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Davie laws tackle housing
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) May 9
As a mobile home resident, Scott Cristle expects to get an eviction notice. Maybe not tomorrow, but some day. Cristle watched as the Town Council approved a measure to help residents when their ... more

Fayette officials to join windmill dispute
Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pennsylvania) May 9
May 9--Fayette County commissioners will intervene in a civil lawsuit over proposed windmills in Georges and Springhill townships, but not necessarily because they favor or oppose the project. ... more

Trying to unclog S.F.'s Market Street
The San Francisco Chronicle (California) May 9
More than a decade ago, then-Mayor Willie Brown declared in his state of the city address that private cars should be banned on Market Street to make it a more inviting roadway for buses, bikes and ... more

Santa Monica Mountains expansion to be considered
Los Angeles Times May 9
The federal government on Thursday took the first step toward a massive expansion of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area as President Bush signed legislation ordering the Interior ... more

Citizens' committee re-examines study areas
Chico Enterprise-Record (California) May 9
OROVILLE -- The Citizens' Advisory Committee held final discussions on their recommended land use alternatives for Butte County's 2030 General Plan Thursday evening, with public input being somewhat ... more

Land use talks slim on input
Oroville Mercury Register (California) May 9
OROVILLE The Citizens' Advisory Committee held final discussions on their recommended land use alternatives for Butte County's 2030 General Plan Thursday evening, with public input being somewhat ... more

Work begins on industrial park
Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) May 9
WEST VALLEY CITY -- Some developers would have considered putting off launching a $300 million industrial park -- slated to be the largest of its kind in the region -- because of the downturn in ... more

Residents rip plan for park
Chicago Tribune May 9
Opponents of a plan to build a senior center in a park on Chicago's North Side said they are worried about losing open green space, but they also see the threat as the latest proposed development ... more

Community leaders working on program to revitalize west side
The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) May 9
May 9--BLOOMINGTON -- A fire-damaged home on Mulberry Street remains a skeleton as neighbors pass by its boarded-up entrances nearly four months after the fire. -- | While the property could remain ... more

Ball Homes ordered to halt plans until permits in hand
Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky) May 9
May 9--The Planning Commission on Thursday told Ball Homes, which has a history of building on federally protected wetlands, work can't proceed on portions of a residential development in southeast ... more

Opinion: Get moving on Florida mass transit
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) May 9
Mass transit should be a top priority right now for Florida and its major cities. Gas prices are soaring. Road congestion threatens the environment and growth. Cash-strapped governments are looking ... more

Rental of Wright house spurs neighbors' questions
Buffalo News (New York) May 8
About 50 Parkside neighborhood residents showed up Wednesday in the Mitchell Building on the Nichols School campus to learn more about plans to open up the Walter V. Davidson House at 57 Tillinghast ... more

Public housing 'subdivision' feted
The Advocate May 8
The new housing development adjacent to the Howell Park Golf Course looks like a typical subdivision. Each of the 25 single-family homes, sitting on well-tended yards, has a unique color scheme, ... more

City hearing scrutinizes live-in treatment centers
The Baltimore Sun May 8
Members of a Baltimore City Council committee grilled officials in Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration at a hearing last night over a bill that would permit more live-in drug treatment centers to ... more

Long Island to challenge census data
Newsday (New York) May 8
With the loss of millions of federal dollars at stake, Nassau and Suffolk county officials said yesterday they plan to join forces to challenge U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for 2007 they ... more

Transit systems travel 'green' track
USA TODAY May 8
NEW YORK -- This year, the surging current of the East River will help provide power to a nearby subway station. The lights that lace the ornate interior of Manhattan's Grand Central Station have ... more

Business trash has downtown boxed in
Los Angeles Times May 8
Fourteen tons. That's roughly how much illegal litter is cleared each day off the streets of downtown Los Angeles' industrial and warehouse districts. Fourteen tons, every day, seven days a week. ... more

Skittish residents make for challenging census count
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) May 7
A public more wary of strangers knocking on doors and asking for personal information may be making the task of conducting a special census in Collierville a bit more difficult. Sunday will be the ... more

Central City project wins student contest
Times-Picayune (New Orleans) May 8
A team of students from Washington University in St. Louis and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have won the first community development competition in New Orleans with a plan to renovate a ... more

Light rail transit cars vulnerable to wheel cracks
The Baltimore Sun May 8
Rail transport experts say heat is the chief cause of cracked wheels on rail cars. Regular inspections can often detect such cracks before they lead to a catastrophic failure, but not always. ... more

Cuts in service for emergency maintenance leave light rail riders frustrated
The Baltimore Sun May 8
When the single-car light rail train pulled into Mount Washington station about 3:30 p.m., it was so crowded that David Utley couldn't board it with his bicycle to get to his job at Penn Station. He ... more

Opinion: Manufactured homes offer affordable housing
Concord Monitor (New Hampshire) May 8
Issues as important and complex as affordable housing demand innovative solutions. When those solutions engage government, nonprofits, business people and families in need of housing, they can make ... more

Housing agency seeks new leader
Chicago Tribune May 8
The head of the Aurora Housing Authority, who has taken heat over conditions at a gang-plagued public apartment complex on the city's west side, has been removed, officials said Wednesday. ... more

Transit planners visit campus to share light-rail extension details
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) May 8
May 8--Could the proposed light-rail line to UNC Charlotte turn some of the neighboring residential communities into a makeshift park-and-ride lot? ... more

Subdivision plan wins gate security
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) May 7
Fear is driving the demand for gated communities, said one developer, and Germantown's Planning Commission on Tuesday night agreed to give well-heeled buyers the security they want. ... more

Will taxpayers be on the hook for subprime crisis?
Christian Science Monitor May 8
With a nationwide housing crisis far from over, the risk of future mortgage losses is rapidly shifting from the private sector toward government - and potentially US taxpayers. This is occurring ... more

City to exempt some municipal projects from critical areas ordinance
The Bellingham Herald (Washington) May 7
May 7--BELLINGHAM -- The City Council will decide which construction projects can skirt the city's own strict environmental protection rules, the council said Monday. ... more

Commissioners okay wind turbine use
The Baltimore Sun May 7
The Carroll County commissioners unanimously voted yesterday to allow the installation of small wind turbines. The amendment to the zoning ordinance, believed to be the first of its kind in ... more

The high cost of affordable housing
The Boston Globe May 7
IS IT getting too expensive to build affordable housing in Massachusetts? On average, it costs more than $200,000 a unit to build such housing and many projects cost significantly more. A new ... more

Home-loan shakeout threatens two U.S. pillars
The International Herald Tribune May 7
As U.S. home prices continue their free fall and banks shy away from lending, Washington officials have increasingly relied on two giant mortgage financiers - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - to keep ... more

$10 theft is costing $250,000 for toxic spill cleanup
The San Francisco Chronicle (California) May 7
The 3,500-gallon spill of a toxic chemical into San Pablo Bay over the weekend cost an estimated $250,000 to clean up - and it was all for a lousy $10 worth of brass. The thieves who caused the ... more

Rules limit home size, hotel conversion in L.A.
Los Angeles Times May 7
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved new rules to address major byproducts of the gentrification that has swept the city: limiting the size of "mansionization" additions and making it ... more

Lawmaker's intervention sinks growth-limit bill
Orlando Sentinel (Florida) May 7
TALLAHASSEE -- Ormond Beach state Sen. Evelyn Lynn says she only was trying to help rural areas around the state lure more development. But the result was that Lynn last week helped derail a ... more

Opinion: Commissioners consider allowing building on preserved land
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) May 7
It hasn't even been 10 years yet since Palm Beach County - with voter support and a $100 million public purse - carved out an ambitious, inspiring program to preserve agriculture as a land use and a ... more

City planning commission approves final design for new hockey arena
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania) May 7
The Penguins scored another big victory yesterday, this one off the ice with city planning commission approval of the design for their $290 million arena. A month after battering the design as bland ... more

Kids museum debate rages on
Chicago Tribune May 7
In what amounted to a preview of next week's Plan Commission meeting, the leading voices on both sides of the debate over the Chicago Children's Museum's proposed move to Grant Park dueled Tuesday ... more

Hospital okayed over protests
Columbia Daily Tribune (Missouri) May 6
May 6--Despite the protests of nearly 50 residents opposing a proposed long-term acute-care hospital at Alfred Street and Old 63, the Columbia City Council voted 5-2 last night in favor of the ... more

Housing-rescue bill: 'Something for everyone'
CNNMoney.com May 7
The House on Wednesday will begin debate on a housing package that would let the government back loans for homeowners at risk of foreclosure - a move many Republicans have opposed. The centerpiece ... more

Opinion: Why do employers shun telecommuting?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution May 7
I took a walk around the Buckhead area on a recent afternoon. I watched all the cars idling at lights, and the very few people actually walking around and started to wonder what, if anything, would ... more

Zoning plan taking shape
Hartford Courant (Connecticut) May 6
The town moved closer to hosting a charrette as the zoning commission unanimously voted Monday to support a timeline that would give the town new mixed-use zoning regulations by the end of the year. ... more

Rising gas prices putting the squeeze on government budgets
Herald & Review (Illinois) May 6
May 6--DECATUR -- Illinois residents are paying twice for the increasing cost of gasoline and diesel fuel, once when they fill up their personal vehicles and again when their tax dollars are spent ... more

Developers trim height of condo project
Gloucester Daily Times (Massachusetts) May 6
May 6--MANCHESTER -- Hoping to quiet neighbors' complaints about the size of the planned Coolidge Commons condominium project on Summer Street, developers of the 40-unit complex -- which is using ... more

Opinion: It is time to get moving on light-rail starter line
The Kansas City Star (Missouri) May 6
May 6--Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser asked the City Council to give him until this summer to make progress on a regional light-rail plan. Well, summer's almost here, and the reception to ... more

Developer recruited for first phase of waterfront development
The Bellingham Herald (Washington) May 6
May 6--BLAINE -- A private developer could be recruited for the first phase of waterfront development here before the end of the year, Port of Bellingham officials told the City Council on Monday. ... more

Bangor: Housing voucher program tight
Bangor Daily News (Maine) May 6
May 6--BANGOR, Maine -- Shrinking federal funding for the Section 8 program, which provides rental subsidies for low-income households, is preventing some eligible families from getting help and ... more

Baltimore County council okays waterfront zoning limit
The Baltimore Sun May 6
The Baltimore County Council unanimously passed legislation last night to remove residential zoning from properties that are designated in the future as marinas or boatyards in the Bowleys Quarters ... more

Drivers leave cars home, put T use on record pace
The Boston Globe May 6
Their wallets siphoned by high gas prices, more Americans are taking the subway, bus, or commuter train, particularly in Boston, where officials say the number of subway riders is increasing faster ... more

Zoning changes pass for student housing
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri) May 6
EDWARDSVILLE - The city's hottest development debate in years may not be over despite City Council approval Monday of zoning changes for a proposed 144-unit student apartment complex. ... more

Push for Metrorail line resumes
The Miami Herald (Florida) May 6
May 6--Desperate to regain a shot at $700 million in federal funding for expanded Metrorail service, Miami-Dade leaders promised Monday to quickly improve the county transit department's financial ... more

FEMA responds to Allen criticism
Bowling Green Daily News (Kentucky) May 5
May 5--Since receiving criticism from individuals and a government official in Allen County for its response to a February tornado, FEMA has released figures that show the agency provided $121,250 ... more

Mayor launches effort for inner-city investment
The Kansas City Star (Missouri) May 5
May 5--Mayor Mark Funkhouser opened what is expected to be a several month planning effort to encourage investment in poor city neighborhoods with a symposium today at the downtown library. ... more

Opinion: No sprawl behind the redwood curtain
Eureka Times Standard (California) May 6
Great commercial and sport fishing, uncluttered vistas, solid jobs in timber and agriculture -- what do these have in common? Our use of land affects them. We cherish our unique quality of life, ... more

Opinion: Light rail becomes heavy burden
The Baltimore Sun May 6
Public transportation can and should be a great thing in any city; it just takes a little marketing, a little money and a sincere interest and commitment to customer service. ... more

Salt Lake expected to okay 400 West route for TRAX
Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) May 6
The Salt Lake City Council favors construction of a light-rail route to the airport along 400 West -- not 600 West -- and it intends to make that clear tonight. Nearly two years of debate over ... more

Six options on table for the South Corridor bridge
Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, Oregon) May 5
As Metro prepares to release the draft environmental impact statement for the South Corridor Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project, the River Partnership Committee, composed of residents and ... more

Transit system may get upgrade
The Wichita Eagle (Kansas) May 6
May 6--In a year or two, city buses and vans may tell passengers which stop they're approaching. And they may tell the drivers if the engine is running hot or the brakes need a check-up. ... more

Salvage yard owner sues city
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin) May 6
May 6--The owner of a salvage yard across the street from Madison High School is suing Milwaukee's Board of Zoning Appeals over an action that essentially shuts the business down. ... more

Zoning approved for church garden
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin) May 6
May 6--WAUKESHA -- Southminster Presbyterian Church of Waukesha was given a zoning variance Monday that allows it to establish 28 garden plots on its front lawn, provided the area is surrounded with ... more

A comeback for Atlanta developer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution May 6
Twenty years ago, W. Harrison Merrill was taking on risky redevelopment projects when redevelopment was not so chic. His company, Landmark American, refurbished Marietta Station and the Kennesaw ... more

Buffalo, the car theft capital of New York state
Buffalo News (New York) May 5
It was more than an inconvenience when a thief stole John Barber's well-traveled 1994 Dodge cargo van from outside his home in Buffalo's William-Fillmore area last November. At age 74, living on ... more

Albuquerque's forgotten blast
Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico) May 5
MESA DEL SOL - There is not much to see on this windy scrap of desert south of Albuquerque, which is probably a good thing. On the eastern edge of the planned Mesa del Sol community south of ... more

Vehicle tax action may come quickly
The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina) May 5
May 5--DURHAM -- General Assembly members from Durham are backtracking from a demand that the city postpone until next year a debate on the city's annual vehicle fee, due to the discovery that the ... more

Orange County planning for the future
The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina) May 5
May 5--CHAPEL HILL -- With countless pressing issues facing the nation, from skyrocketing gasoline prices to the war in Iraq, it might be easy to put local long-term planning on a back burner. But, ... more

Conference to focus on brownfields as potential redevelopment sites
Buffalo News (New York) May 5
May 5--They were once abandoned industrial sites, many filled with ugly debris and tainted with contaminants. But a national spotlight will soon shine on Buffalo's brownfields, casting a positive ... more

Conference to look at future of energy policy
Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico) May 5
May 5--HOBBS -- Sen. Pete Domenici will be featured speaker at a national energy policy conference May 27 at the Lea County Event Center titled "The Making of Energy Policy: Where Are We Going?" ... more

Warehouse may find new life as condos
Concord Monitor (New Hampshire) May 5
The ceilings of the former Hoyt home in Penacook are carved with ornate designs - squares, flowers and curlicues. Weeping willows adorn the wallpaper in one room. The toilet paper, which turned ... more

Rent increase considered for public housing
The Baltimore Sun May 5
After almost four decades of charging families a fraction of their income to live in Howard County's largest public housing complex, county officials are considering substantial rent increases. ... more

Vote expected on controversial student housing proposal
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri) May 5
May 5--EDWARDSVILLE -- One of the city's most heated zoning disputes in years could be decided at a City Council meeting tonight. Place Properties of Atlanta wants to build a 144-unit student ... more

Cities balance character and commerce
USA TODAY May 5
BRIGHTON, Colo. -- Visitors who stroll down quaint Main Street here often say how much the city reminds them of the small towns they grew up in: old store facades, railroad tracks through the heart ... more

Supervisors to consider low-income housing workshop
Eureka Times Standard (California) May 5
EUREKA -- Constraints, incentives and approaches to encouraging very low and low-income housing are among the suggested panels for a proposed housing workshop. The Community Development Services ... more

Opinion: Too much free parking - The asphalt elephant
Orlando Sentinel (Florida) May 5
There's an elephant in the room where we talk about suburban sprawl, but we don't pay enough attention to it. The elephant is automobile parking. For decades, local governments have required ... more

HUD says 10,000 people last year filed complaints claiming housing discrimination
Orlando Sentinel (Florida) May 5
Forty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, an African-American is leading in the race to become the next presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. It's a long way from the ... more

Zoning fight over student housing reaches its showdown tonight
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri) May 5
EDWARDSVILLE - One of the city's most heated zoning disputes in years could be decided at a City Council meeting tonight. Place Properties of Atlanta wants to build a 144-unit student housing ... more

Swap proposed to expand port
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) May 5
Port Everglades is offering to set aside more land for mangroves and manatees in exchange for the right to build new docks capable of handling super-size freighters. The expansion plans have been in ... more

Chicago can cost up to $45 for a day of parking
Chicago Tribune May 5
Drivers parking for only an hour at private garages in downtown Chicago can expect to shell out $15.70 on average, and almost $30 for a full day, a new parking-rate survey found. For commuters ... more

CTA's bumpy passage
Chicago Sun Times May 5
When Ron Huberman took over as CTA president last May, he promised to bring General Electric-like efficiency to one of the city's most essential -- and reviled -- public services. In the past year, ... more

Sharpsville residents get last chance to speak out about water plant
The Herald (Sharon, Pennslyvania) May 4
May 4--SHARPSVILLE Sun, May 04 2008 Before Sharpsville invests about $10 million in a new water treatment plant, officials are giving borough residents one last chance to be heard. ... more

Gas tax holiday not a way to protect our future
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution May 5
Suspending the gas tax is a popular political proposal. It's recently become an issue in the presidential campaign. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue suspended the tax in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina led to ... more

First-time homebuyers in a pinch
The Seattle Times May 4
Homeownership, the bedrock of the American dream, is a bit of a nightmare these days for many first-time homebuyers. Lenders are demanding higher credit scores, mandating private-mortgage insurance ... more

Affordable housing opens
San Jose Mercury News (California) May 4
Mary Burke is still pinching herself. "This is where I'm going to put a daybed," said Burke, 55, as she surveyed her brand-new apartment south of the Rockspring neighborhood in San Jose. "And I'm ... more

Treasurer seeks junk-free living
Flint Journal (Michigan) May 4
ARGENTINE TWP. - Treasurer Norm Schmidt said no one is enforcing zoning laws, while junked cars and trailers are littering some yards in town. ... more

A standstill on development
Richmond Times - Dispatch (Virginia) May 4
May 4--Chesterfield County's much-ballyhooed Roseland development hit yet another roadblock when it came before the newly elected Board of Supervisors last month. The five-member board, four of ... more

For die-hard drivers, it's just a matter of economics
The Houston Chronicle (Texas) May 4
May 4--Laura Regan gave up her queen of the road status months ago for a seat on the bus. Though the transition was less than elegant, it was simple economics: Parking fees and fuel costs, even for ... more

Brownfields of dreams
Detroit Free Press (Michigan) May 4
May 4--Stanley Rich remembers when ash fell from the sky like snow, coating his car and house with gray powder. The trash incinerator that spewed ash in Clinton Township was shut down in 1999. All ... more

'A little character' on the canal
Buffalo News (New York) May 4
May 4--LOCKPORT -- The city Planning Board will decide at its meeting Monday whether to place fake facades and props in front of two Canal Street buildings to provide a backdrop for tourists to take ... more

Coal power plant issue keeps lawmakers from wrapping up
Journal-World (Lawrence, Kansas) May 4
May 4--TOPEKA -- It was supposed to be the last day of the wrap-up session. But another coal plant measure emerged Saturday, the Senate adjourned in a huff and said it may not come back, and Gov. ... more

Watershed trust can be a force for regional unity
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin) May 4
Clean water is essential to a healthy environment, a healthy economy and, not least, a healthy populace. And improving water quality in a region is one of the first steps to creating a place where ... more

Measuring UNCC light rail pros and cons
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) May 4
May 4--Could the proposed light-rail line to UNC Charlotte turn neighboring residential communities into makeshift park-and-ride lots? Would a campus transit station compromise dorm safety? ... more

Opinion: An industrial-strength conundrum for L.A.
Los Angeles Times May 4
At a time when the local economy is shrinking and City Hall is already struggling to close a $406-million budget deficit, L.A.'s growing population is putting increasing pressure on city officials ... more

Editorial: All aboard for Chicago transit/traffic plan
Chicago Sun Times May 2
The CTA's dramatic plan to create a truly rapid public transit system -- and make commuting by car even more expensive and time-consuming -- is just the right move for a city that calls itself ... more

EPA plans stricter airborne lead limit
Los Angeles Times May 2
Building on one of its all-time success stories, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it plans to adopt a more stringent health standard for airborne lead to protect the ... more

Travel marketers use free gas as incentive
USA TODAY May 2
With the economy in a slump, the specter of $4-a-gallon gas prices threatens to put the brakes on many vacation plans. In response, travel marketers are turning on an early spigot of prepaid gas ... more

Residential high rises sprouting in Vegas
USA TODAY May 2
From erupting volcanoes to drive-through wedding chapels, life is different in Las Vegas, and vacation homes are no exception. Forget far-flung resort communities: A thriving second-home market is ... more

3 Utah cities high on worst-air list
Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) May 2
Three Utah cities were among the worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution, while several counties in Utah received failing grades for high ozone days and year-round particle ... more

Editorial: Another stadium foul play?
Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) May 2
Imagine you'd really like to buy a luxury item but your spouse says you can't afford it. So you cleverly let your spouse think your monthly car payments continue beyond when the loan is paid, and ... more

Faith leaders call for poverty action on Long Island
Newsday (New York) May 2
For the one in five Long Islanders trapped in poverty, life could get better with some concerted political action by the religious community, faith leaders said. The call to a political agenda came ... more

Some subway critters OK
Newsday (New York) May 2
That monkey on the subway? Illegal in New York City, but not if the owner has a disability. The guy with the snake on the bus? Leave him alone. He needs it for emotional support. ... more

Three little words hint of heartening change in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Inquirer May 2
Who would have thought that yanking Philadelphia's city planners out of their 16-year-long politically induced coma would have been so easy? But it took just three choice words to set them on the ... more

Editorial: SF up, up, up to the future?
The San Francisco Chronicle (California) May 2
San Francisco is making a momentous decision on its downtown skyline. Planners want to push growth upward by hundreds of feet and into a ring around a new transit hub on lower Mission Street. ... more

St. Tammany parish council hears charter proposal
Times-Picayune (New Orleans) May 2
With little discussion, the St. Tammany Parish Council accepted a citizens committee report Thursday night that recommends imposing term limits for council members and reducing the size of the ... more