SGA selected to administer HUD Community Compass initiative

Smart Growth America, in partnership with the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), was selected to administer technical assistance as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Community Compass program. In the coming months, SGA will work to support three communities in assessing their zoning constraints to delivering affordable … Continued

Land Use and Development Technical assistance Zoning

Senate THUD appropriations bill maintains key funding for housing, transportation, and community development programs


Yesterday, the full Senate Appropriations Committee approved its Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Appropriations subcommittee’s FY19 appropriations bill. The legislation provides $71.4 billion in discretionary spending for the U.S. Departments of Transportation (USDOT) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other related agencies through the end of September 2019 and is $1.1 billion above FY18 enacted levels. 

LOCUS

House THUD Appropriations bill boosts FY19 funding for transportation, housing, and community development programs


This week, the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies subcommittee released the text of its FY19 appropriations bill, which allocates funding for the U.S. Departments of Transportation (DOT), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other related agencies through September 30th, 2019.

LOCUS

The House introduced its FY2018 THUD spending bill. Here’s what’s in it.

On July 10, the House Appropriations Committee introduced its version of the fiscal year 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development spending bill. The bill includes funding for the Department of Transportation (USDOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other related agencies. In total, the bill reflects an allocation of $56.5 billion in discretionary spending — $1.1 billion below fiscal year 2017 levels and $8.6 billion above the President’s request.

Advocacy LOCUS

Welcome to HUD, Secretary Carson

Today, Dr. Ben Carson was confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, putting him at the helm of the federal agency that oversees home mortgage lending practices and other housing-related programs.

To Secretary Carson we say congratulations. America’s housing and community development policies have a huge impact on the day-to-day lives of millions of Americans, and in your new position you have a unique and valuable opportunity to improve this country.

Smart Growth America and LOCUS are looking forward to working with Secretary Carson. He is an unconventional choice for this position, but can bring fresh eyes and renewed energy to the department. Under Secretary Carson HUD has the potential to revitalize distressed neighborhoods and address America’s housing affordability crisis. We believe the private sector can and should play a significant role in that work, and welcome a chance to collaborate.

LOCUS

New and expanded urban development programs included in President Obama's 2017 budget proposal

promise-zone-camdenPresident Obama in Camden, NJ in May. Camden is one of 13 Promise Zones, a program through the Department of Housing and Urban Development that would be expanded under the 2017 proposed budget. Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy, via HUD.

President Obama released his proposal for the fiscal year (FY) 2017 federal budget yesterday, and it outlines the President’s lofty political ambitions for the coming year. The proposal focuses on five main goals: continuing the country’s economic and fiscal progress, supporting innovation, creating opportunity for all Americans, national security and global leadership, and improving how government works. Smart growth strategies play an important role in achieving several of those goals — here are some specifics of what the budget would mean for programs related to housing, urban development, and transportation.

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Transportation and infrastructure take center stage in President Obama's 2016 budget proposal

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President Obama released his proposal for the fiscal year (FY) 2016 federal budget yesterday, and if passed, it would be an enormous help to communities looking to grow in better, more economically vibrant ways.

Most notably the proposal includes significant investment in transportation and infrastructure programs (there’s even a photo of a bridge on the cover). Building on the Administration’s GROW AMERICA Act, the budget proposes $94.7 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding for the Department of Transportation and sweeping improvements to its programs as part of a six-year, $478 billion surface transportation reauthorization. That would be a $176 billion increase over the last authorization, and $76 billion more than the four-years of funding proposed in the GROW AMERICA Act last spring.

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What the 'cromnibus' would mean for federal community development programs

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On Tuesday, the House released its plan to fund the federal government for the next fiscal year. The bill is part omnibus, part continuing resolution—hence the nickname “cromnibus”—and sets discretionary federal spending at close to $1.01 trillion for the rest of fiscal year 2015. The House is expected to take up passage of the bill by tomorrow and the Senate is expected to follow soon after, in hopes of avoiding a potential federal shutdown when the current funding bill expires this week.

The good news is that nearly all federal community development programs would be funded as part of this bill. The bad news is that the majority of those programs would face cuts of some kind.

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