The temporary board will help speed up the application review process during a development boom.

The city of Newark will create a second, “supplemental” zoning board to help clear a backlog of development applications requesting use variances, according to an article by Steve Strunsky in Governing. “Like the regular board, the supplemental one will also weigh appeals of its initial decisions by developers who feel their requests had been improperly denied.”
Strunsky explains, “Officials say a second board to review applications will cut the backlog and reduce the time developers have to wait for a hearing. In a business where time is money, and costs are passed on to renters and home buyers, Webster said the waiting period could last for months even as financial, weather or other conditions were ripe to break ground.”
City officials expect that, in addition to the current development boom that is in part a response to spiking housing costs in New York, zoning changes approved last month will lead to sustained growth in development applications. “Allison Ladd, the city’s deputy mayor for economic and housing development, said 33 applications were pending before the zoning board, with hearings scheduled through March. She said another 40 applications are awaiting scheduling.”
FULL STORY: Newark Will Create Second Zoning Board to Help With Backlog

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
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