The Affordable Housing Development Process, Explained | Daniel Werwath, Taos Housing Partnership

Why isn't affordable housing just "sprouting up everywhere"? Daniel Werwath, longtime housing consultant to Taos Housing Partnership, breaks down the full development process — from land and design through financing, permitting, environmental review, and construction — and why every step of it has gotten harder, slower, and more expensive. Key numbers from this talk: the average new home in Taos now tops $700,000, it costs roughly $450,000 to build even the most basic housing unit, and the average family needs about half a million dollars in subsidy to afford a home here. New Mexico hasn't recovered its pre-2008 building levels, and statewide, 86% of New Mexicans can't afford the median-priced home. Daniel also digs into what's actually holding things back: burdensome public hearings, outdated zoning that blocks smaller and more affordable housing types, how state and local funding programs are built for big cities and don't fit small communities, and why New Mexico's approach to subsidy and regulation needs real reform, not just more money. Recorded as part of Taos Housing Partnership's ongoing speaker series. TAOS HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Website: https://www.taoshousingpartnership.org Facebook:   / taoshousingpartnership   Instagram:   / taos_housing_partnership   CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome & introduction 2:46 Why building affordable housing is so complex 6:25 The numbers: home prices, subsidy needs & the cost to build 9:26 Overview: site, design, financing, build, sell/rent 12:40 Site selection & site control 15:49 Design costs before a project even exists 19:05 Developer margins: why there's no "greedy developer" 22:18 The disappearance of starter homes 25:26 Regulatory review & permitting 28:59 Environmental review costs 32:12 Infrastructure financing hurdles 35:35 Material costs, supply chains & tariffs 38:35 Homebuyer education & sustainable ownership 41:35 Where costs can actually be lowered 44:46 Public hearings & why the process needs to change 47:48 Who shows up to hearings, and why 50:56 Zoning barriers to smaller, naturally affordable housing 54:01 Audience Q&A begins 1:00:19 What Albuquerque & Santa Fe are getting right and wrong 1:03:26 Where Taos Housing Partnership stands today 1:09:54 Upcoming projects: Chamisa Verde & becoming a homebuyer 1:15:58 Being honest about how hard this work is 1:18:57 State funding: $230 million, and why money isn't enough 1:21:13 Funding programs built for big cities, not small towns 1:23:12 Rethinking burdensome, outdated program design 1:25:21 Closing & upcoming sessions Video produced by TrueKids1 | truekids1.org #TaosHousingPartnership #AffordableHousing #Taos #NewMexico #HousingPolicy #HousingDevelopment #CommunityDevelopment #HousingCrisis #ZoningReform