YIMBY News for 1/10

[Eric Budd]

What’s Working: A couple of friends thought they could help build affordable housing in Pagosa Springs. Was it wishful thinking?  

Colorado Sun

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KEYWORD SCORE: 45.16. affordable, affordable housing, apartment, condo, construction, development, growth, homeowner, house, housing, impact fee, income, nimby, planning commission, project, real estate, rent, renter, single-family

------------------------------ The 80-acre future home of Pagosa Views development in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Lyndon Hansen and Andrew McFarland bought the land with the goal of creating affordable housing. Steep road and infrastructure costs have prevented the duo from building. (Courtesy Lyndon Hansen) *Tracy Ross* *Reporter* *Quick links: Why Colorado’s unemployment rate dropped | Where the state added jobs | New junk fees law | Natural Grocers wins case on bioengineered labels | Take the reader poll* ------------------------------ They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions,

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Why almost none of the homes burned in LA have been rebuilt since last year’s fires

Vox - Policy

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KEYWORD SCORE: 31.47. apartment, construction, density, growth, homeowner, house, housing, housing crisis, rent, urban

[image: Construction workers stand atop home scaffolding in the Sunset Mesa neighborhood of eastern Malibu.] Construction workers rebuild a home in the Sunset Mesa neighborhood of eastern Malibu after the Palisades Fire in 2025. | Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The Associated Press this week reported a stunning fact: Of the 13,000 homes destroyed a year ago in the extraordinary wildfires in and around Los Angeles, fewer than a dozen have been rebuilt. The massive, fast-moving wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County last January directly killed at least 31 people and

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The Weekly Wrap: As ICE Operations Turn Deadly, Local Officials Push Back

Next City

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KEYWORD SCORE: 28.94. construction, development, house, housing, income, project, rent, urban

Protester holds a sign during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis the day before, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Charlie Riedel / AP) *Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice. * *If you enjoy this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague and tell them to subscribe.* ------------------------------ As ICE Operations Turn Deadly, Local Officials Push Ba

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This Denver mom once feared losing everything. At Women’s Bean Project, she found stability — and freedom.

Colorado Public Radio

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KEYWORD SCORE: 21.77. house, housing, income, project, rent, transportation, walk

When Brittany Persichitte walked through the doors of Women’s Bean Project in April 2023, she carried things no résumé could explain: fear, determination, and the hope that this time she would build a different life. “In my past, there was a lot of drug addiction,” she said quietly when we spoke at the Women’s Bean Center off Federal Blvd. in Denver. “I had a lot of incarceration, homelessness. I ended up getting pregnant, and that was my changing point for myself. I did not want to lose custody of my son.” Her love for him — and the fear of losing him — became her north star. “I got sober, an

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Crosslake Light Rail Approaches One of Its Final Milestones

The Urbanist

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KEYWORD SCORE: 18.27. bus rapid transit, bus route, construction, downtown, infill, multimodal, project, transportation, urban

The long-awaited light rail connection across the I-90 floating bridge is poised to hit one of its last milestones within the next month, a move that will set the stage for Sound Transit to finally announce a grand opening date. After starting pre-revenue service in December, work is proceeding smoothly and the 7.4-mile connection between South Bellevue and International District Chinatown stations is set to enter simulated service within 30 days, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine confirmed Thursday. Starting simulated service, in which operators run trains exactly as they will when they’re ca

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CDFIs Don’t Just Need More Loans. They Need a Different Kind of Capital.

Next City

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KEYWORD SCORE: 18.16. affordable, affordable housing, development, housing, rent, urban, walk

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners rely on CDFIs for funding, but federal cuts will leave community lenders fighting an uphill battle. (Photo by wu yi / Unsplash) When entrepreneur Amayah Harrison needed $15,000 to renovate and furnish her studio and event space in Sacramento, she initially approached traditional banks – but quickly found they simply don’t make the types of small-dollar loans that entrepreneurs need to get started. Then, a mentor told her about an alternative funding source: Working Solutions CDFI, a community development financial institution (CDFI) specializing in

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