A controversial but sweeping housing initiative in New York City, one of Mayor Bill de Blasio's signature initiatives, had a full head of steam before the coronavirus. Now it's facing drastic cuts.
In the wake of the fiscal impacts of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio has "proposed momentous cuts to his signature 10-year plan to build and preserve 300,000 homes at less than market rate by 2026," reports Janaki Chadha. According to figures shared with Chadha, the mayor is proposing to cut "$583 million from the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and another $456 million next year…"
An expert cited in the article says affordable housing financing will be very difficult during the downturn, and the need for affordable housing supply is only likely to increase.
"The 12-year housing plan, which has benefited from a booming city economy, was going so well de Blasio decided in 2017 to roughly double its capital budget to $16.9 billion and expand the goal from its original 200,000 homes to 300,000," according to Chadha. The city's financial commitment to affordable housing could be headed toward another reckoning in June, according to the article, when the city would typically close on a large share of financing deals involving tax-exempt bonds.
FULL STORY: De Blasio's signature housing plan poised to take big hit from coronavirus
Three Years of New York's Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program
One of the more aggressive inclusionary zoning programs in the country has been in place long enough to evaluate for lessons regarding the effectiveness of the controversial affordable housing development tool.
Spiting Mandatory Inclusionary Housing to Save Mandatory Inclusionary Housing
The question of whether New York City's new mandatory inclusionary housing policy should apply to a 17-story project in Manhattan could have wide-ranging implications.
One Fourth of East Harlem Housing Set to Lose Affordability
The area could lose up to 500 units of affordable housing every year for the next 30 years if the city doesn't extend existing protections.
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