Restoring Prosperity

Journal News, Sunday, June 22, 2008

Greater Ohio says cities must work together to keep young professionals in the state.

Former state Representative Gene Krebs said that post-industrial cities like Hamilton may be in a rough spot, but they have a big positive working for them: Downtowns. Revitalizing downtowns would keep young people here and add an economic generator to cities. Krebs said Greater Ohio has identified 32 cities across the state that were post-industrial cities in need of a boost to regain their former glory. Among them are Hamilton and Middletown. Greater Ohio’s program is based on research by the Brookings Institution, which identified nine Ohio cities as economically struggling in a nationwide study. Greater Ohio expanded the list by including cities with smaller populations. Krebs wants to find out what cities need from the state to “put the pieces together.” He believes cities will be able to cooperate despite traditionally viewing each other as competitors.

To view the article in entirety, click here.

For more information, visit greaterohio.org

Today, Monday, June 23, the full New Jersey Senate will take up S1783, its version of the Assembly’s comprehensive housing reform bill. If approved, it is expected to be passed by the Governor. The core elements of S1783 represent significant opportunities for New Jersey to provide safe, quality and affordable housing to residents of the state, including: creating a state housing plan and commission, promoting very low income housing, ensuring one-for-one replacement in redevelopment areas, making set asides for transit oriented development, encouraging local spending, eliminating regional contribution agreements (RCAs), addressing middle income affordability, and providing an impact analysis.

Click here to view the bill in entirety.

The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program has released a report on the housing foreclosure crisis. The paper, penned by Alan Mallach, is titled Tackling the Mortgage Crisis: 10 Action Steps for State Government. While most media attention has focused on the role of the federal government in promoting mortgage reform and homeowner protection, Mallach argues that state governments also have an important role in addressing the crisis. He offers ten policy recommendations to help state governments tackle the problems posed by foreclosures.

Read the report here.

The EPA estimates that between 500,000 and one million brownfields exist throughout the country, and older cities are home to a disproportionate number of these abandoned former industrial sites. Brownfields redevelopment is a valuable economic development tool for local governments, helping to restore vacant, polluted sites for housing, commercial, or recreational purposes. Several pieces of federal legislation supported by the National Brownfields Coalition would help encourage brownfields cleanup and redevelopment, including:

Reauthorization of Brownfields Law – HR 5336, introduced by Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and James L Oberstar (D-MN), increases funding for the site assessment and cleanup program from $200 million to $350 million and prioritizes brownfields projects that include green building or energy efficiency standards.

Brownfields Tax Credit – Representatives Michael Turner (R-OH) and Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) have co-sponsored a bill (HR 3080) to establish a brownfields tax credit, which would help fund the testing and remediation procedures necessary to bring brownfield sites back into productive use in communities.

Waterfront Brownfields Pilot – Representative Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) introduced HR 5469 to fund a $20 million Waterfront Brownfields Pilot Program, since so many of these sites are located on valuable river and lakefronts.