A growing number of homeowners associations around the country are using old legal tools to keep institutional investors from buying up, and renting out, the neighborhood.

An article by Peter Whoriskey and Kevin Schaul for The Washington Post tells the story of a group of Charlotte residents that fought back against pressure from institutional investors looking to corner the real estate market in their neighborhood.
Charlotte is one of the prime examples of the trend of large Wall Street investors buying up housing stock, especially in distressed neighborhoods, communities of color, and neighborhoods with a large amount of rental housing units.
"Last year, investors bought nearly 1 in 7 homes sold in the nation’s top metropolitan areas — the most in two decades of record-keeping, according to a Washington Post analysis of data from realty company Redfin," according to the article. In Charlotte, those numbers are more like one in four. The only city where investors are buying a larger share of the number of housing for sale is Atlanta, according to the Post analysis.
In a move that has been repeated by a growing number of neighborhood and homeowners associations around the country, according to the article, the Potters Glen Homeowners Association in Charlotte created a new rule that requires any new home buyer in the neighborhood to wait two years before renting their new home out. "Since the board adopted the rule in 2019, property records show the pace of investor purchases has dropped by more than half," according to the article.
For the record, some institutional investors are pushing back on tactics like the Potters Glen rule in terms that echo the opposition to exclusionary zoning practices.
Invitation Homes, one of several big firms that own houses in Potters Glen, called the rental restrictions "prejudicial, discriminatory, uninformed, and misaligned with the concept of fair housing." The company said it was "disheartened by the trend of HOAs [homeowners associations] determining that renters are not welcome in their neighborhoods."
For another example of resistance to the growing footprint of Wall Street in the real estate market, see the example of the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, which in January 2022 beat out a long list of investors for the purchase of 195 houses in Cincinnati and surrounding Hamilton County.
FULL STORY: Corporate landlords are gobbling up U.S. suburbs. These homeowners are fighting back.

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

Cool Walkability Planning
Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.
The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

As Business Districts Continue to Falter, Mixed-Use Neighborhoods Flourish
While office vacancies remain high and foot traffic sparse in many U.S. downtowns, areas with housing and businesses are more vibrant and desirable than ever.

Los Angeles County's 30x30 Strategy Earns National Recognition
L.A. County's Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+) received a 2023 achievement award from the National Association of Counties (NACo).

Albuquerque Poised to Legalize Accessory Dwelling Units
Allowing ADU construction on parcels previously zoned exclusively for single-family detached housing is one component of the Housing Forward ABQ initiative, a larger effort to reform zoning practices in Albuquerque.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.