Population growth in scenic St. George, Utah, has officials trying to sell federal land to pay for municipal projects. Other western states may follow suit.
Utah's congressional delegation has proposed the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act to sell up to 40 square miles of federal land, and use the proceeds to finance a $500 million water pipeline and other local projects. Similar bills may be introduced for counties in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico.
Washington County is home to fast-growing St. George and Zion National Park. Conservationists are critical of the Act. "As far as wilderness is concerned, this is a miserable piece of legislation," says Scott Groene, executive director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. Janine Blaeloch, director of the Western Lands Project agrees: "People hoorah these projects on the local level, saying, 'We are going to do this for our people.' But small groups benefit, and those are developers, paving companies and golf course developers. Where federal land has been taken over for development, it ends up being used for second homes and high-end development."
Part of the federal land sale price would pay for a 66,000-acre tortoise preserve. The bill would establish a fund that would allow a major developer to realize a multimillion-dollar profit on land he owns in the tortoise preserve. Among the priority projects to be funded by the land auction would be buying out private landowners within the preserve boundaries.
FULL STORY: Eyes in the West Are on Federal Land Sale

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont