In a close vote, Portland (Maine) residents voted not to allow immediate abutters to reject zoning changes approved by the City Council. The referendum was initiated by neighbors opposed to a cluster subdivision proposed instea dof a conventional one
Portland voters narrowly rejected a proposal that would have allowed residents to block rezoning in their neighborhoods.
The final tally on Question 2 came down to a difference of fewer than 1,200 ballots. Residents voted 53 percent to 47 percent, or 10,887 to 9,747, against the proposal.
The referendum comes as Maine’s largest city experiences a boom of development, including market-rate housing, hotels and office buildings. The question was a citizens’ initiative from neighbors who opposed a large housing project on the outskirts of the city. If approved, the change could have affected that planned subdivision and other projects, such as a cold storage warehouse planned for the city’s waterfront.
The Stroudwater neighborhood, where the ballot question was born, ultimately rejected it. Neighborhoods on the peninsula were more favorable, however.
Read the full story: Close vote kills plan to allow Portland residents to block zoning changes
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority