The 'Pattern Book' Plan: New Act Funds Local Governments to Create Ready-to-Build Housing Designs

If you’ve ever tried to build or renovate anything, you know the waiting game at the local planning office can feel endless. The Accelerating Home Building Act of 2025 is trying to solve the national housing shortage—which is currently short nearly 5 million units—by cutting that wait time down to almost zero.

The Problem: Permitting Paralysis

The core issue this bill addresses is regulatory friction. Right now, every single new housing project, even small ones like duplexes or townhouses (defined here as "covered structures" with 25 or fewer units), has to go through a lengthy, expensive review process. This slow-motion bureaucracy drives up costs and keeps the supply of housing tight, which is why half of all renters are spending too much of their income on rent.

The Solution: Standardized Blueprints

This Act sets up a new grant program run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund local governments, tribal organizations, and municipal groups (defined as “eligible entities”) to create pre-reviewed designs (SEC. 4). Think of these as standardized, ready-to-go blueprints, like a pattern book for housing. A local government can review and approve a design for a fourplex once, and then any developer in that area can use that exact, pre-approved plan without waiting months for individual zoning and building code checks.

What the Money Buys

Congress is authorizing $15 million annually from 2027 through 2031 for these grants. The money is specifically for creating designs that include mixed-income housing, meaning projects that combine market-rate units with units designated as affordable housing (defined as costing no more than 30% of income for households earning 80% or less of the area’s median income) (SEC. 3).

When HUD decides who gets the money, they’re prioritizing applicants in areas with the greatest need for housing and those located in “high opportunity areas”—places with good access to resources. Critically, the bill mandates that at least 10% of the funding must go to eligible entities in rural areas (SEC. 4), acknowledging that housing shortages aren't just a big-city problem.

The Real-World Impact on Builders and Buyers

For a small-scale builder, this is huge. Instead of paying architects thousands and waiting eight months for approvals on a new townhouse project, they can grab a pre-approved design off the shelf and potentially start construction in weeks. This speed and predictability should translate directly into lower construction costs and, hopefully, more affordable sale prices or rents. It also encourages building smaller structures like Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and triplexes, which are essential for increasing density in established neighborhoods.

However, there’s a catch for the local governments receiving the funds. If they get a grant but fail to get their pre-reviewed designs officially approved within five years, HUD can demand the grant money back (SEC. 4). This puts pressure on local planning departments to actually implement the streamlined process, not just pocket the cash.

Monitoring the New Housing Supply

This isn't a blank check. Entities that receive grants must report back to the Secretary on how the funds increased the supply of affordable housing. They have to share the actual designs, track how many building permits were issued using those designs, and report the total number of units built (SEC. 4). This focus on measurable outcomes suggests the government is serious about tracking whether the “pattern book” approach actually delivers new homes.