The state's SOMAH program, now finalized, provides rebates to multifamily affordable housing developments that use solar, and lets tenants share in the benefits.
Christian Roselund discusses California's December approval of the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) rebate program, calling it "a visionary program that could grow the amount of solar on such buildings nearly seven-fold by 2030."
Providing up to $100 million in annual rebates, SOMAH targets multifamily affordable housing. "Under SOMAH, apartment building owners and tenants will be awarded credits through a system called virtual net metering (VNEM), a subprogram of the state's 'Net Metering 2.0' program."
The program, which is set to officially start in September 2018, doesn't only benefit building owners. "SOMAH is designed so that tenants can share in the benefits, by receiving credits on their utility bill corresponding to their portion of the output of the systems. And to ensure that building owners dedicate as much of the PV system as possible to their tenants, the program provides higher incentives for this portion of the system."
FULL STORY: California approves $1 billion low-income multifamily solar program
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.