Some renters of commercial renters in Manhattan will get the equivalent of a month's rent back if the city approves a change to the commercial rent tax.
"More Manhattan businesses would be exempt from the commercial rent tax under a new City Council bill that aims to ease the financial burden on mom-and-pop shops," reports Joe Anuta.
"The commercial rent tax is a roughly 4% levy on annual rent applied to businesses of a certain size operating between Murray and 96th streets," explains Anuta.
The reach of the commercial rent tax has already been decreased in recent years. "In 2017, for example, the city amended the rules to exempt business owners with less than $5 million in annual revenue who paid less than $500,000 rent each year," according to Anuta. The new legislation would increase that threshold to $750,000.
FULL STORY: Councilman seeks to chip away at commercial rent tax
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.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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