Is RLUIPA, which bars government from enforcing zoning codes on religious organizations, being opened to widespread abuse?
"...A group of Hassidic Orthodox Jews has torn down a 70-year-old house to build a synagogue in the heart of [Hancock Park, a pricey neighborhood in Los Angeles. They are] backed by a federal law that enables religious groups to bypass zoning codes. Disgruntled residents have united in an attempt to stop construction... The 2000 law, known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, bars governments from enforcing zoning codes that impose "a substantial burden" on religious assembly... Religious groups from Wyoming to Connecticut are invoking the law to build everything from soup kitchens to day care centers, often in residential areas. In Austin, Texas, a Baptist church sued the municipality for violating RLUIPA after it rejected the church's plan to build a five-story parking lot on a residential street." [Editor's note: Access to the full text of this article requires a paid subscription to the Wall Street Journal.]
Thanks to Practice of New Urbanism
FULL STORY: Should Religious Groups Be Exempt From Zoning?
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.