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Realtors tell House panel permitting, zoning and infrastructure are constraining housing supply in Georgia
Summary
Representatives of the Georgia Association of Realtors told the Small Business Committee that high prices, low inventory, permitting delays, zoning rules and infrastructure costs limit housing supply; elected members urged local solutions and discussed state grant and policy options.
Representatives of the Georgia Association of Realtors told the Georgia House Small Business Committee that constrained housing supply, permitting delays and infrastructure costs are driving up prices and reducing affordability across the state.
Betsy Bradfield, advocacy director for the Georgia Association of Realtors, summarized statewide housing indicators and said Georgia remained a seller’s market in 2024, with approximately 3.4 months of inventory for single‑family homes and buyers generally paying close to list price. Bradfield said the association’s year‑end review showed that the statewide average sales price increased and that homes priced between $150,000 and $250,000 were the most in demand.
Bradfield and other association witnesses pointed to multiple causes: insufficient infrastructure (water, sewer, roads) to support new development, local land‑use restrictions and permitting delays that increase costs, and the rising cost of materials and financing. She highlighted the governor’s rural workforce housing grants as one tool intended to help rural areas pay for infrastructure needed to support housing development.
Speakers provided local examples. Jimmy Whaley, a broker‑owner who covers Southwest Georgia, said parts of Sumter County require 10‑acre minimum lots and that accessory dwelling units in some counties may be limited to family or farm workers, which he said blocks modest additional rental capacity. He said he has not seen a new neighborhood in his area since 2007 and cited septic, well and lot‑size rules as cost drivers. Kim Eiler Morgan, representing the Savannah region, said regional development authorities are working on water and sewer infrastructure and urged collaboration with municipalities to reduce development delays.
Nikia Brooks, vice president of governmental affairs for the association, said permitting delays were a frequent complaint from members: she described an example where permits for a planned commercial building remained unresolved two years after plans were submitted, and another in which a church sold land rather than build because a required sewer connection would have added roughly $400,000 to costs.
Representative Dale Washburn closed the discussion by stressing private property rights, encouraging local reform to allow higher density and lower minimum square footage for entry‑level housing, and suggesting policy ideas for lowering monthly mortgage payments, including extending amortization periods; he also said the state should consider tying infrastructure grants to measures that enable higher density where appropriate. Washburn said local home‑rule advocates resisted state mandates but urged local lobbying and local success before state intervention.
No formal committee votes or motions were recorded in the transcript.
