News Roundup

  • South Salt Lake City’s New Housing Guided by Public Transit Lines
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    In 2019, Salt Lake City approved more than 2,800 new housing units as a result of a zoning law overhaul that encouraged high-density development along TRAX transit lines. Most new units are adjacent to TRAX stops, mirroring a broader shift in Utah toward transportation-centered development. “It’s really astounding to see the amount of transit-oriented development that is happening via market forces and city planning,” said Cameron Diehl, executive director for Utah League of Cities and Towns.

  • Colorado Community College to Open Student Homeless Shelter
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    Red Rocks Community College is partnering with The Action Center, a nonprofit service organization, to establish a shelter for degree-seeking students. Nearly 20 percent of students surveyed at four Denver-area colleges report that they experienced homelessness in the past year. Many students say tuition costs, which have increased 52 percent at Colorado’s two-year institutions in the past decade, play a large role in housing instability. “There are people navigating homelessness… to pursue a degree because they know it will improve their lives. It would be a mistake not to support and empower them,” said Christy Baker-Smith, managing director for Temple University’s Hope Center.

  • In Seattle, Rush to Build Affordable Housing Leads to Permitting Backlog
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    Seattle lacks an estimated 156,000 units of affordable housing. Though production boomed to meet this demand, the absence of a streamlined permitting process created year-long delays for typical multifamily building construction. Meanwhile, the average time to acquire a land-use permit for a multifamily affordable building outside of downtown has increased by 60 percent in the past five years.