Joshua A. Smith

Key components of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity are grouped into: low-density proposals, applicable to R1-R5 zoning districts; medium and high-density proposals, applicable to R6-R10 zoning districts; and citywide proposals. Keep reading to learn about the citywide proposals. Lift Costly Parking Mandates: Remove costly parking mandates for new buildings. Parking mandates make housing more expensive and drive up rents. Parking would still be allowed, and projects can add what is appropriate at their location. Convert Non-Residential Buildings to Housing: Make it easier for underused, nonresidential buildings, such as offices, to be converted into housing. Allow conversions for buildings constructed before 1991 and expand eligibility to anywhere housing is allowed. Small and Shared Housing: Reintroduce housing with shared kitchens or other common facilities. Allow buildings with more studios and one-bedroom apartments for New Yorkers who want to live alone but don’t have that option today. Campus Infill: Make it easier to add new housing on large sites that have existing buildings and ample space to accommodate additional construction, such as a church with an oversized parking lot. #cityofyes #developmentsites #developmentsiteadvisors #nyc #weknowzoning

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The City of Cumberland announces the availability for public review and comments, its Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the 2023 fiscal year. The CAPER is the official report submitted to HUD that evaluates accomplishments against City 5-year Consolidated Plan goals and objectives. The CAPER specifically describes accomplishments for projects funded using Community Development Block Grant funds during the year as described in the City’s 2023 Annual Action Plan. The Public Hearing to receive comments on the CAPER will be held on October 1, 2024 at 6:15 p.m. during the Mayor & City Council meeting at City Hall in the accessible 3rd floor Council Chambers. The CAPER covers accomplishments realized from July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.The report evaluates progress towards meeting goals and objectives for the categories of housing, homelessness, public services, public facilities, infrastructure, economic development, and planning; while addressing fair housing and the needs of special populations. Twelve percent of funds were expended for administration and planning in 2023. The City received an annual allocation of $799,982 and $55.04 program income in Community Development Block Grant funds. Projects funded by prior year awards continued. A total of $1,013,124 ($925,841 regular funds and $87,283 of CARES Act funds) was expended on housing, public facility & infrastructure improvements, public services, and administration/planning activities. Over 559 low-moderate-income residents of Cumberland were directly affected by CDBG funded activities while 20,000 people benefited indirectly from “area” wide activities. Sub recipient and City matching funds totaled $182,430. The 2023 CAPER report will be submitted to HUD on or before Wednesday, October 2, 2024. The 15-day public comment period will run from Friday, September 13, 2024 through Monday, September 30, 2024. Anyone wishing to review and provide comments related to the year-end report or to request additional meeting room accommodations should contact Lee Borror, Senior Community Development Specialist, City of Cumberland, Department of Community Development, 57 North Liberty Street, Cumberland, Maryland 21502 at (301) 759-6437 or TDD # 1-800-735-2258 or e-mail to [email protected]; at least 3 days before October 1, 2024. All comments received will be included in the report for review by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Find details on the whole report on our website at: https://lnkd.in/gSzBZpz3

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The Hamilton County Community Needs Assessment is now ready. The report presents data and recommendations surrounding the five priority areas: affordable housing, education & training, social services, childcare solutions, and transportation. https://loom.ly/-JltBZA

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This week’s Upzone Update https://buff.ly/3AJJsI9, looks at “Adjacent Communities.” These are the cities and towns that are upzoning to comply with the state’s MBTA Communities law because they are adjacent to municipalities that are served by the MBTA. The clock is ticking, Boston Indicators’ Lucas Munson explains in the update. Adjacent Communities with greater population density have just six weeks to comply with the state law. “To date, 23 of the 59 Adjacent Communities have submitted compliance plans” to state housing officials, Munson writes. Twelve plans “have already been approved. Another 15 have adopted zoning plans, leaving just 21 adjacent communities that are on the clock to meet that 12/31 deadline.” Some towns are doing the least amount of upzoning possible. “For example,” Munson writes, “Wayland’s district is 50.1 acres, just above the minimum required of 50 acres. And virtually all this land is either unbuildable or already built out, and unlikely to be redeveloped for new housing any time soon. Wayland also meets the requirement of having at least one contiguous site of 25 acres by having one site of exactly 25 acres, which covers a gated community.” “In contrast, Tyngsborough’s compliance plan seems to comprise a mix of already-built apartment complexes and currently unused or underutilized parcels that could attract new housing construction.” To learn more, check out Upzone Update.

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Here's a new tool non-profits are adding to the funding mix. Community bonds are an innovative way to finance #affordablehousing projects and foster local support. https://ow.ly/h6ev50SXRAy

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Better land data leads to better housing solutions — and with #WhoOwnsAmerica’s parcel-level detail, we’re able to bring new insights into discussions for municipalities, policymakers, and more. As the new The White House fact sheet calls for congressional action to curb corporate landlords, WHOA is helping municipalities defend their housing stock by beating institutional investors at their own game. WHOA gives local governments and community leaders access to parcel-level data to track who owns what property in their areas so they can make policy to defend local home ownership and construct new affordable housing. Explore the analysis yourself: https://lnkd.in/g7Ui_-ia #UrbanPlanning #HousingSolutions

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📧 New Outlook Limits Impact Local Governments 📧 Starting January 2025, Outlook will cap emails to 2,000 external recipients per day. This change could disrupt how local governments engage with residents via email, affecting timely updates and closing the feedback loop. Plan ahead to maintain trust and transparency in your community engagement efforts. https://hubs.la/Q02Jfk5j0 #LocalGov #CommunityEngagement #PublicInput

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Challenges facing city managers today "There are numerous challenges facing city managers in today’s local government, which call for them to make tough decisions. City managers are excellent leaders who come from all backgrounds within both the public and private sectors. As local governments move forward in this post-COVID-19 era, city managers’ challenges range from addressing organizational needs, such as employee retention and effective budgetary management, to providing effective methods for addressing community issues such as affordable housing and homelessness. To address these challenges, it is vital that city managers have access to the technical and financial tools that will aid them in managing infrastructure problems, organizational needs and community concerns. It is also important that federal, state and local governments collaborate to address these issues. The challenges discussed in this article are not an all-inclusive list of the challenges facing city managers. Additionally, these challenges are not confined to just one area of the country, impacting local communities across the nation. Aging roads, water and sewer infrastructure is a problem confronting city managers due to the enormous need for maintenance and repair in cities, in addition to the need for providing proper funding. The problem facing city managers in addressing this issue is that cities are often competing for limited governmental funding, such as Community Development Block Grant funding, as well as other federal, state and local funding resources. At the same time, most cities are dealing with deferred maintenance, meaning their communities have gone decades without providing for repair and maintenance of roads, bridges, water and sewers. As a result, we have seen roads crumble over the years. City managers are expected to repair these problems, often inherited upon assuming their position. One funding method for municipalities has been state governments’ approval of a sales tax, which can be applied to the sale price of goods purchased in the municipalities where infrastructure improvements are undertaken. These funds could therefore provide for a method in which visitors who utilize the water, sewer and road infrastructure of a municipality contribute to the funding of needed upgrades and maintenance. In 2020, 45 of the 50 states, including California, generated sales tax revenues as a significant source of funds." Continue reading in the article below. #mygovus #buildingbettercommunities #governmentsoftwaresolutions

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Today is the official 5️⃣0️⃣th anniversary of the enactment of the Community Development Block Grant program! 🎉 Signed into law on August 22, 1974, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's CDBG program plays a pivotal role in increasing access to safe and affordable housing and the Disaster Recovery program increases recovery, resilience, and mitigation efforts across the country. IEM is a proud supporter of CDBG projects nationwide. Since 2005, we have been involved in every major disaster appropriation and have supported 🤝 over 500 CDBG programs, projects, and related activities. The IEM team has witnessed firsthand the positive, cascading effects of CDBG programs in community recovery and resilience. 💪 Our team of dedicated experts assists communities in pursuing and managing CDBG-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and CDBG-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) opportunities to assist in disaster recovery efforts and mitigate against future risk. Team IEM is proud to be at the forefront of the CDBG program in our mission to build a safe, secure, and resilient world. 🌎 🌐 Learn more about IEM’s extensive CDBG services: https://lnkd.in/eyeUnDze 📰 Check out our blogs from Team IEM CDBG experts sharing their insights: https://lnkd.in/eh3wtmFu #TeamIEM #IEMCDBG #IEMCDBGDR #CDBG #CDBG50 #communitydevelopmentblockgrant #CDBG50anniversary #disasterrecovery #CDBGMIT #IEMCDBGMIT #disasterrecovery #housing #mitigation #recovery #HUD #HUDCDBG #CDBGDR #longtermrecovery #disasterhousing #disastermitigation #communityresilience #resiientcommunities #disastermanagement #riskreduction #mitigation

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Far too many communities have their planning and zoning policies established in a manner that drive needed new housing into the discretionary review process. “It is in this process in which affordability and access can be lost, and the production of needed new housing slowed. #housing #homebuilding #housingpolicy #planning

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Think you can balance the City’s budget? Now’s your chance! 📊 With our Balancing Act simulation tool, you can adjust the budgets for both the Operating and Capital Improvement funds to align city resources with what matters most to you. The challenge? Just like the City Council, you'll need to balance revenues and expenses before finalizing your budget! ➡️ Give it a try and share your thoughts: https://lnkd.in/gXQFegtf City Council and City staff appreciate your feedback to help ensure investments and services are in line with your priorities. #CityBudget #BudgetSimulationTool #CommunityFeedback

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We are excited to release the results of the 2024 HilltopSecurities Public Entity Survey, highlighting the key priorities and challenges facing municipalities, school districts, and other public entities across the United States. The survey was conducted from May to August of this year with over 1,200 responses from public sector employees and municipal market participants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey responses provided insights on a range of topics including: - Challenges facing public entities - Top priorities for debt issuance - Impact of remote work - Labor and staffing - Importance of the municipal bond tax-exemption To read the full results, click here: https://lnkd.in/g9aaBVpR #HilltopSecurities #PublicEntity #SurveyResults

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