A bill currently in committee in Oregon would raise revenue for the state's housing accounts by ending a subsidy used only by residents who own more than one property around the state.
"Three proposed bills in the Oregon Legislature aim to address housing affordability across the state," reports Whitney M. Woodworth.
The non-traditional approach of these bills, however, will be sure to raise some eyebrows. "Two seek to increase homeownership by providing grants for low-income households and creating a task force to address racial disparities," according to Woodworth. "The other would seriously alter a tax deduction used by hundred of thousands of Oregon homeowners." That third bill would use the additional revenue generated by the end of the subsidy to fund the state's Home Ownership Assistance Accounts, the General Housing Account, and the Emergency Housing Account.
According to Woodworth's account of a recent public hearing held by the Oregon House Committee on Human Services and Housing, the public has already responded to bill that would reform the state's mortgage interest deduction. Perhaps surprisingly, Woodworth says that most at Thursday's meeting favored the change, while only three attendees voiced opposition.
FULL STORY: Proposed Oregon bill seeks to exclude second homes, 'well-off' from tax break
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits Lose Luster in the Post-GOP Tax Reform World
Fewer people investing in low-income housing tax credits means fewer affordable housing units being built—at a time when affordable units are in extremely short supply.
Black Homeownership Still Falling
Black homeownership rates have been slow to recover from the great recession and the gap between whites and blacks in home ownership is bigger today than it was in the 1980s.
Tax Reform and the Housing Market
Curbed analysis of how local and regional housing markets will react to changes to the country's tax code.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.
Seattle’s Pike Place Market Leans Into Pedestrian Infrastructure
After decades of debate, the market is testing a car ban in one of its busiest areas and adding walking links to the surrounding neighborhood.
The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?
In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.
Quantifying Social Infrastructure
New developments have clear rules for ensuring surrounding roads, water, and sewers can handle new users. Why not do the same for community amenities?
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions