But Education and Advocacy Must Continue to be Emphasized to Thwart the Affordable Workforce Housing Crisis
By Don Browne
In the ongoing battle against costly aesthetic mandates in homebuilding and home remodeling, the Polymeric Exterior Products Association (PEPA), formerly the Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI), has won landmark battles dating back to 2018 in states including North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Texas. Aesthetic mandates are a leading contributor to the rise in home costs, and PEPA has worked diligently over the last six years to oppose this form of overregulation.
PEPA continues to make tremendous strides in combating aesthetic mandates that insist on the use of specific costly materials over durable cost-effective alternatives. New legislation passed in Iowa and proposed legislation banning material restrictions from local municipalities in Minnesota looks quite promising.
PEPA’s advocacy has raised greater awareness nationally about the affordable workforce housing crisis that aesthetic mandates have significantly impacted.
However, looking ahead, all supporters and stakeholders must work together to continue educating and advocating to confront the reemergence of negative and false statements being spread about vinyl siding and polymeric exterior products.
During the legislative process, opponents of the new Iowa law claimed that this measure would only favor the vinyl siding industry. One of these detractors is State Senator Janice Weiner (Iowa City), who stated publicly that “Vinyl (siding) also happens to be very flammable.”
This could not be farther from the truth.
VSI-certified vinyl products meet the highest ASTM standards for fire safety and are one of the most fire-resistant claddings. Also, State Senator Mike Webster (Bettendorf), who is a construction professional, put it best when he responded, “This is telling cities and counties that the ultimate local control (should belong to) the home buyer and homeowner.”[i]
Another example can be seen in Minnesota. In this state, legislative efforts to block local authority over housing aesthetics have been forging since 2021, and the Brick Industry Association resorted to fear factors to block legislative reform by stating that, “If enacted, the bill would lower property values, decrease public safety, and lead to a lower quality of life for homeowners in Minnesota.”[ii]
To begin with, there is no empirical evidence linking any claddings to the quality of public safety. It’s perhaps more accurate to question the safety and quality of life of a given community when its first responders and other public service professionals can’t afford to buy homes there due to aesthetic mandates. Additionally, it’s been well established that adding vinyl siding can increase a home’s value by almost 95% of the project cost[iii]
Who can think of a better way to increase home values and quality of life than allowing homeowners and homebuilders the freedom to choose cost-effective materials?
We’re not advocating for cheap, low-quality exteriors but the extraordinary range of colors and emulated styles that polymeric exterior products provide that can enhance the beauty of their neighborhoods.
What’s nice articulation about the proposed Minnesota legislation is that it goes one step further in explicitly prohibiting any local governing body from dictating the use of “specific materials, design or other aesthetic conditions that the State Building Code does not require.”[iv]
It’s a fair point when considering that municipal provisions at all local levels should be consistent with the respective state’s building codes. The same can be said for all affordable homebuilding legislative initiatives –each specific element must be intended to ensure the affordability of all housing, workforce and otherwise.
A key example of this can be seen in Washington, where groundbreaking legislation has cleared the way for “missing middle” housing that includes rowhouses, duplexes and other multi-unit townhouses. In theory, this development restores traditional neighborhoods in Seattle and meets many of the desired standards of New Urbanism: increasing equitable housing supply, walkable proximity to jobs, schools, parks and business districts, and more sustainable lifestyles due to this proximity. However, this homebuilding legislation came with a model code template for local municipalities to adopt to protect the character of specific neighborhoods. Instead, this measure includes aesthetic mandates that will raise housing costs and defeat the law’s purpose.[v]
As the fight for affordable workforce housing continues to spread, the key for PEPA and its advocates remains twofold: 1) proactively educate and create awareness about the benefits of vinyl siding and other polymeric exterior products to overcome misinformation fueled by industry competitors, and 2) work to remove all homebuilding aesthetic mandates so that stakeholders have the added flexibility for lower-cost, energy-efficient and yes, even beautiful design solutions for their homes and neighborhood projects.
If you are interested in addressing the affordable workforce housing crisis in your community, contact Alex Fernandez, PEPA’s Senior Director, Advocacy – Government Affairs or visit PEPA.
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Don Browne is a writer, entrepreneur and local legislator who believes that the power of words can change the world. He provides unique writing services for clients in the construction, health care, IT and hospitality sectors. He has a passion for small business and start-ups, as well as writing about Irish history, family and corporate biographies. As a homeowner and father of four who is passionate about community development, Don looks forward to writing more about the exciting possibilities of creating traditional neighborhoods and more sustainable communities using modern materials.
- “Bill to ban most Iowa building codes that restrict home siding options,” Iowa Radio, April 2, 2024
- “Affordability Roadblocks: Aesthetic Mandates,” The Housing Affordability Institute (https://www.housingaffordabilityinstitute.org/policy-center/aesthetic-mandates/)
- Remodeling Magazine 2023 Cost v. Value Report (https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2023/)
- “Affordability Roadblocks: Aesthetic Mandates,” The Housing Affordability Institute.
- “Model Code Missing the Point on Middle Housing,” The Urbanist, Dec. 1, 2023 (https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/12/01/model-code-missing-the-point-on-middle-housing/)
