Atlanta's inclusionary housing program, which closely reflects the proposed Denver plan, could serve as a bellwether for Denver's own future.
According to an article by Joe Rubino in The Denver Post, "As Denver’s version of inclusionary zoning inches forward (and some development industry groups cringe) the city of Atlanta and its program stand out as a comparable example of the concept in action."
Rubino points out that Georgia, like Colorado, prohibits rent control at the state level. This leaves cities like Atlanta and Denver with limited options for increasing affordable housing, which primarily include incentives for developers. "Unlike Denver, Atlanta’s program is focused largely on new apartment projects of 10 or more units in targeted parts of the city. It was recently expanded to cover for-sale housing in one neighborhood. In Denver, the policy would apply to any new development of 10 or more rental or for-sale units anywhere within city borders."
As Rubino writes, Atlanta's program created hundreds of affordable units in its three years of operation, and was not shown to decrease the rate of construction, a common fear. Rubino quotes Joshua Humphries, Atlanta’s director of housing and community development: "Multi-family (development) has continued at a comparable pace to the three years before inclusionary zoning and comparable to the rest of the city."
The article describes Atlanta's program in more detail and the response from the Atlanta Apartment Association, which disputed the city's claim that development wasn't slowed by the policy and added that many projects moved forward thanks to additional subsidies or funding sources.
Denver could finalize its inclusionary housing policy by late June.
FULL STORY: Denver’s controversial affordable housing plan mirrors Atlanta’s. Here’s what we can learn.
Biden Administration Proposes Federal Rent Hike Limits
A new policy would limit rent increases to 5 percent for landlords receiving federal tax write-offs.
Magical Thinking and NIMBYism
Comparing different types of NIMBYism and where they go wrong.
Atlanta Set to Make Historic Affordable Housing Investment
Public and private funding pledges could inject $300 million into affordable housing initiatives in the metro Atlanta area.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
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.
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