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Fund Provides Aid on No-Growth, Inclusionary Zoning
No growth, inclusionary zoning and housing accessibility are among the issues on which home builders associations received financial assistance from the NAHB State and Local Issues Fund during last month’s spring board meeting in Washington, D.C.
The fund provides support to HBAs that are involved with legislative, regulatory or ballot issues that have national significance or concern a common industry problem whose resolution could set a precedent.
Applications for the funding are reviewed three times a year, in conjunction with the NAHB board meetings, by the State and Local Government Affairs Committee. The deadline for applications that will be reviewed at the fall meeting in Salt Lake City is Aug. 10.
As a result of action at the spring meeting, the following issues were funded:
- Model Visitability Legislation. The Building Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh received funding to mobilize grassroots networks to enact model legislation that would permit local governments to offer tax credits to home owners who purchase or renovate homes with designs that enable them to be visited by the disabled.
- No Growth Ballot Initiative. The Building Industry Association of Southern California-Orange County Chapter received funds to fight a “Right to Vote” no-growth initiative on the Yorba Linda ballot that would permanently remove land use authority from city officials and take every decision on a zoning change, tract map, general plan amendment, specific plan or any other entitlement or permitting issues to the voters. (The measure passed by a narrow margin on June 6.)
- Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning. The Gold Coast BA received support for its ongoing efforts against an “interim” mandatory inclusionary zoning ordinance in Palm Beach County, Fla. The association was successful in stopping county commissioners from considering the measure, which would have tied new development approvals to percentage requirements for affordable housing units. Association efforts to work with the county on a compromise ended in March but are expected to resume in the near future.
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 Endangered Species De-listing. The California BIA and the BIA of Southern California received joint funding to assist efforts to have the coastal California gnatcatcher removed from the federal endangered species list. The associations filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when it listed the bird as threatened in March 1993 and now can show that the acreage that was conserved in perpetuity for the animal’s habitat was twice as extensive as the habitat that existed at the time of the listing.
- Local Tax Assessment Model Legislation. Funding was provided to enable the NAHB staff to develop model legislation requiring affordable housing property valuations to be based on income, rather than replacement cost or comparable sales, which are appropriate for market-rate housing.
For information on the fund, click here. Or e-mail Gerry Keegan at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8326.
 ‘Inclusionary Zoning for Affordable Housing’ Available at BuilderBooks.com
“Inclusionary Zoning for Affordable Housing,” available through BuilderBooks.com, describes best practices and techniques for creating an effective inclusionary zoning program based on the experiences of industry experts; evaluations of state, regional, and local programs; and case studies of 15 communities across the nation.
To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
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