December 12, 2019

A new “housing permit report card” released by the Southern California News Group found that 97 percent of California jurisdictions are behind in permitting new housing required under the state’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment. The analysis tracked the progress of California cities and counties toward state-mandated housing permit goals across income levels. “Most cities and counties celebrate economic growth yet don’t permit enough housing to accommodate the additional workforce, resulting in high home prices, high rents, and worsening traffic,” said John Burns, an Irvine-based home-building consultant.

On Monday, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that Seattle will invest $110 million in affordable housing in 2020. The funds, which come primarily from the sale of the Mercer Megablock and city and state tax revenue, will go toward the construction and redevelopment of 1,944 new units across the city. “We need far more federal resources and… reinvestment if we are going to fully address our housing and homelessness challenges,” said Emily Alvarado, director of the Seattle Office of Housing.

In Colorado, active oil and gas drilling is increasing near cities with the state’s fastest housing construction. A new study that analyzed home sales between 2006 and 2014 finds that though the surge in drilling has driven up land values and home prices overall, having an oil or gas well within view of a home deducted an average $3,000, or 0.8 percent, from a home’s value.

The new Texas Anti-Displacement Toolkit released by researchers at University of Texas at Austin highlights antigentrification strategies and approaches for Texan cities. The toolkit provides resources and guidance for developing affordable housing, how city ordinances can assist displaced residents, and how to create community land trusts. Margaret Wallace Brown, planning director for the City of Houston (which has some of the country’s fastest-gentrifying neighborhoods), says that her department is interested in more tools that help “increase investment without displacement.”

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently awarded $1.8 million in federal funding to the Boston Housing Authority. This funding will pay for 139 housing vouchers for residents with disabilities, families experiencing homelessness, and people experiencing chronic homelessness. This brings the Boston Housing Authority’s total to 13,500 housing vouchers.