Georgians are facing a hard truth about housing: When government ties up supply, prices soar. Homeownership slips further out of reach, rents climb and workers are pushed farther from their jobs. The Foundation’s recent report confirms the depth of the problem, finding an estimated shortage of over 365,000 homes across the state and warns that demand is far outpacing new construction.
The question, then, is what to do about it. The American Enterprise Institute’s Strong Foundations playbook offers a clear answer: Cut the red tape. Instead of layering on new rules or subsidies, lawmakers should simplify the process and let builders build.
The guiding principle is refreshingly simple—the more complex the rules, the harder it is to build. The simpler the rules, the more homes Georgians can afford.
What are three reforms that could have the biggest impact for Georgia?
- Flexible lot sizes: Shrinking minimum lot requirements lets builders create affordable starter homes instead of being locked into oversized parcels.
- More housing types and lot splits: Opening the door to duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and infill development allows more attainable options in existing neighborhoods.
- Homes near job centers: Ending zoning that reserves land only for commercial use reduces commutes and balances growth.
Together, these three reforms alone could generate an estimated 67,200 new homes annually—enough to make a major dent in Georgia’s shortage.
The obstacle isn’t economics, it’s government micromanagement. Georgia policymakers can restore the promise of affordable housing by doing something simple: cutting rules instead of adding them.
We look into these steps toward greater housing affordability in this week’s commentary. Make sure you check it out.
Have a great weekend,
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest 🗞️
Georgia sets the national standard for pro-worker leadership
What state is doing the best job of putting workers first? Georgia has an incredibly strong claim. The Peach State isn’t just leading the way in pro-worker reforms at the state level. It’s also the home of federal leaders who are fighting for workers in Washington, D.C. Few states, if any, have so many principled, pro-worker leaders at every level of government.
Four decades of QBE: Georgia’s education funding formula and its challenges
For nearly four decades, funding for Georgia public education has been provided by a program known as Quality Basic Education (QBE). It was introduced as a means to address inadequate and unequal funding across Georgia public education. Forty years later, how is it working?
Why Georgia needs regulatory reform
In this year’s legislative session, Georgia had an opportunity to address its ever-growing regulatory code and reduce regulatory burdens placed on its citizens and businesses. Although the “Red Tape Rollback Act” passed the Senate, it ultimately failed to become law in Georgia. Regulatory reform will have another chance next session, and for good reason.
How do Georgia’s taxes stack up against the rest of the nation?
Georgia lawmakers recently held debate on how to ease the state’s tax burden — with some calling for the full elimination of the income tax. The conversation reflects a national reality: Americans are voting with their feet, leaving high-tax states behind. As that debate begins, it’s worth taking a broader look at Georgia’s overall tax competitiveness: how our system ranks nationally, where we’re strong and where there’s room to improve.
Peach Picks 🍑
Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi have launched a regional research project on automobile and battery production, hoping to further develop those industries in the region. The project will be headquartered at the University of Alabama, and also include the University of Georgia and Mississippi State. The three states collectively produced 1.9 million vehicles in 2023.
A Korean company plans to open a new permanent magnet factory in Columbus creating 520 new jobs, Gov. Brian Kemp announced this week. JS Link America Inc., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Korea-based biotech company JS Link, will begin operations in early 2027 in the Muscogee Technology Park in Columbus.
Pacific Legal Foundation has released a new research in brief, “Certificate of Need Reform: Answering the Fears,” showing how outdated and anti-competitive Certificate of Need (CON) laws harm patients, stifle innovation, and drive up healthcare costs. In 2023, the Foundation released a report reviewing Georgia’s CON program, and found similar results.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is proposing new rules aimed at allowing the state agency to resume its reviews of new data center projects. The DCA called a temporary pause to state reviews of Development of Regional Impact (DRI) proposals for data centers back in July.
For more than a decade, supporters of legalizing gambling in Georgia have pitched casinos, betting on horse racing and sports betting to the General Assembly but come up snake eyes. But gaming industry lobbyists and their legislative allies believe 2026 could be different.
Off The Vine 🎯
College football returned in a big way last week with the marquee Texas-Ohio State matchup setting week one records. The Fox game averaged 16.6 million, while, more locally, Georgia Tech-Colorado drew 3.7 million on ESPN.
Quotes Of Note 🌟
“Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.” – Thomas Merton
“You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing.” – Thomas Sowell
“Careers, like rockets, don’t always take off on time. The trick is to always keep the engine running.” – Gary Sinise