House Bill No. 5474, Public Act No. 24-143, is a comprehensive piece of legislation that addresses various aspects of housing development and municipal regulations. The bill mandates annual reporting by municipalities on new dwelling units and units demolished, with a new supplemental questionnaire on residential permit applications. Failure to comply with these requirements could lead to ineligibility for discretionary state funding. The bill also simplifies the conversion of vacant nursing homes into multifamily housing, subject to summary review, and calls for a study on municipal design review processes affecting affordable housing development. Insertions in the bill include new subsections detailing the supplemental questionnaire and conditions for nursing home conversions, while deletions include replacing "Department" with "Commissioner."

The bill further amends municipal powers, allowing immediate enforcement action for properties with multiple blight violations and setting civil penalties based on the number of dwelling units or property square footage. It extends the period for written agreements between municipalities and property owners to thirty years, broadens the scope to include various property types, and allows municipalities to regulate short-term rentals. The bill also updates the definition of "net rental income" for properties housing low or moderate-income individuals and introduces the concept of "live work units." It encourages the development of middle housing and defines "housing" for rental assistance programs. Insertions include specifications for fair market rent in rental assistance programs and the expansion of the Housing Environmental Improvement Revolving Loan Fund to include grants. The bill also amends zoning regulation conformity requirements and clarifies the classification of lots and housing unit eligibility for moratoriums.

Statutes affected:
Public Act No. 24-143: 12-65b, 7-148aa, 7-339hh, 8-37rrr