Housing Forward Joins Interim Study on Regulatory Barriers to Workforce Housing
On Thursday, October 9, 2025, Housing Forward’s Executive Director Tyler Parette participated in an interim study hosted by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, discussing the regulatory barriers to workforce housing development across the state that limit economic development and growth. The discussion spanned fire safety in housing, how zoning and building code regulation is limiting housing development in the state, and policy changes we can take in order to meet safety needs while ensuring we can build more homes for more Oklahomans.
Joining Tyler in the discussion with Rep. Schreiber were Cindy Giedraitis with the National Fire Sprinkler Association, Mark Tackett with Oklahoma Fire Sprinkler Association, Mark Gandy from the American Institute of Architects, Oklahoma Chapter, David Adcock of the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission, Austin Tunnell of Building Culture, and Oklahoma State Fire Marshal Keith Bryant.
Mark Gandy from the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Institue of Architects spoke on the preponderance of single-family housing due to zoning and regulations, “Regulations serve important safety purposes that can unintentionally make building small, modest-scale housing that once defined our early neighborhoods in our community.”
Oklahoma’s housing stock is not aligned with the demographic needs and wants of the community, Mark Gandy shared, “Many of these residents don’t need or can’t afford an entire house but want to live in a walkable, human-scale neighborhood that complements existing communities.”
Rep. Schreiber underscored the urgency of regulatory reform in Oklahoma, “Quality workforce housing is desperately needed across the state and that requires a regulatory environment that is willing to move quickly with that need. We have developers, builders, and businesses across the state that want to help meet the needs with safety and quality, but they are challenged with burdensome processes and with unnecessary regulations.”
Housing Forward’s Tyler Parette spoke on the policy changes Oklahoma has the opportunity to make in order to allow for increased housing production for our communities. “Oklahoma is not an outlier in the need to have a focus on state-wide housing production. Other states are getting ahead of their housing shortage and affordability crisis through state-wide legislation.” Tyler acknowledged the ongoing work at the OUBCC to evaluate fire safety regulation without compromising safety to unlock housing production at more affordable rates. Concluding his remarks, Tyler highlighted how policy improvements like single stair legislation would enable local developers to build more housing at more affordable rates, without compromising on safety.
We thank Representative Schreiber for convening this important conversation and for inviting Housing Forward to contribute to the dialogue. Housing Forward is committed to working with state and local leaders to support housing development that strengthens Oklahoma’s workforce and economy, ensuring each Oklahoman can find a home that meets their needs.
In Case You Missed It
House Press Release
“Schreiber Conducts Interim Study on Regulatory Barriers to Workforce Housing”
Published October 13, 2025 – https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20251013_1
Media Coverage – OKW News
“Schreiber Conducts Interim Study on Regulatory Barriers to Workforce Housing”
Published October 13, 2025 – https://okwnews.com/news/whatzup/whatzup-politics/schreiber-conducts-interim-study-on-regulatory-barriers-to-workforce-housing/Replay Available
Visit https://oksenate.gov, select “Live Proceedings,” and locate the October 9, 9:00 a.m. Impact of building code revisions to encourage the development of workforce housing (Schreiber) meeting.