Projects that receive certain federal funds are required to source 95% of their materials from the United States.
Maine affordable housing developers say their projects are being stymied by the federal Buy America requirement, which was created by former President Biden in 2021 but just went into effect.
According to an article by Hannah LaClaire in Portland Press Herald, “Developers say the rule was created with a noble aim, but in practice, it has brought the affordable housing industry to its knees.” Ten fully permitted projects amounting to 400 affordable housing units are on hold, LaClaire adds.
Developers say that many of the products they need to build housing, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and their components, are not available from U.S. manufacturers. They must now request a HUD waiver that can take up to six months to process.
The projects are subject to BABA requirements because they receive federal funding, LaClaire explains. “Tyler Norod, Westbrook Development Corporation’s director of development, said none of Maine’s developers have come across anyone in the country that has been able to get a BABA-funded project across the finish line.”
FULL STORY: ‘Buy America’ rule killing Maine affordable housing, developers say
The "vicious cycle of real estate mania" — and how we might find our way home
Book review: In "The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances," Kevin Fagan humanizes the housing crisis like never before.
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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
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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