Guide for Developing Housing on County-Owned Land

This guide outlines how counties can strategically use their own vacant or underutilized land to help address the nationwide shortage of affordable housing. It walks county leaders through a structured process: identifying suitable parcels, evaluating zoning constraints, modeling financial feasibility through pro formas and selecting the right ownership and development structure. The report emphasizes how these steps—combined with understanding local infrastructure, neighborhood context and potential housing typologies—can reduce land and development costs while boosting long-term affordability.

By following the practices shared through NACo’s Counties for Housing Solutions program, counties can overcome common barriers, build public trust, attract developers and ultimately expand housing supply.

Download full report