Category Archives: Municipal and Regional Planning

ATTN Vermont Housing Committees: This conference is for you!

affordable housing, housing committee, Inclusive Communities, Municipal and Regional Planning, Vermont, zoning

Limited conference scholarships available for Housing Committee members: Nov. 11 deadline

VHFA’s 2022 Vermont Statewide Housing Conference is Wednesday, Nov. 16 in Burlington. The day includes an exciting lineup of interactive sessions that cover policy tools, community case studies, and strategies for pulling together the pieces needed to solve Vermont’s big housing problems. 

Among the highlights:

  • This year’s theme is “What YOU can do to help solve the housing crisis”
  • Keynote speaker Cornell Professor Sara Bronin will discuss her work on how law and policy can foster more equitable, sustainable, and connected places.
  • The Fair Housing Project of CVOEO is facilitating a special session for local Housing Committees with co-hosts Katie Ballard (Essex/Essex Junction Joint Housing Commission), Eric Durocher (Dover & Wilmington Bi-Town Housing Committee), Saudia Lamont (Lamoille Working Communities Challenge Housing Committee), and Sarah Martel (Thetford Housing Committee).

“Making change at the local level: Housing committee roundtable” will bring together members of housing committees from all over the state to discuss common challenges and opportunities, share innovative practices and policies, and brainstorm ways to collaborate with and learn from each other. This facilitated, attendee-driven session is intended for members of active and developing housing committees (municipal housing commissions, community groups focused on affordable housing, and everything in between). It’s a way to learn from other groups with similar goals, share your successes, and identify solutions to common challenges, such as refinement of mission, funding, cross-sector collaboration, equity and representation, member recruitment, community outreach, affordable housing messaging, and more. Through small group and full group discussion, attendees will gain a better understanding of the breadth and depth of housing committee activities, pinpoint specific and actionable next steps in their communities, and identify gaps in resources, information, and support. The session is facilitated by Jess Hyman of CVOEO with co-hosts from the four different Housing Committees . 

The Housing Committee session is just one of more than a dozen workshops throughout the day that include opportunities to learn about the latest tools and best practices related to housing affordability and inclusivity. And, since making new connections and renewing existing ones are critical to putting ideas into practice, there will be plenty of networking breaks and a late afternoon reception overlooking beautiful Lake Champlain.

Register for the conference here.

The Fair Housing Project has a limited number of full registration scholarships available for housing committee members. To request a scholarship, please email fhp@cvoeo.org with “Conference Scholarship” in the subject line. The request deadline is Friday, Nov. 11. For municipal housing committees and participants who work for housing-related organizations, we ask that you first check to see if your town/city/organization can cover the registration fee.

We’re looking forward to seeing you on the 16th!

And here’s a great resource for Housing Committees: https://housingdata.org/toolbox/steps-for-municipalities/housing-committees

WORKING TOWARD ACCESS FOR ALL – Fifty Years of the Fair Housing Act: a Vermont Perspective

affirmatively furthering fair housing, affordable housing, housing development, inclusionary zoning, Inclusive Communities, Montpelier, Municipal and Regional Planning, Vermont, zoning regulations,

FHP organized event in front of Burlington, VT City Hall Continue reading WORKING TOWARD ACCESS FOR ALL – Fifty Years of the Fair Housing Act: a Vermont Perspective →

Hundreds Convene to Build the Affordable Homes Movement in Washington, DC, March 19-21

50th Anniversary of the Federal Fair Housing Act, affirmatively furthering fair housing, affordable housing, April Fair Housing Month, Municipal and Regional Planning, redlining

Content by the National Low Income Housing Coalition

NLIHC 2018 Housing Policy Forum

Hundreds Convene to Build the Affordable Homes Movement in Washington, DC, March 19-21

NLIHC Source: Click here to read the entire Memo to Members, Hundreds Convene to Build the Affordable Homes Movement in Washington, DC, March 19-21 | National Low Income Housing Coalition Memo to Members

More than 450 affordable housing advocates and providers, resident leaders, researchers, and policy makers attended the NLIHC 2018 Housing Policy Forum: Building the Movement, which took place in Washington, DC on March 19-21. A broad cross-section of NLIHC members and partners engaged with policy makers, experts, and one another, participated in more than a dozen sessions and workshops on building the national affordable homes movement, and met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to urge them to take action to address homelessness and housing poverty in America.

Source: Hundreds Convene to Build the Affordable Homes Movement in Washington, DC, March 19-21 | National Low Income Housing Coalition

Color of Law author Richard Rothstein

Color of Law author Richard Rothstein

 

Below is An Excerpt from Memo to Members:

“The first panel of the Forum discussed the State of Fair Housing on the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act.  *Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law, described the history of explicit federal, state, and local government policies that resulted in housing segregation – which still persists today. He told the audience to challenge how the history of segregation is mis-taught or not taught in our schools. He also suggested that an analysis of fair housing history should be required in jurisdictions’ Analyses of Impediments to fair housing.

Mr. Rothstein was joined by three panelists.

*Lisa Rice, who will succeed Shana Smith as president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, shared a graphic, “Where You Live Matters,” showing how someone’s ZIP Code affects so many facets of life, like health, education, and income. “We need to help create a fair housing vision and push it forward to HUD,” Ms. Rice said.  “The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule is a great opportunity to move forward.”

*James Cadogan, director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s Thurgood Marshall Institute, encouraged “recapturing the public narrative” by explaining that the effects of historic government-sponsored segregation continue as “a pernicious and pervasive harm today – it is current affairs.”

*Don Chen, director of Equitable Development at the Ford Foundation, urged housers with differing priorities to come together toward a common set of fair housing goals. He suggested correcting the “fake history” around segregation by engaging children in learning about the fair housing history in their communities.”

Fifty Years After the Fair Housing Act was Passed to Combat Segregation, We are Still Struggling to Find the Will to Implement It

affirmatively furthering fair housing, affordable housing, inclusionary zoning, Municipal and Regional Planning, zoning
Source: Housing Perspectives (from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies) 

“… the interest in maintaining segregation lies with individual localities, but …the sum of the localities (in the form of metropolitan regions or states) are invested in combating it. While not discounting the fact that many people say they desire integrated neighborhoods in the abstract while opposing them in their own community (something anyone who has ever attended a local zoning meeting in an exclusionary area can attest to) the math is obvious. Opposition is concentrated in localities with a minority of the population, and this opposition is the roadblock to creating truly integrated regions.”

…

“In moving forward, we should look back on what moved us from these tentative steps in the 1950s toward the broad ones of the 1960s, mainly the organization, enfranchisement, and political power that the civil rights movement produced, and see how we can recreate it for modern times. Without this, “what will it take” and “what can we do” will stay questions with different answers.”

…

The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies advances understanding of housing issues and informs policy.

Why Chittenden County Still Needs More Housing

affirmatively furthering fair housing, affordable housing, Chittenden County, housing, housing crisis, housing development, Municipal and Regional Planning, Vermont, ,
My Turn,  From the Burlington Free Press

” … we applaud efforts in Montpelier and are excited to work with local municipalities that want to make bold investments in affordable housing, realizing that such investments are winners in accomplishing Governor Scott’s three priorities: supporting our economy, making Vermont more affordable for Vermonters, and protecting our most vulnerable community members. Several proposals have been made – we welcome all efforts that satisfy each of these three objectives.”

by Michael Monte

There seems to be a burst of housing construction in Chittenden County, and some are even suggesting that the tide has turned in making the rental market more affordable, or that the vacancy rate is high enough, or we’re building too fast. At the Champlain Housing Trust, our assessment is that although the trend line is improving, more needs to be done – especially for low wage earners priced out of the market, and certainly for the 350 people on any given night in the county who have no home at all.

According to Mark Brooks, co-author of a report that provides a comprehensive semi-annual analysis of the real estate market, the long-term market vacancy rate in Chittenden County is 2%.  The December, 2016 report indicated a market vacancy of 4.4% – a number offered as a point-in-time rate of what’s available without taking in consideration the timing of apartments just completing construction or other factors.

This lower rate is a more accurate assessment, as it takes into account the time in which newly-constructed apartments are absorbed into the market.  Most will agree that a 5% rate will yield a healthy market for renters and owners alike. While we were close at a point in time in December, we’ve not sustainably reached this target.

In the last two years alone, over 1,200 apartments have been constructed. The new construction does give some renters more choices: according to the report, “…landlords are offering incentives such as one month free rent, flexible lease terms, or lower rents.” Rent rates across the board have been stable and closer in-line with inflation – unlike the previous six years.

New households are forming every day in Chittenden County, and large numbers of people are still commuting long distances from less expensive housing in more rural counties to get to work. In fact, in 2002, 73% of Chittenden County workers lived in the county; that percentage dropped to 63% in 2014. Lack of housing opportunity is leading more and more workers to commute longer distances.

Demand is still high as younger people, sometimes saddled with high college debt, are renting instead of purchasing a new home. And employers are still viewing rents and housing availability as being barriers to economic growth. A representative of one business told us recently that her company added jobs in the mid-west instead of Burlington because of the lack of housing.

In order to push the underlying market rate from 2% to a sustained 5%, we need to continue to provide additional growth. Can we sustain this growth and increase the vacancy rate in the future? We hope so. But next year fewer apartments are on track to be coming on line, less than half the number built this year. And although there are an additional 2,400 apartments in the development pipeline county-wide, those won’t be here next year, or even the year after that.

Charlie Baker, executive director of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, part of a coalition launched in 2016 that will try to bring about the construction of 3,500 housing units in Chittenden county over the next five years. Peter Hirschfield / VPR

As importantly, the resources available for affordable housing are seriously limited. Although there is enormous opportunity and capacity to build more affordable housing, the equity or cash needed to insure that rents remain affordable are not available. Non-profit owners continue to struggle with meeting the demand for more affordable housing, as evidenced by long waiting lists for subsidized housing or the 150 applications CHT gets every month for the 20-25 apartments available.

That’s why we applaud efforts in Montpelier and are excited to work with local municipalities that want to make bold investments in affordable housing, realizing that such investments are winners in accomplishing Governor Scott’s three priorities: supporting our economy, making Vermont more affordable for Vermonters, and protecting our most vulnerable community members. Several proposals have been made – we welcome all efforts that satisfy each of these three objectives.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Michael Monte, is Chief Operations & Financial Officer at The Champlain Housing Trust, founded in 1984, it is the largest community land trust in the country. Throughout Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, CHT manages 2,200 apartments, stewards 565 owner-occupied homes in its signature shared-equity program, offers homebuyer education and financial fitness counseling, provides services to five housing cooperatives, and offers affordable energy efficiency and rehab loans. In 2008, CHT won the prestigious United Nations World Habitat Award, recognizing its innovative, sustainable programs. 

Reform land use, promote shared growth of new housing

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– San Francisco Chronicle  http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Reform-land-use-promote-shared-growth-of-new-9283703.php

By Jason Furman | September 25, 2016 | Updated: September 25, 2016 8:34pm

housing-constructionpicturePhoto: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

When certain government policies — like minimum lot sizes, off-street parking requirements, height limits, prohibitions on multifamily housing, or unnecessarily lengthy permitting processes — restrict the supply of housing, fewer units are available and the price rises.

It is no secret that cities like San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C., face challenges in the availability and cost of housing. But policymakers and economists have increasingly recognized both the role that certain inappropriate land use restrictions play in raising housing costs — not just in major cities but across the country — and the opportunity for modernizing these regulations to promote shared growth.

Basic economic theory predicts that when the supply of a good is constrained, its price rises and the quantity available falls. In this respect, the market for housing is no different: When certain government policies — like minimum lot sizes, off-street parking requirements, height limits, prohibitions on multifamily housing, or unnecessarily lengthy permitting processes — restrict the supply of housing, fewer units are available and the price rises. On the other hand, more efficient policies can promote availability and affordability of housing, regional economic development, transportation options and socioeconomic diversity.

Research suggests that local barriers have become more restrictive in recent decades. One way to measure this is comparing the sale price of houses with construction costs. This gap typically reflects the cost of buying land — which increases with tighter land use restrictions. Indeed, the gap has increased in the past two decades: House prices from 2010 to 2013 were 56 percent higher than construction costs, a 23 percentage-point crease over the average gap during the 1990s.

Of course, many land use regulations can have benefits for communities. Environmental reasons in some localities may make it appropriate to limit high-density or multiuse development. Similarly, health and safety concerns — such as an area’s air traffic patterns, viability of its water supply, or its geologic stability — may merit height and lot size restrictions.

But in other cases, barriers to housing development can allow a small number of individuals to enjoy the benefits of living in a community while excluding many others, limiting diversity and economic mobility.

This upward pressure on house prices may also undermine the market forces that typically determine patterns of housing construction, leading to mismatches between household needs and available housing.

Improving land use policies can also create benefits for the U.S. economy as a whole. High- productivity cities offer higher-income jobs than low-productivity cities and often attract workers who move from other cities, naturally bringing more resources to productive areas of the country. But when unnecessary barriers restrict the supply of housing and costs increase, then workers — particularly lower-income workers who would benefit the most — are less able to move.

All told, this means slower economic growth: Some researchers have estimated that GDP could have been almost 10 percent higher in 2009 if workers and capital freely moved so that the distribution of wages across cities was the same as in 1964.

On the other hand, smarter land use and housing policy can promote both growth and equity. While most land use policies are appropriately made at the state and local level, the federal government can also play a role in encouraging smart land use regulations. Today, the Obama administration is releasing a new toolkit at http://bit.ly/2d4dVAc that highlights best practices that localities have employed — including streamlining permitting processes, eliminating off-street parking requirements, reducing minimum lot sizes, and enacting high-density and multifamily zoning policies — to reduce overly burdensome land use restrictions and promote mobility and economic growth.

Reforming land use policies can have important benefits for local residents and the nation as a whole, not only raising economic growth, but ensuring that its benefits are widely shared among all Americans.

Jason Furman is the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

Old planning “rules of thumb”: they ain’t necessarily so…

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The Thriving Communities’ blog page, now being without our former outstanding “Blogger in Chief,” Tim Johnson, will be frequently sharing links to articles we think are valuable and interesting but often accompanied by less of our own commentary and critique than Tim offered in past months. Today’s share focuses on some old transportation planning “rules of thumb” and points out the need for some major changes of thinking in that realm. We think many of you who are interested generally in thriving, inclusive communities and how we should plan for them will be interested in this article: “Our old planning rules of thumb are ‘all thumbs’”  by Joe Cortright.

Following are some excerpts from the article:

“Old rule of thumb #3: We should require “enough” off-street parking for every use

“As Donald Shoup has shown, parking requirements spelled out in zoning codes—often based on formidably inaccurate estimates … lead to a situation where every business’s parking lot is sized for the peak hour of the peak day of the year (holiday shopping season at the Mall, example). Not only does this produce more parking than is needed the rest of the year, it turns out that parking “requirements” grossly overstate demand even in peak periods, and especially for urban uses where more people arrive by other means, and park for shorter periods of time. The product of this rule of thumb is that parking

The wider the lanes, the easier it is to speed. Credit: Pier-Luc Bergeron, Flickr.
The wider the lanes, the easier it is to speed. Credit: Pier-Luc Bergeron, Flickr.

is over-supplied, destinations are further apart than they would otherwise be, and walking, transit and cycling are non –functional.”

“New rule of thumb #1: Closer is better”

“Having more different destinations close at hand facilitates a wide range of mode choices, especially walking and cycling. Mixing uses, which is often anathema under traditional zoning codes turns out to be desirable for consumers and expeditious for transportation.”