Some legislators see a law that provides a zoning exemption to affordable housing builders as a necessary way to alleviate the housing crisis, while others worry about the impact of fast-tracked development on land zoned for conservation.
Housing advocates are keeping a close eye on a battle brewing in the Hawaiian state legislature, where competing bills seek to both expand and limit the powers of a 2006 law that allows developers of affordable housing to largely bypass zoning and land use regulations. “Known as Section 201H-38 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, the law allows developers of affordable housing to sidestep most state and local laws that control things like the size and type of project that can be built in a certain place.” Stewart Yerton describes the controversy in Honolulu Civil Beat.
Lawmakers who want to limit the law say it allows developers to build on undeveloped parcels that were previously zoned for conservation or displace existing residents without community input, threatening Hawaii’s undeveloped natural areas. Others say the law provides multiple opportunities for public input and can help mitigate the housing affordability crisis in a state where median home prices are over $1 million and renters spend over 40 percent of their income on housing.
One proposed law would require an environmental review for any new projects proposed on land zoned for preservation. Another would expand the power of Section 201H-38 by removing the requirement for approval from a county council.
Read the full story: Hawaii’s Affordable Housing Law Sparks Battles At The Capitol
Pennsylvania Housing Action Plan Calls for $1B Fund, Expanded Renter Protections, Homebuyer Assistance
Gov. Shapiro’s proposed plan would bolster support for renters and homebuyers and reduce barriers to housing development.
The Rise of Zoning Reform
As the housing affordability crisis spread from mainly coastal cities to the rest of the nation, cities and states are taking a serious look at outdated zoning codes that hamper efforts to build more housing.
How Single-Family Zoning Became Unaffordable for Families
Zoning regulations designed to boost the housing supply for families have contributed to a housing crisis that makes housing costs a major burden for many American families.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority