As urban areas across the country compete for those coveted young professionals, "unhip" suburbs have a particularly tough challenge. In Montgomery County, MD, a taskforce has issued its recommendations for addressing this challenge.
"Later closing times for bars, relaxation of noise ordinances and a 'concierge' service to help new businesses maneuver the Montgomery County bureaucracy are among the proposals of a task force charged with lifting the hipness quotient of a place many millennials find bland and inhospitable," reports Bill Turque.
"For six months, the 21-member group has discussed tweaking public policy to make the county — specifically Silver Spring, Bethesda, Wheaton, Rockville and Germantown — competitive with places such as the District and Arlington County as destinations for the young. Panel members hope that its series of 33 proposals, finalized at a meeting Monday evening, will let a thousand food trucks, brew pubs and live music venues bloom."
FULL STORY: Montgomery considers lifting hipness quotient with later bar hours, ‘noise areas’
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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