YIMBY News for 7/5

[Eric Budd]

Can Struggling Houses of Worship Be Turned Into Housing? Not Always.

Governing

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KEYWORD SCORE: 49.14. affordable, affordable housing, development, house, housing, income, market-rate, mixed-use, nimby, real estate, rent, renter, transportation, urban, walk, zone, zoning

The trend of converting underused houses of worship into affordable housing is sweeping America. The state of California last year passed a law rewarding faith-based organizations that use their surplus properties to build 100 percent affordable housing. Maryland, New York and Virginia are considering the same, and the cities of Atlanta, Pasadena, San Antonio, San Diego and Seattle have passed similar legislation. The YIGBY (“Yes in God’s Backyard”) movement, born in San Diego to counter NIMBY reactions to building affordable housing, is gathering momentum and spreading. Religious denomination

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Denver closed its last hotel shelter for new immigrants. Some families are still struggling to come inside

Denverite

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KEYWORD SCORE: 27.08. affordable, apartment, house, housing, project, rent, walk, zone

On a blistering afternoon in July, Amy Beck sits in her car with two other advocates working to bring new immigrant families inside and off the streets. Beck’s parked in an industrial zone in Sun Valley near a warehouse shelter — one of two remaining city-run spaces in Denver specifically for newcomers without homes to stay the night. Her phone’s plugged in. The AC’s blasting. An entire homeless encampment — tents and other necessities she can pop up in a pinch — waits in her trunk, just in case somebody needs it. The advocates are sweaty. They’re tired. Their work is never done. Beck was up l

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Colorado groups ask Attorney General Phil Weiser to investigate rent-fixing allegations amid national scrutiny

Denver Post Politics

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KEYWORD SCORE: 22.83. apartment, house, housing, income, occupancy, project, rent, renter, urban

Two Colorado nonprofit groups called publicly on Attorney General Phil Weiser this week to “root out collusion and price fixing among large landlords” amid national and state scrutiny of software that’s allegedly used by property owners to artificially increase rental prices. The nonprofits — law firm Towards Justice and the housing group Community Economic Defense Project — said Wednesday on the social platform X that companies that manage thousands of apartments in Colorado have been accused of price-fixing in lawsuits and investigations elsewhere in the United States. They urged the Colorad

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What the Labour Party’s big win in the UK will actually mean

Vox - Politics

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KEYWORD SCORE: 21.72. house, housing, housing crisis, rent, transportation

EAST KILBRIDE - JULY 03: Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar hold an eve of poll event on July 03, 2024 in East Kilbride, Scotland. Keir Starmer visited three countries of the UK on the final day of election campaigning. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) The United Kingdom’s left-leaning Labour Party won — and won big — in the country’s national elections on Thursday, returning to power after 14 years of Conservative Party leadership. Labour made many promises in the party’s quest to win the race, and keeping them will be a gargantuan task that

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Do Navigation Apps Think We’re Stupid?

The Atlantic

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KEYWORD SCORE: 20.77. bike lane, construction, growth, parking, parking lot, rent, urban, walk

As a hamburger enthusiast, I often need directions to some burger joint I’ve never tried. Recently, my phone’s instructions sent me toward the on-ramp for the interstate. Then the app urged me, in 500 feet, to merge onto the freeway. By that time, though, what else could I have done? Did the app imagine that I might get confused, and turn around instead? Mapping software is incredible. Having instant access to every storefront, building, park, and transit stop on every street, almost anywhere in the world, has changed my life as much as any other single innovation of the cellphone age. But als

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Stable but Slowing: State Revenues Start to Squeeze Policy Ambitions

Governing

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KEYWORD SCORE: 18.72. growth, housing, housing price, income, project, rent, urban

In Brief: Total state revenues are stagnating, with overall declines in sales tax collections. The factors that fueled growth in recent years, notably federal aid, are no longer boosting treasuries. Given healthy reserves, the picture is not dire but policymakers have entered an age of tough choices if not austerity. California has been facing a massive budget shortfall — estimates vary, but in the $50 billion range — so it was not at all surprising that the spending package passed last month included serious cuts. The state will reduce its spending by about $16 billion, including an 8 percent

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