The proposed property tax would double the county's stormwater capture capacity.
Sharon McNary reports on the details of a ballot initiative in Los Angeles County that will drastically increase the stormwater capture capacity in the region.
"Two-thirds of voters in the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (more on that below) need to say yes," according to McNary. "If that happens, then property owners would be charged a new tax of 2.5 cents each year for every square foot of land that sheds water."
The tax will fund stormwater capture and treatment projects in the 2,700-square-mile flood control district. "Los Angeles County already captures about one-fifth of the rain that falls in the L.A. Basin watershed. Money raised by the new tax — an estimated $300 million per year — would ultimately double the amount captured," adds McNary. The article includes a lot more detail about the scope of infrastructure proposed and the politics of stormwater in Los Angeles County.
FULL STORY: Everything LA County Voters Need To Know About The Stormwater Tax Now On Their November Ballot
L.A. Unveils Plans for Historic Water Infrastructure Tax
Katy Young Yaroslavsky discusses the the Measure W Implementation Ordinance and the committee appointees tasked with determining how this new funding will flow into community water projects.
Los Angeles Wants its River Back From the Feds
Regional officials don't think the federal government is doing enough to warrant continued ownership of the Los Angeles River flood control channels that cut a 40-mile path through the city and county.
South Los Angeles Park Offers Hidden Benefits
Not only does the redevelopment of a large section of Earvin Magic Johnson Park in Willowbrook offer much needed green space and new amenities, it also helps to conserve water and improve water quality.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association