Homebuilders have been removed from the language of a transportation funding bill that would have required developers to pay for new roads.
"The deal, outlined in a letter obtained by Capitol Media Services, resulted in the recrafting of the $42.6 billion transit improvement initiative shortly before it was filed Tuesday to remove a provision to raise at least some of the money from fees on new developments - fees that would be added to the cost of new homes."
"Instead the final version of the initiative - the one being circulated for signatures - calls for the entire costs of new highways, widened roads and mass transit projects to be paid for with a 1-cent increase in the state sales tax, an increase of 18 percent from the current 5.6 cent state levy."
"With the development fees gone, Connie Wilhelm, president of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, promised to provide $100,000 up front to help gather the more than 153,000 signatures that transit-tax backers need by July 3 to put the measure on the November ballot."
Read the full story: Governor drops builders from tax plan
Report: Some Rural States Ahead of More Urbanized Ones in Reducing Transportation Emissions
This is a largely unintended consequence of states with lower populations and resources focusing on repairing existing roads and infrastructure rather than expanding and building new roads.
State Transportation Leaders Call for Maintenance Over New Projects
Experts suggest departments facing budget gaps should prioritize basic repairs and maintenance over road-building and highway expansion projects.
The Nation’s Most Wasteful Highway Projects
The 2023 Highway Boondoggles report is here.
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.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
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.
This road in NYC is infamously dangerous — and Mamdani can't fix it
New York City's Ocean Parkway is known for reckless driving, but the power to implement safety measures lies with the state rather than the city.
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