A proposal to privatize operations and maintenance of stations and track on the Silver Line has taken an initial, tentative step forward.

"A proposal to outsource operations of the Silver Line took a significant step Monday, when Metro officials issued a formal 'request for information' from potential contractors who might be interested in the job," reports Martine Powers.
The second phase of the Silver Line is under construction and expected to open by 2020, opening 23 miles of track beyond Duller Airport to Loudoun County, Virginia. The privatization plan is designed to "save money by relying more on outside contractors."
According to Powers, the idea has been slow in developing toward fruition, but "the formal 'request for information' could give Metro administrators a better a sense of whether the idea is feasible, how much interest there is from contractors and what a potential contract could look like."
FULL STORY: Metro gets serious about outsourcing Silver Line service

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

EPA Terminates $116 Million in Grants for Reducing Emissions from Construction Materials
C-MORE grants were earmarked for industry trade groups and universities.

BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.

The New Parisian Hearse is a Bicycle
Sleek, silent, and sustainable, a green trip to the graveyard has hit the streets of the French capital.
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