-long processes that stand between project conception, land auction, and development in order to implement long-term planning goals and meet rapidly growing population demands,” Lombardo said.
This week, the White House announced a plan to sell public lands at the much-reduced price of $100 per acre to build affordable housing in the valley. This will allow the expected 15,000 housing units to be priced in a more affordable range.
The definition for affordable housing in Clark County is someone who makes 80% of the median family income ($83,900) which means a potential buyer who makes around $67,000 could afford to buy the home.
This is Lombardo's third letter to Biden since March 18 which he has written about the state's housing shortage which continues to push up prices.
In recent months, Lombardo has met with the Department of Interior, Nevada's congressional delegation, and stakeholders and said the process must be streamlined.
"Nevadans should not have to continue to pay the price for federal inefficiencies,” he wrote. "Housing developers throughout the state are poised to add to Nevada's housing inventory.