A business group in the Bay Area invests in a private firm 'to bring private dollars into poor neighborhoods and promote infill, local business revitalization and contaminated site cleanup.'
"A Bay Area business group announced Friday a $2.7 million investment in an Oakland firm that will refurbish and sell housing to low-income families in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The effort is part of the Bay Area Council's smart growth fund, which seeks to revitalize and invest in 46 of the Bay Area's poorest neighborhoods....The investment will allow Ascend Residential Properties Inc. to acquire, rehabilitate and sell 190 single-family homes in the next five years....The council created the smart growth and related investment funds, now worth $150 million, as part of its role in the Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities."
Thanks to Connie Chung
FULL STORY: Business group funds low-income housing

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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