An affordable housing measure passed in Tuesday's election has developers saying they may scrap existing building projects, meanwhile the bill’s supporters argue that the new rules will help break the housing crunch plaguing the area.

Besides electing a new president on November 8th, Angelenos also passed a ballot measure on affordable housing. "Measure JJJ, which passed with nearly 64% of the vote, requires developers to pay higher wages and build below-market rate units if they get exemptions from key planning rules — a common occurrence in Los Angeles, where the city's zoning is considered outdated," reports Andrew Khouri for the Los Angeles Times. But, while the measure received a great deal of support, developers claim it could have the unintended consequence of curbing building and constricting the supply of houses, eventually driving prices up.
Al Leibovic, who runs a development firm in the city, told the Times, "This is pretty devastating," he said. "It really throws all of our plans to construct an additional 700 units in the city of L.A. into question." Meanwhile labor advocates and housing advocate groups celebrated the success of the measure, noting that the wide margin of voters supported the bill and had made a statement and taken action to curb the housing crisis facing the city.
For more coverage of the ballot measures check out our election round-up.
FULL STORY: L.A. developers grapple with affordable-housing measure passed by a wide margin

The End of Single-Family Zoning in Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is the latest jurisdiction in the country to effectively end single-family zoning.

‘Train Daddy’ Andy Byford to Oversee Amtrak’s High-Speed Rail Efforts
Byford, who formerly ran NYC Transit and Transport for London, could bring renewed vigor to the agency’s plans to expand regional rail in the United States.

Seattle Bus Lane Cameras Capture Over 100,000 Violations
An automated traffic enforcement pilot program caught drivers illegally using transit lanes more than 110,000 times in less than a year.

Immigration Grows, Population Drops in Many U.S. Counties
International immigration to the country’s most populous areas tripled even as major metropolitan areas continued to lose population.

$616 Million in Development Incentives Approved for District Detroit
The “Transformational Brownfield” incentives approved by the Detroit City Council for the $1.5 billion District Detroit still require approval by the state.

Affordable Housing Development Rejected for Lack of Third Staircase in Connecticut
The New Canaan Planning Commission rejected a development proposal, including 31 below-market-rate apartments, for lack of a third staircase, among other reasons, at a time when advocates are pushing to relax two-staircase requirements.
Houston-Galveston Area Council
City of Malibu
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
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.