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Anti-Sprawl Law Revised To Encourage Sprawl

Posted by: Nate Berg

20 September 2006 - 9:00am

Revision to a Maryland state homebuying assistance program is catching some resistance from smart growth advocates as changed language seems to go against the original anti-sprawl intent.

The original homebuying assistance program offers qualified buyers a grant worth up to 3% of their mortgage. The new version offers the same grant amount, but has changed the location requirements which have led many smart growth advocates to oppose the program.

"Unlike the original Live Near Your Work program launched in 1997 under Gov. Parris N. Glendening, the new initiative does not limit assistance to home purchases in neighborhoods in need of revitalization. Anyone can get a closing-cost grant for an existing home if it is within 25 miles of the buyer's workplace - which some see as an awfully long commute that belies the program's name."

Full Story: State aid for home purchase is revived
Source: The Baltimore Sun, September 19, 2006
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What the Census will not include is the long-form questions that have, since 1940, asked one-sixth of American households to reveal fine details about their lives. The long form was scrapped following the 2000 Census, so planners who are accustomed to relying on detailed, nuanced Census data to analyze and plan their communities may not get the detail that they expect.
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