Revision to a Maryland state homebuying assistance program is catching some resistance from smart growth advocates as changed language seems to go against the original anti-sprawl intent.
The original homebuying assistance program offers qualified buyers a grant worth up to 3% of their mortgage. The new version offers the same grant amount, but has changed the location requirements which have led many smart growth advocates to oppose the program.
"Unlike the original Live Near Your Work program launched in 1997 under Gov. Parris N. Glendening, the new initiative does not limit assistance to home purchases in neighborhoods in need of revitalization. Anyone can get a closing-cost grant for an existing home if it is within 25 miles of the buyer's workplace - which some see as an awfully long commute that belies the program's name."
Read the full story: State aid for home purchase is revived
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority