This summer, the seashore town of Wildwood is charging a fee for people with the right cars to park in a very convenient location.
The start of summer, writes Nick Corsaniti in The New York Times, is also the start of "the perpetual battle over beach access in New Jersey, where towns along the 127-mile coast regulate parking spaces, meter rates, beach access points and, most contentiously, beach tag prices."
The town of Wildwood, in a predictably controversial effort to raise revenue and draw more visitors, has built a tunnel under its boardwalk for cars.
Officials are using their vast wealth of sandy expanse to welcome any four-wheel-drive vehicles (not to be confused with all-wheel-drive, which will get stuck in the sand) to park on the newly accessible beach for $10 a day or $20 during special events like concerts. Nearby private lots can charge anywhere from $15 to as much as $30 on holiday weekends.
Corsaniti also reports on several other beach access controversies, including a town that just starting charging to park and a lawsuit over restricting access to certain motorized vehicles.
FULL STORY: A New Jersey Town Actually Adds Beach Parking. And It’s on the Beach.

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City
The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users
A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.
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