Weekend reading: housing items galore
Sorry blogging has been a little slow this past week. Here are some items from throughout the week that we wouldn't want to let slide.
- GovExec's Fedblog mourns the death on Thursday of former Sen. William Proxmire, implacable enemy of red tape. Perhaps fittingly, HUD issued a press release Friday offering awards "to recognize local communities for their outstanding leadership in reducing excessive or unnecessary regulations that effectively discourage the production of housing that is affordable to working families."
- The HUD Office of Inspector General is displeased with HUD's awards of lead hazard control and Healthy Homes grants, and also with use of funds in three interrelated Arizona multifamily complexes that had HUD-insured mortgages. (NB the Arizona report list gives a screwy link for the "Villas at August Ranch" report; this link is correct.) OIG is additionally displeased with the housing authority of Baytown, Texas.
- Sen. Trent Lott has joined a lawsuit against his insurance company for money to replace that famous house of his on whose porch Pres. Bush one day looks forward to sitting. The issue in the suit is a serious one affecting quite a few of the Senator's constituents: the difference for insurance purposes between "flooding" and a "storm surge."
- Rep. Richard Baker, R-La., has introduced HR 4100, which would create a government-financed "Louisiana Recovery Corporation" to purchase and redevelop Katrina-damaged properties. Seems to involve privately owned properties, so public housing might not be included.
- ACORN protests against the New Orleans rebuilding advice of the Urban Land Institute.
- NH&RA spotted an announcement in which the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee smooths out its procedure for reassessing some developers' tax credit amounts. The change affects developers using state low-income housing tax credits who were recently told they did not have to obey California's prevailing wage laws.
- The Washington Post tells the epic story of Capital Manor, a large apartment complex purchased with great difficulty by tenants living on low wages and public benefits.
- GovExec's Fedblog mourns the death on Thursday of former Sen. William Proxmire, implacable enemy of red tape. Perhaps fittingly, HUD issued a press release Friday offering awards "to recognize local communities for their outstanding leadership in reducing excessive or unnecessary regulations that effectively discourage the production of housing that is affordable to working families."
- The HUD Office of Inspector General is displeased with HUD's awards of lead hazard control and Healthy Homes grants, and also with use of funds in three interrelated Arizona multifamily complexes that had HUD-insured mortgages. (NB the Arizona report list gives a screwy link for the "Villas at August Ranch" report; this link is correct.) OIG is additionally displeased with the housing authority of Baytown, Texas.
- Sen. Trent Lott has joined a lawsuit against his insurance company for money to replace that famous house of his on whose porch Pres. Bush one day looks forward to sitting. The issue in the suit is a serious one affecting quite a few of the Senator's constituents: the difference for insurance purposes between "flooding" and a "storm surge."
- Rep. Richard Baker, R-La., has introduced HR 4100, which would create a government-financed "Louisiana Recovery Corporation" to purchase and redevelop Katrina-damaged properties. Seems to involve privately owned properties, so public housing might not be included.
- ACORN protests against the New Orleans rebuilding advice of the Urban Land Institute.
- NH&RA spotted an announcement in which the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee smooths out its procedure for reassessing some developers' tax credit amounts. The change affects developers using state low-income housing tax credits who were recently told they did not have to obey California's prevailing wage laws.
- The Washington Post tells the epic story of Capital Manor, a large apartment complex purchased with great difficulty by tenants living on low wages and public benefits.
posted by Martha Bridegam at 12:25 AM
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