Decades of increasing costs and deferred maintenance could lead to people losing their homes unless changes are made.
As aging infrastructure and soaring maintenance costs threaten the nation's condominium stock, a new Shelterforce article examines how this crucial affordable housing option is at risk. The author explains how condo ownership, a crucial affordable housing option is at risk. The analysis reveals that condo ownership — which provides a vital pathway to homeownership for first-time buyers, communities of color, and seniors — faces mounting challenges:
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Monthly fees have increased 60 percent in some markets
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37 percent of condo owners are now housing cost-burdened
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Only 12 states require associations to maintain reserve funds
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Post-Surfside regulations are destabilizing some markets
The article explores divergent state responses, from Florida's market-disrupting reforms to New Jersey's phased approach, and outlines 11 policy solutions for preserving this affordable housing stock. Key recommendations include mandating reserve studies, providing low-interest repair loans, and implementing foreclosure protections.
Read Karen Black's full analysis in Shelterforce.
FULL STORY: Condos—a Key Source of Affordable Housing for Homeowners—Are in Jeopardy
San Francisco Mayor’s ‘Family Zoning’ Plan Faces Pushback, Displacement Concerns
Newly proposed legislation aims to protect long-term tenants from displacement caused by Mayor Lurie’s proposed zoning reform plan, which would allow for more housing construction in parts of the city.
Louisville Launches ‘Anti-Displacement Tool’
After a years-long, tenant-led effort, Louisville will use a new tool to analyze whether a proposed housing development can meet a neighborhood’s housing needs and income levels. If it doesn’t, the city won’t subsidize it.
Inequality Grows in Western Zoom Towns
As demand for housing grows, small Western towns are experiencing skyrocketing housing costs and rising displacement.
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.
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
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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