The NC Chamber Foundation’s recent housing “study” claims North Carolina faces a crisis: 764,000 homes needed by 2029. But let’s not mistake this for an honest analysis. It’s a developer-backed narrative, crafted to justify legislation like HB 765—a bill that guts local authority, silences elected officials, and invites lawsuits against towns that dare to regulate development.
A Manufactured Crisis
That “shortfall”? It’s based on future projected population growth—not on unmet needs of current residents. It’s a speculative number, designed to stir panic and push local governments into surrendering control to the state and the developers behind this report.
Taxpayers Subsidize Developer Profits
What the study never mentions: NC taxpayers are already footing the bill for this rapid growth. Local governments are left scrambling to build schools, roads, water lines, and public safety infrastructure—while the developers rake in profits.
South Carolina charges impact fees on new construction to offset these public costs. If North Carolina legislators were serious about closing the gap between housing prices and residents’ incomes, they’d do the same here. Instead, they’re doing the opposite—cutting impact fees and limiting zoning powers—forcing taxpayers to cover the tab.
Housing Affordability, Not Just Housing Quantity
The study also fails to distinguish affordable housing from profitable housing. It treats 764,000 new units as a silver bullet, but we know what gets built first: luxury apartments, townhomes, and subdivisions, not starter homes or workforce housing.
You cannot build your way out of a housing crisis without affordability protections, and this report offers none.
Inflated Benefits, Zero Costs
The report boasts of $489 billion in economic benefit and 2.2 million jobs—numbers that are unsupported by transparent modeling. And yet, it fails to mention a single cost to towns: not one word about environmental strain, stormwater impacts, school overcrowding, or traffic congestion.
This is a lobbyist’s fantasy, not a planning document.
A Flawed Report for a Corrupt Bill
It’s no coincidence that the groups funding this study—the NC Home Builders Association and NC REALTORS®—are also major donors to HB 765’s sponsors. They’re writing the problem, the solution, and the legislation.
HB 765 isn’t about solving a housing crisis. It’s about guaranteeing profits, stripping local control, and sticking taxpayers with the bill.
North Carolina deserves a housing strategy that serves its people—not one written by lobbyists and paid for with campaign checks.