Budding developers can access funding and low-cost vacant lots for affordable housing construction.
A symposium organized by the Omaha Municipal Land Bank and the nonprofit Spark brought together local developers interested in developing infill properties, reports Cindy Gonzales in the Nebraska Examiner.
The symposium also connected emerging developers, bankers, architects, and others interested in housing development. According to Land Bank executive director Leslie Smith, encouraging infill development could have community benefits beyond just new housing, raising local property values. One such project, ‘Curtis Corner,’ built nine new homes on a formerly vacant lot in North Omaha.
The city recently sold 50 properties for as low as $1 with one catch: the new owners have a deadline to develop housing on the lots. “And as long as the homes are restricted for the designated income-qualified population, the buyer can access gap funding from nonprofit sources such as the local Spark Capital program to bridge the cost between construction and sale price.” The Land Bank is using a $1.25 million state grant to clean up and prepare 20 or more lots for building.
FULL STORY: Unprecedented moves seek to ramp up affordable housing options in Omaha
San Diego School District Could Accelerate Workforce Housing Program
A proposal to build housing on five district-owned properties could yield 1,000 housing units for low- and moderate-income district employees.
Oregon Cities Debate Expanding Boundaries
A recent bill allows cities to apply for a one-time expansion to Oregon’s historic urban growth boundaries, which limit development at the edges of cities.
Colorado Cities Seek to Address Housing Crisis With Modular Housing, STR Rules
Cities are incentivizing more affordable housing types and limiting permits for short-term rentals in an effort to keep housing affordable for residents.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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