Posted March 15, 200718 yr March 15 F E D E R A L House Passes Water Infrastructure Bills AMENDMENT PRIORITIZES FUNDING FOR EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE On March 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007 (H.R. 720) by a vote of 303 to 108, despite the threat of a presidential veto. This bipartisan legislation renews the country's commitment to clean water by authorizing appropriations of $14 billion over the next four years for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (Clean Water SRF). The administration's budget proposed major cuts in the loan fund. H.R. 720 expands the eligible uses of the Clean Water SRF, providing additional financial flexibility to help communities afford improvements to wastewater infrastructure. It requires that workers be paid the prevailing wage of the local workforce in places where a Clean Water SRF project is being undertaken. States and local governments have been pushing this reauthorization because it combines federal and state funds to provide low-interest loans for construction of wastewater treatment facilities and other pollution abatement projects. Four amendments were adopted in the final bill, including an amendment by John Hall (D-N.Y.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) that requires states to give priority to repairing existing wastewater infrastructure over building new facilities. The amendment was supported by smart growth groups, including APA. Although this bill had overall bipartisan support, many Republicans opposed language in the bill that applies Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage protections for construction projects funded under the Clean Water SRF. The White House has threatened to veto the bill if it includes these provisions, but an amendment to delete prevailing wage requirements was defeated. Earlier in the week the House passed two other clean water bills. The Healthy Communities Water Supply Act of 2007 (H.R. 700) authorizes $125 million under the Clean Water Act for Environmental Protection Agency grants to fund projects that increase usable water supply by encouraging innovation in water reclamation, reuse, and conservation. The Water Quality Investment Act of 2007 (H.R. 569) amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations to assist municipalities and states in controlling combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). F E D E R A L Congress Holds Hearings on FY08 EPA Budget Request, Smart Growth Cuts ADMINISTRATOR JOHNSON FACES A TOUGH AUDIENCE Last week saw two contentious hearings on the proposed FY 2008 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Johnson faced pointed questions from many committee members regarding the requested $7.2 billion for EPA. EPW Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) began the Senate hearing by stressing her disappointment in a request that proposes reduced levels of funding: "By chopping hundreds of millions of dollars out of EPA's funding, this budget sends an unmistakable message to people who are concerned about our health and a clean environment: You are not a high priority." Boxer outlined a number of concerns, including declining Superfund cleanups and a proposal to combine EPA's office for protecting children's health with its environmental education office. During the two days of hearings, members on both sides of the aisle voiced concerns. Among the proposed cuts questioned by the committees are staff and funding reductions for the EPA Smart Growth program. They come on the heels of public remarks from Administrator Johnson praising the program and its value. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Sen. Boxer, and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) have asked for further clarification on the apparent reduction in support for the EPA Smart Growth program, including specific information on proposed staffing or funding levels and justification for any proposed reductions. The administrator committed to providing a written response within the next 30 days. F E D E R A L Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007 Is Introduced AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOALS ENHANCED House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), along with Reps. Richard Baker (R-La.), Mel Watt (D-N.C.), and Gary Miller (R-Calif.) introduced legislation to overhaul the regulatory oversight of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. The legislation, H.R. 1427, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007, is the product of bipartisan legislation in the 109th Congress and long-running discussions with the administration. The legislation will create a new, independent regulator with broad powers. In the last Congress and again this year, the legislation has become a major focus for affordable housing advocates. Among the bill's key provisions is an affordable housing trust fund financed by a percentage of the GSE investment portfolio. The provision potentially sets aside hundreds of millions of dollars for the construction, maintenance, and preservation of affordable housing. The first year of the trust fund will be dedicated to hurricane-stricken areas of the Gulf Coast. Rep. Frank's committee will hold two hearings in the coming weeks and plans swift passage. The House passed a GSE reform bill in the 109th Congress, but the plan stalled in the Senate. F E D E R A L Speaker Names Global Warming Panel SELECT COMMITTEE TO BE LED BY REP. MARKEY OF MASSACHUSETTS House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has named the 15 members of the new Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, to be led by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass). The Select Committee will not have specific legislative jurisdiction but is charged with raising the visibility of energy and global warming issues. Speaker Pelosi established the new group as a means of focusing attention on the issues and developing initiatives for action by regular committees. Rep. Blumenauer, who champions planning and livability, is the select committee's second-ranking Democrat. Earlier, the Speaker appointed Blumenauer to the influential Ways and Means Committee. Republican appointments to the select committee, made by the Republican Caucus and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), include many of the House's leading global warming skeptics, including several members who voted against the panel's creation. F E D E R A L House Passes Community Development Legislation BILL EASES REQUIREMENTS ON HUD BROWNFIELDS FUNDING The U.S. House passed the Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act (H.R. 644) on February 27 by voice vote under suspension of the rules. The bill eliminates requirements that the Housing and Urban Development Department's Brownfield Economic Development Initiative grants be backed by Section 108–guaranteed loans. The action is expected to ease communities' use of the funds. Passage of this bill may also signal congressional willingness to resist calls from the administration to eliminate the BEDI program. On the other side of the Capitol, Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Susan Collins (R-Me.) have circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter urging full funding of the brownfields program. The House also passed the Community Development Investments Enhancement Act (H.R. 1066). The bill permits federal savings associations to make investments designed primarily to promote the public welfare, including the welfare of low- and moderate-income communities or families through the provision of housing, services, and jobs. S T A T E Georgia Considers Regional Sales Tax Referenda for Transportation STATES LOOK TO LOCAL VOTERS TO FUND TRANSPORTATION Georgia legislators are considering two proposals aimed at asking voters to raise the sales tax to fund transportation investment. One measure would amend the state constitution to allow a vote on a 10-year, one-cent, statewide sales tax estimated to raise about $2.2 billion per year. Projects would be selected and managed by a newly created entity. A competing plan, promoted by a coalition of business groups and livability advocates, would pay for a mix of transportation projects in metro Atlanta with a one-cent regional sales tax approved by a referendum. H.B. 434 would allow contiguous counties in metro Atlanta or elsewhere in the state to form self-taxing districts exclusively for transportation purposes. If voters approve the tax and the plan on how to spend it, sales taxes within the district could be increased by up to a penny or gas taxes could be raised by as much as 10 percent. Georgia joins a number of other states considering allowing regional or local special-option sales taxes to cover transportation costs. Similar legislation is pending in North Carolina and Virginia, and proposed legislation that would allow voters to consider a Boise-area tax district was narrowly defeated in an Idaho legislative committee. Proposals to raise various taxes and fees are also under consideration in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. The trend may reflect the popularity of transportation finance referenda with voters in other states. Since 2000, such measures have passed approximately 70 percent of the time, according to the Center for Transportation Excellence. States also are facing a growing gap in financing new transportation investments and ongoing operating and maintenance costs. Local governments have been paying a growing proportion of transportation costs in recent years.
April 4, 200718 yr March 28, 2007 F E D E R A L Senate Passes FY08 Budget Resolution; House to Act This Week ADMINISTRATION'S DOMESTIC CUTS REJECTED Senate Democrats, joined by Maine Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, passed the FY08 budget resolution. The House will take up its version of the budget resolution this week. Under congressional rules, budget resolutions do not have the force of law but set binding limits on discretionary spending that guide the subsequent work of appropriators. Congress has failed to adopt a budget resolution in three of the last five years. Both the House and Senate budget bills reject almost all of the major cuts proposed by the Bush administration. The resolutions restore funding for the Community Development Block Grant program, boost spending on water infrastructure loan funds, raise the amount available for the upcoming farm bill, increase resources for energy programs and tax credits, and allocate excess gas tax revenues to state and local projects. The resolutions incorporate new "pay as you go" budget rules. The Senate bill envisions the extension of some tax cuts and an expansion of child health care. It does not address entitlement reform, but Senate Budget Chairman Ken Conrad (D-N.D.) and Ranking Member Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) plan to introduce legislation creating a bipartisan commission of lawmakers charged with proposing specific remedies to long-term solvency issues. F E D E R A L Billboard Industry Seeks Exemption in War Spending Bill PROVISION ALLOWS REPLACEMENT OF NONCONFORMING SIGNS Last year the billboard industry twice tried to include language in congressional appropriations bills to waive key sections of the Highway Beautification Act. The industry sought an exemption to rebuild billboards destroyed by natural disasters. The replacement signs would be modern, permanent structures. Those efforts were unsuccessful. Undaunted by defeats in the 109th Congress, the industry is back again with a provision in the Senate version of the supplemental spending bill for the Iraq war. The new effort limits the application of the exemption to 13 southern states. The language was inserted at the request of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The HBA designated certain signs as "nonconforming" based on their location. The law stipulated that, as with all nonconforming land uses, when the structures were deemed destroyed they would not be replaced in the same location. Following recent hurricanes in Florida, hundreds of signs were illegally rebuilt, leading to a dispute with the Federal Highway Administration. Many believe the Florida experience led to the lobbying effort to seek natural disaster exemption. APA has written to Congress opposing the provision based on its potential impact on nonconforming land uses and potential for further erosion of local authority over outdoor signs. The Senate bill must be reconciled with a differing House-passed version. Both measures face a presidential veto threat related to provisions for withdrawal from Iraq. F E D E R A L Transit Benefit Equity Legislation Introduced MEASURE RAISES TRANSIT TAX BENEFIT In the same week that transit ridership topped 10 billion trips per year for the first time in 49 years, companion bills were introduced in the House and Senate to raise the allowable transit commute benefit to match that for parking. Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced the "Commuter Benefits Equity Act of 2007" (H.R. 1475 / S. 712). Commuters can now receive up to $110 per month in transit benefits, but the monthly parking benefit is $215. "Establishing parity between commuter benefits and parking benefits will provide American workers with an incentive to utilize transit for their commute to work," McGovern said. "Enactment of this legislation will help ease congestion, improve air quality, and reduce dependency on foreign oil. It also makes sense for employers who can use it as an effective employment recruitment and retention tool." The measures have been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee. Public transit use is up 30 percent since 1995. That's more than double the growth rate of the U.S. population (12 percent) and higher than the growth rate for vehicle miles traveled on U.S. roads (24 percent) during that same period. S T A T E Indiana: Public Opposition Scuttles Private Tolling Plan LEGISLATORS TURN FOCUS TO TRANSIT FUNDING Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has pulled his proposals for two privately funded toll roads, indicating that he is open to supporting other financing for the projects in the Indianapolis area and northwestern Indiana but that the privatization plan is dead. The turnabout was sparked by strong public skepticism expressed in a series of public meetings and hearings. Daniels's support had plummeted in public polls and he was grilled at congressional hearings examining the privatization of transportation infrastructure. The original plan called for private equity to largely finance the new 75-mile Indiana Commerce Connector. The road would be built and operated by a private firm that would collect tolling revenue. The private firm also would have provided up-front funding for an extension of Interstate 69. The project was widely touted as a model by national advocates of private tolling. Several other states are considering similar approaches to transportation finance. Legislators are turning their attention to other transportation approaches. Indiana House Speaker Patrick Bauer called the governor's decision "inevitable" and called for a new approach that includes an emphasis on transit. Hearings have begun to consider new funding sources, including dedicated revenue for transit. S T A T E Arizona: Water Adequacy Bills Make Progress DEVELOPMENT TO BE CONTINGENT ON WATER SUPPLY The Arizona state senate has approved legislation that allows local governments to block new development that cannot demonstrate an adequate water supply for the long term. The legislation allows a county board of supervisors to withhold approval of a final subdivision plan if the project doesn't have an adequate water supply. A county's water-supply requirements would be binding on cities and towns in the county, but individual cities could set up their own rules if the county does not. The bill is part of a set of legislative recommendations from the Statewide Water Advisory Group and a key element of Gov. Janet Napolitano's smart growth efforts. A companion bill provides funding for water-supply projects and offers an incentive for local governments to begin requiring developments to have 100-year water supplies. The Arizona house has passed the funding bill. Both measures are expected to be enacted this session.
April 4, 200718 yr Is that why they've been sending me mailings, asking to join them (@ the student rate of $200 a year)?
April 5, 200718 yr What? My thread wasn't good enough for you? http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=9657.0
July 8, 200717 yr July 5, 2007 F E D E R A L Hearings Examine HOPE VI Reauthorization SENATE BILL LINKS HOUSING, EDUCATION Committees in the House and Senate recently held hearings on reauthorization of the HOPE VI program. HOPE VI was created in the early 1990s to help communities replace deteriorated public housing and foster mixed-income neighborhoods. The program's current authorization is set to expire this year. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) introduced Senate legislation, S. 829, to reauthorize the program through 2013. The legislation would create a new requirement that HOPE VI projects partner with local schools to develop a comprehensive educational reform and achievement strategy. The bill, which has bipartisan support, also modifies some selection criteria. Among those testifying were affordable housing developers Richard Barron and Jonathan Rose. Both lauded the program and pointed to the additional, private sector investment generated by HOPE VI. Researchers from the Urban Institute presented findings on improved safety and quality of life in HOPE VI neighborhoods. Some witnesses expressed concerns about the displacement of residents. Leaders of the House Financial Services Committee plan to move House legislation later this summer. In the initial hearing on the issue, several members of the House Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), supported the program but said any reauthorization must include guarantees of "one-to-one" replacement for public housing. At the House hearing, HUD officials said a "one-to-one" requirement could increase the cost of HOPE VI projects by at least one-third. Some in Congress and the administration have floated the idea of a "one-to-one" requirement for affordable housing, as opposed to public housing. HUD also expressed concern about any links to education, stating that anything "beyond bricks and mortar" will slow projects. HUD opposes any reauthorization of HOPE VI and has asked Congress to eliminate funding for the program in recent budget requests. Congress has repeatedly rebuffed those proposals and appears likely to do so again this year. The chairman of the House Appropriations Transportation–HUD Subcommittee has pledged continued funding for HOPE VI. As reauthorization discussions continue on Capitol Hill, some groups are promoting new provisions aimed at "greening" affordable and public housing and enhancing access to transit. F E D E R A L Affordable Housing Trust Fund Bill Introduced BILL SEEKS 1.5 MILLION UNITS OVER 10 YEARS Last week, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) formally unveiled legislation (H.R. 2895) establishing a national affordable housing trust fund. The move surprised few because Frank recently moved two bills through his committee providing revenue sources for the trust fund: the proposed GSE Affordable Housing Fund (H.R. 1427) and Federal Housing Administration savings resulting from the enactment of the Expanding American Homeownership Act (H.R. 1852). The GSE (government-sponsored enterprises) bill has been approved by the House and is pending in the Senate. The goal is to produce, rehabilitate, and preserve 1.5 million units of housing over the next 10 years. The bill allocates 60 percent of funding to participating local jurisdictions and 40 percent to states. HUD would be required to develop a formula for these allocations based on a number of factors, including population, housing affordability, percentage of very- and extremely low income families, cost of construction and rehabilitation, and the extent of substandard and aging housing. Under the legislation, all trust fund money must be used for the benefit of low income families (below 80 percent of median income). At least 75 percent of funds must go to extremely low income families (below 30 percent of median income). State and local governments could make grants to eligible recipients, including nonprofit housing providers. Participating jurisdictions would have to create an allocation plan based on priority housing needs and geographic diversity, and include information about the ability to leverage funds from other sources. APA has long supported the creation of a trust fund and renewed the call for adoption of this legislation in its recently adopted policy guide on housing. APA hopes to work with legislators to strengthen the linkage to comprehensive plans and smart growth efforts. F E D E R A L Senate Passes Energy Bill BLOCK GRANTS INCLUDED IN LEGISLATION After weeks of debate, the U.S. Senate finally cleared energy legislation addressing an array of contentious issues. The final bill, approved 65-27, increases automobile fuel efficiency standards and requires a major increase in use of biofuels. Efforts to seriously weaken the new CAFE standards were turned back. The legislation also includes provisions creating a new Energy and Environment Block Grant program modeled on Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). The Senate bill did not attempt to address comprehensive global warming policies such as a "cap and trade" regime or carbon tax. Those issues will likely be debated in separate legislation later this year. Efforts by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) to raise renewable energy requirements for utilities were derailed by procedural moves. After the vote, Sen. Bingaman said he would seek another legislative vehicle for his renewables plan. Attempts to channel funding into controversial liquid coal technology were defeated. The liquid coal concept is popular among many coal state senators who argue that the expensive technology would reduce dependence on foreign oil, but many experts are concerned about the global warming effects of shifting to liquid coal for fuel. The Senate also rejected sweeping changes to the tax code. The provisions would have created $28.5 billion in incentives for renewable power, biofuels, plug-in hybrids, and other technologies funded through new taxes on oil companies. Both the renewables requirement and tax plan had majority support but not the 60 votes required to shut off debate. Both the Energy and Natural Resources and Environment and Public Works committees plan further action later on energy and climate issues. F E D E R A L House Transportation Committee Passes Energy & Climate Bill PROVISIONS MAY BE INCLUDED IN HOUSE ENERGY BILL Last week, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee marked up its contribution to the summer energy package promised by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The committee's action sends to the House floor a number of energy efficiency programs related to the transportation sector. Among the bill's key provisions are additional support for expanded commuter rail service, expanding use of alternative fuels, increasing the federal share for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program, and program parity for rescissions of federal budget authority. The bill also expressed support for "complete streets" policies. The bill lacks any proposals to dramatically reshape the country's national energy policy but represents an important step toward adopting policies that will reduce the nation's greenhouse emissions and dependence on foreign oil. The bill also acknowledges the vital role of transportation in addressing energy and climate issues. "Each of these [provisions] is an individual modest step but, added up, it's significant," said committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.). The committee approved H.R. 2701, The Transportation Energy Security and Climate Change Mitigation Act, after voting on more than a dozen Republican amendments to the bill. Amendments targeting the bill's provisions on Amtrak, CMAQ, and the distribution of federal funds among transportation programs were all defeated. APA endorsed the bill and opposed the amendments designed to weaken its key provisions. The markup came one week after Republicans forced the committee to postpone work because of a disagreement over the amendments. In the end, the only amendment that passed was one from Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) that directs the Transportation Department to study the feasibility of using coal-to-liquids technology. F E D E R A L House Continues Work on Global Warming EPA SEEKS TO DELAY WAIVER DECISIONS UNTIL DECEMBER Responding to criticism from their own party, the Democratic chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee backed down from plans to prohibit EPA from granting waivers to California and other states seeking to implement greenhouse gas emission reduction programs. Although Reps. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.) agreed to pull the provisions from legislation pending in the committee, they may seek to insert similar language once the bill comes to the House floor. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson further clouded the outlook for resolution of the waiver issue by indicating that no decision would be made until December. California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened to sue EPA if the waiver isn't granted by October 22. Powerful Californians in Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer, vow to keep up pressure on EPA to act. The House is continuing to work on a variety of energy and climate bills. Speaker Pelosi hopes to have major global warming legislation on the floor of the House later this summer. The House took an important symbolic step on global warming last week by adopting a resolution as part of the FY 2008 Interior and Environment spending bill endorsing "mandatory steps" to address greenhouse gas emissions. An effort by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) to strip out the language was defeated 153–274. F E D E R A L House Explores the Benefits of Intercity Rail CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR INCREASED AMTRAK SUPPORT The House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials met last week to hear testimony on the benefits of intercity passenger rail. The hearing comes as Congress begins work on reauthorization legislation for Amtrak. The subcommittee heard from three panels of witnesses ranging from state government officials to non-governmental organizations. The main focus of the hearing was Corridor Route Services, or shorter regional travel. Corridor trips account for about 81 percent of all intercity passenger rail trips, and Amtrak operates nearly all intercity passenger rail in the United States. The hearing largely touted the positive role of rail in increasing mobility, travel choice, and economic development. Several witnesses spoke about benefits for further regional economic growth and neighborhood revitalization through stations and transit-oriented development strategies. The witnesses all called on Congress to provide more funding for Amtrak to provide intercity rail service. The president of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Mark Schweiker, spoke specifically about the impact of rail in terms of congestion relief between New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Subcommittee Chairwoman Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) said "[W]e need to ensure passenger rail is a priority in the United States. We were once the premier country in passenger rail service and now we are dead last behind every other industrialized country in the world." She promised that her panel will aggressively pursue a reauthorization bill in the 110th Congress. F E D E R A L Senate Appropriations Committee Clears FY 2008 Interior, Environment Bill PROVISION WOULD PROTECT SMART GROWTH OFFICE Last week the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2008 Interior, the Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations legislation. The bill provides more than $27 billion in overall spending and is approximately $1.5 billion more than the amount requested in the administration's budget. Among the biggest winners in the bill are the EPA Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund and the National Park Service. In response to the recent Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, the Senate bill includes $2 million for the EPA to begin rulemaking on mandatory emissions reporting as part of the first steps toward meaningful greenhouse gas regulation. This will require EPA to use its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to develop and publish a rule requiring mandatory reporting from sectors of the economy that produce greenhouse gases. The bill approved by the committee also contains language designed to protect the EPA smart growth program from proposed budget cuts. The administration's FY08 request redirected at least a third of the smart growth program's budget into other program areas. APA and partners have been working closely with Congress to prevent this highly effective program from losing its current levels of funding and staffing. The Senate language would limit EPA's ability to shift resources away from smart growth. Amendments calling for increases for EPA's smart growth efforts may be offered when the bill goes to the Senate floor. S T A T E Oregon Legislature Sends Measure 37 Rewrite to Voters SPECIAL ELECTION SLATED FOR NOVEMBER 2007 After extended debate about how to fix the broken takings system established by 2004's Measure 37, the Oregon legislature approved H.B. 3540 during the closing hours of the 2007 session. The legislation will ask voters to weigh in on proposed revisions to Measure 37 in a special election this November. The referendum is likely to spark a replay of the state's heated electoral battle over takings. Supporters of revision are encouraged by polls showing a majority in the state now oppose Measure 37. A new study from Oregon State University economists found the state's land-use laws have contributed directly to increased property values. The referendum will be known as Measure 49 and appears on the ballots as "Modifies Measure 37; clarifies right to build homes; limits large developments; protects farms, forests, groundwater." The rewrite seeks to strike a balance between easing restrictions on some rural landowners while preventing abuses that threaten to lead to irresponsible development. The proposal eases the path for rural landowners who seek to build as many as three houses, although there are restrictions on high-value farmland and areas with groundwater shortages. Landowners who seek to build as many as 10 houses must prove losses in value, minus tax breaks they have received, and are limited to two sites. Measure 49 would prohibit all claims for industrial and commercial development, including billboards and quarries, and protect water supplies by prohibiting claims for subdivisions in critical and limited groundwater areas. The proposal also seeks to correct the valuation methodology for claims.
July 8, 200717 yr So Hope VI funding was cut entirely!? I thought it was just reduced. Hope VI has really helped transform a deteriorating neighborhood in Cincinnati by offering new development that promotes mixed incomes and we really need more development like it. Why doesn't HUD want Hope VI to continue? We need programs like this to help prove that lower and upperclass people can co-exist and that such development can be sustainable. What an @sshole. **** Bush and republicans in general.
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