By A boom in new home construction may be coming to Texas as a result of laws passed by the Legislature in this year’s session. State lawmakers overrode city zoning codes to allow smaller homes to be built on smaller lots, and to allow apartments to be built in former retail and commercial buildings in the state’s largest cities.
The Legislature also weakened a Jim Crow era state law that allowed property owners to block nearby construction of new homes. Texas has a huge influx of new residents, leading to a housing shortage and higher prices.
