Welcome to the Future!
What is happening? An HOA in Denton County, Texas has adopted a provision that prevents property owners from accepting lease payments from “Section 8” funds. I’m not sure how the HOA tracks payments made from one private person to a private land owners or how it interferes with private contracts, but tomato/tomahto… Meet HB1193 (2023 | TX) that would prevent these sorts of prohibitions on money sources.
KPVI | Providence Village HOA’s Section 8 ban would be illegal if Texas bill passes
What is happening? Washington State Legislature is considering raising the debt limit to issue $4billion in bonds to address affordable housing shortage and homelessness. Access to more affordable housing is being talked about across states- red, blue, and purple.
Why is this important? The Governor says this level of funding will be a serious step forward for affordable housing access, not just piecemeal.
Crosscut | Why you should pay attention to the 2023 Washington Legislature
What is happening? This past November voters in Colorado and 9 cities across the country approved millions in affordable housing funding. There’s also bipartisan Congressional support for increasing the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, supporters include Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy.
Why is this important? Housing experts say voters approval of affordable housing coupled with political support highlights the crucial need and approval of spending for affordable housing.
What is happening? Housing Affordability is in the headlines a lot. One of the questions is how do regular home owners buy property when they’re competing with investors who are snapping up single family properties. Turns out, governments are making rules about this sort of thing. In Cincinnati, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority is selling developed property directly and it is to regular old humans who want to live there. Urban Institute Fellow for the Housing Policy Finance Center says it isn’t about who can and cannot buy property but rather making financing by regular humans much easier and more accessible to level the competition.
Why is this important? There’s going to be all sorts of approaches to this issue. Some will be via zoning, some will be via restrictions like must live on the property, and there will be others.
Route Fifty | Exploring How to Help Homebuyers Compete with Real Estate Investors
What is happening? Remember when we talked about how Manhattan Beach in California was taken by eminent domain back in the day from Black property owners. In the COVID- BLM world, local governments began correcting historic eminent domain use that impacted BIPOC communities and Manhattan Beach was returned to the original land owners, who are now leasing and selling back their interests to the local government for its continued use as is. The Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors negotiated a deal for the County of Los Angeles to buy back the land.
Why is this important? To quote the Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ““This is what reparations look like, and it is a model that I hope governments across the country will follow.”
What is happening? For the 2023 Legislature, the Texas Farm Bureau identified 3 top issues: (1) protect property rights in a growing state; (2) protect the right to farm from local governmental ordinances that infringe on agriculture; and (3) truth in meat labeling. We see you non-meats and non-dairy and your labels that hide who you really are. It’s 2023, young consumers want your authenticity, let’s embrace who you are as oat water and plant based Petri dish mystery stuff.
Why is this important? The issue has passed in other states, and passed as a constitutional proposition in Maine as a right to food.
CSG | Maine passes “Right to Food” constitutional amendment
Texas Farm Bureau | TFB sets 2023 state, national legislative priorities
What is happening? Meet Where Is My Land, an organization that helps Black families across the country regain land taken through eminent domain and other means. A study shows that 2/3 of property taken as blighted was owned by Black people even though Black people were 12% of the population.
Why is this important? Local governments throughout the country are working to address this issue.
What’s happening? We first met Austin’s own Icon which uses 3D printing to build cement composite homes and buildings. Now, we have 3D wood printed homes, assembled in half a day from the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. These 3D wood homes are made with fully recyclable wood-fiber and can help address affordable housing as well as labor and supply chain shortages.
Why is this important? affordable housing + labor shortage + supply chain shortages
What is happening? Laketown, Wisconsin, home to 1000 humans and 18 lakes passed a local ordinance to prevent pollution from confined animal feeding operations. Then the state Business Association sued. Other towns in Wisconsin towns have ordinances that address zoning of large farms.
Why is this important? Land Use in growing populations and growing agricultural areas are always going to get creative when most states have a right to farm statute.
Route Fifty | A Tiny Wisconsin Town Tried to Stop Pollution From Factory Farms. Then It Got Sued.
What is happening? We’ve seen cities and states address historical impact of state land use laws on Black communities. The conversation is growing to include the impact to Asian communities. In the mid 1800s state legislatures enacted alien land laws. In 2021 Florida removed its alien land laws.
Why is this important? Reconciling equal protection under the law with legislation that uses “subtle language to inflict massive damage on the opportunities provided to particular racial, ethnic or socioeconomic groups of people.”
Governing | How States Used Land Laws to Exclude and Displace Asian Americans