Q&A with the new LOCUS Chair, Alecia Hill

Earlier this month, Alecia Hill was elected to become the next Chair of LOCUS, stepping into the role that Jair Lynch held for eight years. Alecia is a Vice President at FCP and is responsible for expanding the firm’s impact investing initiatives and affordable housing preservation multifamily platform. In this Q&A, I had the opportunity … Continued

LOCUS

Q&A with Jair Lynch, outgoing President of LOCUS

After over eight years at the helm, today Jair Lynch is transitioning from his role as President of LOCUS, Smart Growth America’s coalition of triple-bottom-line real estate developers and investors. As we thank Jair for his profound impact on LOCUS and the landscape of sustainable real estate development writ large, we wanted to share his reflections on his tenure.

LOCUS

Commercial to Residential? White House Highlights Programs that Could Help Vacancies in Downtowns

In the face of the well-documented housing crisis, and amidst a changing landscape for office and commercial buildings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House released a guidebook of programs that would assist commercial to residential conversions. As local government leaders, developers, policymakers, and other stakeholders debate strategies to revitalize their downtowns, this guidebook … Continued

Land Use and Development LOCUS

Three bills that would advance equitable, sustainable development

LOCUS, a coalition of triple-bottom-line real estate developers convened by Smart Growth America, made significant advocacy efforts this summer. The coalition’s work aims to advance legislation that could lead to more equitable, sustainable development and better connectivity between land use and transportation policy. A core focus of this advocacy work has been establishing strategies to deliver more mixed-income and mixed-use development near transit. Below are three important bills that would advance these goals.

LOCUS

LOCUS Member Spotlight: Cathy Sloss Jones

Latin for “place,” LOCUS is a national network of real estate developers, investors, and professionals, united to advance equitable, walkable urban development in communities across the country. Together LOCUS members work to increase funding and financing for smart growth development; improve regulations at all levels of government to support smart growth; and change federal programs … Continued

LOCUS

LOCUS Member Spotlight: Shannon Morgan

Latin for “place,” LOCUS is a national network of real estate developers, investors, and professionals, united to advance equitable, walkable urban development in communities across the country. Together LOCUS members work to increase funding and financing for smart growth development; improve regulations at all levels of government to support smart growth; and change federal programs … Continued

LOCUS

LOCUS Member Spotlight: Dinkar Ganti

Latin for “place”, LOCUS is a national network of real estate developers, investors, and professionals, united to advance equitable, walkable urban development in communities across the country. Together LOCUS members work to increase funding and financing for smart growth development; improve regulations at all levels of government to support smart growth; and change federal programs to … Continued

LOCUS

Accessory dwelling units promoted as a strategy to increase affordable housing stock at White House event

The Biden administration hosted a virtual webinar on February 1st highlighting accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as one way to increase affordable housing stock across the country. An esteemed group of fourteen thought leaders, advocates, and government officials from across the country convened to share their expertise and insights, advocate for ADUs, and discuss current barriers in many communities that hinder their development. 

Advocacy Form-Based Codes

Transition Recommendations for the Biden Administration

The spread of COVID-19 has sent the United States plummeting into an unprecedented national crisis, but it has also illuminated the path forward. Smart Growth America, along with some of our programs, identified immediate executive actions and long-term policy changes that the incoming Biden administration can implement to eliminate structural inequities and address catastrophic global … Continued

Advocacy Climate Change Resilience Transportation