Planners and environmentalists have wasted no time telling Massachusetts smart growth-friendly Governor: overhaul the state's antiquated zoning law!
"Critics say the current law virtually guarantees sprawl, handcuffs local government, and is ridden with builder-friendly loopholes. A group of reformers has filed a bill to rewrite it, after a similar bill failed in the last legislative session, and advocates say executive-branch muscle behind the bill may be its only chance for passage... The state zoning law includes a grandfather clause that allows developers to lock in projects under current zoning for eight years. Town planners say they are reluctant to propose changes in local development rules because builders will rush to submit their projects under the current rules."
Thanks to Chris Steins
Read the full story: Romney urged to overhaul zoning law
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
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
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Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
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Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
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Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
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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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority