You know, YIMBY, yes in my backyard, policies that allow for more residential development flexibility? Well, some say this should also be applied to commercial development. The National Bureau of Economic Research policy paper, The Impact of Commercial Real Estate Regulations on U.S. Output, suggests flexible commercial development policies will bring more high paying jobs and more employers.
property owners & wildfire cost recoupment
Oregon property owners and electric utility PacifiCorp have agreed to a $299 million settlement concerning a catastrophic 2020 wildfire.
benefits of greenspace
University of Michigan School of Public Health found a link between more green space and less gun violence. “The range of the study showed that KIB greenspaces reduced the incidence of an assault with a gun by 6% at minimum — and in some cases — as much as 20%.” @goodgoodgoodco
Is a license required to negotiate a wind power lease?
Get your briefs ready, the Texas Attorney General is set to opine as to whether a real estate license is necessary to negotiate a lease for wind power. RQ-0523-KP
Revitalizing downtown property
Cities are inviting small businesses into their urban centers. One approach is to create policies to make it easier for pop-up businesses to operate in urban centers. Non-profits like SF New Deal work with the city’s Office of Workforce and Economic Development to help small businesses, artists, and community organizations set up pop-ups in coordination with a program, Vacant to Vibrant, that can make the pop-up arrangement cost free for the small business.
Route Fifty | A solution for dying downtowns is popping up in major cities
Texas. the former state park meets eminent domain
A vote by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved the use eminent domain to take the land of the former Fairfield Lake State Park with the intent of returning it to public use. The former Fairfield Lake State Park land is currently in the hands of a private developer. The eminent domain process began with a panel valuing the former state park at $418.3 million. A state appraisal report estimated that the land was worth $85 million. The most recent sales price of the property is allegedly $103.5 million. This valuation storyline is consistent in the Texas eminent domain process. We’ve talked about the eminent domain compensation saga of the Alamo’s nearby bar. We’ve talked about how other states have legislated valuations. It’s complicated.
Ballot proposition: longer distances for homeless camps
Voters in Spokane, Washington approved a ballot initiative that requires homeless camps to be more than 1,000 feet from schools, parks, playgrounds and licensed child care facilities. The proposition passed with 75.4%.
Spokesman Review | Spokane voters criminalize homeless camps near places children gather
ballot prop: homelessness camps and distance requirements
Boulder, Colorado voters approved restrictions on homeless camps that require homeless camps to not be within 500 feet of schools nor within 50 feet of sidewalks and bike paths.
Downtown recovery drivers
Besides land use conversions so that office buildings become residences, what else helps downtown areas recover their vitality? Diversity. Land use diversification includes not only residential dwellers, but also a mix of education, health care, residential, hotel and retail establishments.
Route fifty | What’s driving post-pandemic downtown recoveries?
Private Outdoor Designated Area
Drinking out in the open on downtown sidewalks, carrying your wine to go into shops… that’s happening in North Carolina with its social zones , in Virginia with their new Private Outdoor Designated Areas, and in Ohio with its Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas. Legislatures in Kansas and Ohio want to jump on board too for more open public drinking to revamp downtowns.
Stateline | ‘I felt so naughty’: New open carry alcohol laws boost downtowns