NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) In the 1960s, Bishop D. Lawrence Williams of the Church of God in Christ had a dream. In the town that staged Massive Resistance, rather than integrate schools and the birthplace of the racist poll tax, Williams dreamed of a high-rise apartment building to house the City of Norfolks elderly residents who were in financial need.

It was a bold plan that was met with pushback, but his dream came true when the 150-unit, 11-story, COGIC High-Rise building opened in March of 1974, not far from the historically Black Norfolk State College, now Norfolk State University, and the historically-Black Booker T. Washington High School.

Pastor Toney McNair, now vice president of the COGIC High-Rise Board, has a gleam in his eyes when he flashes back to that day when the first proud residents entered their deluxe apartments in the sky.

That was a most exciting time after knowing what Bishop D. Lawrance Williams had to do to get to that point. We were surprised but blessed to see that day, said McNair.

Lemuel Williams was also on the front lawn on that historic day and he has been there ever since as the buildings sole manager for 47 years.

This is the first senior citizen high-rise in the whole state of Virginia and we were operated by African Americans, said Williams with pride.

Over the years, portions of the 150-unit building have been upgraded to include a modern hair salon, a computer center, and professional offices. In two weeks, crews will begin an $11.7-million top-to-bottom renovation. It will include a new roof, new windows, a new facade, plumbing, new heating and air conditioning systems, and new kitchens.

The city and state are pitching in for the funding.

We had to use tax credits from the state of Virginia. They allotted tax credits for low-income housing so then the housing authority issued us bonds for financing, said Williams.

Because of the pandemic, extra precautions will be taken to protect residents once construction crews arrive. Anyone entering the building must stop at a temperature-check station for screening and construction workers must use designated entrances and exits.

Temperatures will be checked, one designated elevator will be used We have an exit in the back, so we have that all in place. Every morning, temperatures will be checked, just as we do now, said Williams.

Starting at the top, the building will be renovated two floors at a time with residents moved temporarily to hotel-style apartments while improvements are made to their units.

Currently, the building has an 18- to 24-month waitlist for new tenants. Veteran manager Williams says the demand only underscores the need for Norfolk officials to pave the way for the construction of more affordable rental units for senior citizens.

The renovation is expected to be completed by New Years Eve 2021.

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A makeover for Norfolks deluxe apartment in the sky - WAVY.com

As Palo Alto continues to lag in its effort to build affordable housing, Santa Clara County is advancing its own plan to create an apartment complex for teachers in neighborhood that is already undergoing a dramatic transformation.

The county's plan, which the City Council will get its first look at on Monday night, would bring 110 apartments to 231 Grant Ave., across from the Palo Alto Courthouse in the California Avenue business district. Developed by nonprofits Mercy Housing and Abode Communities, which specialize in affordable housing, the apartments would be open to teachers and school district employees from participating districts in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

Unlike other proposed developments in Palo Alto, the Grant Avenue development would be built on county land and, as such, does not require formal approval from the city. The county enjoys "sovereign immunity" when it comes to adding government functions and, as such, has the power to exceed the city's zoning rules.

To date, county staff had signaled their intent to adhere, to the extent feasible, to the development standards in the city's recently created "workforce housing" zone, according to a new report from the city's Department of Planning and Development Services. At the same time, the project exceeds several design standards. With a height of 55 feet, the apartment complex would exceed the city's 50-foot height limit. Its density of about 80 dwellings per acre is twice the number that the city typically allows in its multifamily zoning districts (RM-40). The recently created workforce zone, however, does not set limits on units per acre.

The project's building density, however, falls below the city's limits. The proposal would have a floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.85, below the 2.0 FAR allowed in the workforce housing zone. And even though it would exceed some development standards, city staff had concluded that the project is "generally consistent with the City's housing goals, which express an interest in providing high density multi-family housing near transit," according to a report from the Department of Planning and Community Environment.

Plans for the project show two C-shaped, four-story buildings, each with a courtyard. A third courtyard separates the two buildings. The project also includes a community room and a "flex room," which could accommodate a caf or another use, at the portion of the property closest to the corner of Grant Avenue and Park Boulevard. An at-grade garage behind the apartment buildings would include 112 spaces for cars through the use of stacked parking structures, along with 134 spaces for bikes. A report from the county's Facilities and Fleets Department notes that the project's "proximity to transit and farmer's markets, groceries, shops, restaurants, parks and libraries can help residents reduce trips for daily tasks, cutting down on vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions."

If the county Board of Supervisors ultimately approves the project, as is expected, the apartments would go up in an area that is already going through a dramatic transformation. The teacher complex will go up just blocks from the city's newly built parking garage at 350 Sherman Ave., and from an adjoining site at 250 Sherman Ave. where the city is about to commence construction on a public safety building. The housing complex would replace an existing office building near the intersection of Grant and Park Boulevard. The project is also just a few blocks from the Ventura neighborhood, where the city is preparing to adopt a new land use vision with the goal of encouraging more housing, park space and community amenities.

While city and county staff have been discussing the teacher housing project for nearly two years, the Monday hearing will give the council and residents their first chance to offer feedback on the preliminary plans for the proposed development, which will go through the environmental review process later this year.

So far, the city has requested that the county refrain from adding any curb cuts along Park Boulevard, a popular bike route. The city is also urging the developers to consider measures to regulate the volume and speed of traffic in the area. Claire Raybould, a senior planner at the Department of Planning and Development Services, also requested that the county consider the cumulative traffic impacts of both this project and the concurrent construction of the city's new public safety building. This includes ensuring that adjacent properties maintain their access to the streets during construction.

"Coordination between the County and City of Palo Alto must occur to minimize potential impacts associated with street closures, vehicle deliveries and other construction activities," Raybould wrote.

The Grant Avenue project was spearheaded by county Supervisor Joe Simitian, who in 2018 suggested using county land for teacher housing. The county and the city agreed that year to commit $6 million and $3 million to the project, respectfully. The county approved its partnership with Abode Communities and Mercy Housing in August 2019 and Facebook gave the project a boost in October 2019 with a donation of $25 million.

The housing will be available to teachers and school staff from the Palo Alto Unified School District, Mountain View Whisman School District, Mountain View-Los Altos High School District, Ravenswood City School District, Menlo Park City School District, Las Lomitas School District, Sequoia Union High School District, Los Altos School District and Foothill-De Anza Community College District.

In a Thursday statement, Simitian said that "no one wins when local teachers have to commute from miles and miles away."

"It's just that much harder to attract and retain the best teachers available," Simitian said. "Time in the car is time not spent with students or preparing lesson plans. And our teachers become more and more remote from the communities where they teach."

Teri Baldwin, president of the Palo Alto Educators Association, said in the statement that the local school district has teachers who commute from Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Aptos and Dublin.

"This long commute takes a toll on our teachers' quality of life and decreases the value of their salaries," Baldwin said. "It also adds to traffic and pollution problems in the county.

"When teachers live in or near their school communities, students also benefit. We want to be part of the community we teach in. We want to organize or attend after school events and support and encourage our students."

The county plans to go through the design and environmental review processes this year, with the goal of launching construction in August 2022 and completing the project in February 2024.

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Teacher housing plan moves ahead in Palo Alto - Palo Alto Online

GUILDERLAND Claiming that a lower court judge overstepped the bounds of established judicial review, the town of Guilderland and Pyramid, owner of Crossgates Mall, have asked an appeals court to reverse the lawsuit that stopped both the construction of a 222-unit apartment development on Rapp Road and a proposed Costco Wholesale store.

Kevin and Sarah McDonald, along with other Westmere residents Lisa and Thomas Hart, and gas-station owner Jonathan Kaplan in September of last year filed a lawsuit against both the town of Guilderland and Pyramid Management Group after the towns planning board approved the companys Rapp Road and Western Avenue projects.

In November 2020, Albany County Supreme Court Judge Peter Lynch ruled in the groups favor. Pyramid filed its appeal with the Third Appellate Division on Dec. 11, 2020; Guilderland filed three days later, on Dec. 14. The Appellate Division is the middle level in the states three-tiered court system.

The issue at hand, Lynch wrote in his Nov. 20 decision, was whether the Guilderland Planning Board complied with its obligations under the State Environmental Quality Review Act procedurally and substantively. It did not, on both counts, Lynch concluded.

In his decision, Lynch wrote that the planning board had violated the procedure set out by the act as well as the hard look test, a three-part test that requires an agency reviewing an action to: identify the areas of environmental concern; analyze the areas of concern to determine if the action may have a significant adverse impact; and support its determination with evidence.

Since the board violated the SEQRA procedure and the hard look test, Lynch declared null and void the boards acceptance of: both the draft and final environmental impact statements; the August issuance of a findings statement justifying its approval of the project; and the October granting of site-plan approval for Pyramids 222-unit apartment and townhome development.

In its Jan. 25 appeal, Pyramid claimed that Lynchs decision was not made based on arguments presented by either the plaintiff or the defendant. Rather, Pyramid argued, Lynch chose to identify specific issues that had not been in dispute, and handed down a decision for a case that neither side had actually presented.

Lynch in effect took it upon himself to amend the original petition, Pyramid argued in court papers, and then didnt give the town or company time to respond, violating the states prohibition against litigation by surprise.

The Third Appellate Division, Pyramid claimed, has repeatedly recognized that a lead agencys rational and substantiated SEQR finding is to be complied with. But Lynch did not defer to the planning boards judgement, Pyramid states in its filing; he chose instead to ignore the boards nearly two-year hard look and assumed the role of lead agency and substituted [his] judgment for that of the planning boards.

In an affidavit, Guilderland Supervisor Peter Barber stated, At its core, the trial courts decision discarded the Towns 20-year effort, as shown in its Comprehensive Plan, Westmere Corridor Study, and Transit Oriented District, to redevelop the former pig farm and vacant residential subdivision with new large scale commercial and multi-family development, because of their placement on an underutilized four-lane road with direct access to the Northway, and walking distance, for residents, retail workers, and shoppers, to CDTAs busiest area transit station and terminus of its planned rapid bus line to downtown Albany.

The trial court improperly annulled the Planning Board's two year hard look by claiming that the Board should have blindly ignored this planning process and Town Zoning Code by finding that the proposed action was incompatible with its surroundings.

Barber helped town attorney James Melita write Guilderlands appeal.

He told The Enterprise he had taught SEQR classes in the past, and that Melita has had very little bit little experience with [SEQR]. Barbers affidavit notes that he chaired Guilderlands zoning board for 16 years

In October of last year, the town let Pyramid take the lead in responding to the plaintiffs original complaint, addressing only a specific records-request denial made by the plaintiffs lawyer, James Bacon.

Barber said that Guilderland let Pyramid take the lead then because the company had been defending, basically, [the] application process.

The difference between now and October 2020, Barber said, is: We have a decision from [a] state Supreme Court judge that we think was wrong. And, with the town itself as well as its planning and zoning boards being sued, he said, We want to provide the best defense that we can.

Pyramids plan included developing three sites:

Site 1, a 19-acre plot at Rapp and Gipp roads for 222 apartments and townhouses, with the possibility for another 90 apartments to be built on the site.

Specifically, Pyramid was proposing three two-story townhouse-style buildings, with 10 units in each building, totaling 30 units, on the west side of the property. On either side of the entrance to the property, the developer was proposing two five-story apartment buildings, one with 94 units and the other with 98 units. The project additionally included about 3,900 square feet of commercial space. The company was also proposing a total of 362 parking spots: 84 indoor spaces and 278 outdoor spots;

Site 2, sixteen acres at Western Avenue and Crossgates Mall Road for a Costco, a membership-only, 160,000-square-foot warehouse-price club, that would offer gasoline service and 700 parking spots; and

Site 3: Eleven acres between the Costco site and Pyramids hotel on Western Avenue that could be used for retail, offices, or apartments. There are no current development plans for Site 3 however, Pyramid did present a zoning-compliant conceptual plan that could include 115,000 square feet of retail space, 50,000 square feet of office space, and 48 apartments.

Bacon previously told The Enterprise, The heart of an environmental impact study is a reasonable analysis of alternatives thats at the heart.

He then pointed to examples of his argument penned by Lynch:

In context of the proposed density, the project sponsor did not identify any alternative to the Site 1 use/design. To the contrary, the project sponsor affirmatively represented that there were no alternatives. This claim is false, Lynch wrote.

Pyramid argued in its Jan. 25 court papers that the planning boards Site 1 alternate-review had to be viewed in context: The board had already determined that the Rapp Road apartment-and-townhome development would not have a significant adverse impact on the environment, which negated the board from having to consider any alternative but the no-action alternative.

However, Pyramid claimed, the board did consider some Site 1 alternatives, like moving the entire development closer to Macys in nearby Crossgates Mall; different site layouts in order to protect the butterfly-management area; and nine different ways of routing traffic.

Lynch also wrote that the apartments and townhomes and proposed Costco had represented a maximum build scenario, and wrote that nowhere in the record was there any evidence of a scaled-down alternative, which would have enable[d] a comparative analysis to mitigate impact

The Costco was not a maximum-build scenario, Pyramid countered, stating that retail facilities of up to 250,000 square feet are permitted in the Transit-Oriented Development District (TOD). The company was proposing a 160,000 square-foot price club, approximately 36-percent smaller than the maximum allowed.

Bacon previously told The Enterprise that the court, in its decision, was mindful of its role in looking at the project: The role of the court was not to substitute its own judgement for that of the planning board, Bacon said; the role of the court was to determine if the lead agency, operating under the hard look standard, followed the correct procedure.

It did not, in Lynchs opinion.

One thing the plaintiffs were looking for in asking for a redo of the SEQRA review process was re-establishing a lead agency in order to obtain an impartial examination of the projects environmental impacts .

Lynch, citing case law, wrote that the lead agency is principally responsible for determining whether or not a project would have a significant impact on the environment.

The planning board had the authority to review site plans for each of the three sites, Lynch wrote, but it was the zoning board that had the sole responsibility of issuing a special-use permit for Costco. So, Lynch wrote, It is arguable that either entity is principally responsible to conduct the SEQRA review for the project. As such, the lead agency determination was required to undergo the coordinated review process.

Lynch wrote that its undisputed the planning board had a procedural failure with its SEQRA review process because it failed to coordinate Lead Agency determination with the Zoning Board of Appeals. Lynch went so far as to say, The Zoning Board was simply left out of the process.

The Planning Board had every opportunity to re-establish lead agency but failed to do so, Lynch writes. This was a blatant, material procedural failure which undermined the integrity of the EIS review.

In its Jan. 25 court filing, Pyramid argued that the planning board did not violate the coordinated review process laid out by SEQR, because the zoning board had been established as an involved agency, and had been notified of that fact after Costco and Site 3 were added to the planning boards scope of review, a move that triggered an in-depth environmental review.

When it adopted the positive SEQR declaration that triggered the in-depth review, the planning board identified the zoning board as an involved agency, Pyramid stated. The zoning board was fully apprised at the start of and throughout the EIS process, Pyramid claimed, and had a free hand to participate in the review process.

The positive SEQR declaration form that triggered the in-depth review stated that the scoping process would be undertaken, a draft scope would be prepared, and that draft document would be sent around to all involved and interested agencies and anyone requesting a copy.

Copies of the positive SEQR declaration were sent to nine potential involved and interested agencies, the zoning board among them, which also never objected to the planning board declaring itself lead agency, Pyramid noted.

Pyramid claimed that Lynch evaluated the SEQR record, de novo, as if the planning board had never adopted a negative declaration, and determined that a closer look was needed on already-settled issues. Lynch also identified three new areas of concern that were never addressed by the complainants, Pyramid argued, but were nevertheless cited by the judge in his decision to overturn the planning board.

According to Pyramid, Lynch claimed the planning board had failed to:

Take a hard look at the impacts the project would have on birds in the Pine Bush (later in its court filing, Pyramid claims that the birds were taken into account when the planning board undertook its hard look test);

Take a hard look at the visual impact a multiple five-story apartment buildings would have on the Rapp Road Historic District; and

The board failed to consider shorter alternatives to the apartment-and-townhome development on Rapp Road and a a residential alternative for the Costco site.

Pyramid stresses that the planning board took a hard look at the visual impacts associated with the Rapp Road apartment-and-townhome development. The appeal argues that Pyramid, to eliminate visual impacts, had to incorporate features the planning board had found in its study, features beyond the TOD minimum.

Pyramid had engaged in extensive outreach with residents in nearby neighborhoods during the early stages of the Rapp Road development review process, the company claimed.

Although the company also consulted with residents of the [Rapp Road Historic District], at no point during the Planning Boards SEQRA review did any resident of the RRHD raise any concerns regarding visual impacts, Pyramid claimed. Nor did the Historical Association or the SHPO, the appeal said of the State Historic Preservation Office.

Regardless, the planning board still analyzed visual impacts to the Rapp Road Historic District when it undertook SEQR, the appeal claims.

The district is a neighborhood of small homes, many of them hand-built by African Americans who arrived in the pinebush, largely from Mississippi, during the Great Migration.

Throughout his November 2020 decision, Lynch pointed to omissions that the planning board failed to consider when making its determination. The historical and cultural significance of the Rapp Road Historic District, Lynch wrote, cannot be overstated, and, in turn, cannot be ignored under the hard look test.

With the closest homes just a few hundred feet away from proposed five-story buildings, the planning board failed to consider any alternative with reduced building height.

But Pyramid counters that Lynch pointed to omissions that were actually omissions in the residents suit. Strikingly, Pyramid asserts in its Jan. 25 court filing, the Rapp Road Historic District was not mentioned a single time in the original complaint.

Pyramid also states that there are nearly 1,000 feet between the southernmost occupied home in the historic district and the northernmost five-story building at the site.

Whenever Pyramid makes an assertion like Lynch being way off in his measurement of the distance between the historic Rapp Road homes and proposed apartment building, or claims that the zoning board had actually been notified about its agency status with the project, the assertion is accompanied by a five-digit code that refers to a paper record in the companys voluminous court filing, which runs over 8,400 pages.

Lynch, the town asserted in its Jan. 28 court filing, claimed that the planning board failed to consider the impact the project would have on the historic Rapp Road neighborhood, committing a seismic failure in the process.

The record soundly defeats this false statement, the town states.

Rapp Road residents, according to the towns filing, confirmed that we get more help from the Town of Guilderland from what Ive seen going through this process going on two years, that it recognizes that this a gem and the amount of communication is very open with Pyramid and the Town of Guilderland.

The town argued that the planning board went well-beyond what is required of a hard look, for example, receiving expert opinions and comments from the states conservation and transportation departments, and says the proof is in the pudding.

Guilderland claims that a comparison of the project from when SEQR first began to when the board adopted a Findings Statement two years later shows that the planning boards review was proper and thorough. The town lists what it considers 10 substansial measures to illustrate its point, with four traffic-related measures and a requirement that Pyramid hand over 8.4 acres of land to Albany Pine Bush Commission, among them.

Justice Lynch wrote that the draft environmental impact statement also fails to mention, let alone account, for the fact that Costco will not improve the environment for non-automobile-oriented modes of transportation, will not reduce the number of required parking spaces, and will not focus intense development away from existing residential neighborhoods, all in contravention of TOD.

Pyramid countered in its court papers the plaintiffs conceded that Costco was fully consistent with the Transit-Oriented Development District, and that the plaintiffs objected to the project on economic grounds. The Court nevertheless faulted the Planning Board for relying on the fact that the Costco Project was permitted under local zoning, the company states.

Pyramid argued that it was only as the planning board was nearing completion of its environmental review for the proposed 222 apartments and townhouses on Rapp Road, that the company first made the town aware of its intention to apply to the zoning board so that it could develop the second of its three adjacent sites, a Costco.

With this new information, Pyramid states in its filing, the planning board decided to postpone taking any action on the apartment-and-townhome proposal and instead, on its own initiative, expanded the scope of the SEQRA action to include the [Rapp Road Development site], the proposed retail site on Site 2, and potential future development on Site 3, and declared itself SEQRA lead agency for the redefined action.

James Soos, the director of development for Pyramid, stated in an affidavit, Put simply, if resolution of this appeal is delayed, it is likely that Costco will abandon its proposed development on Site 2 and restart its search for other development sites in the region to construct its facility. Should that occur, the consequences would be devastating for Pyramid and the Town.

Then Pyramid argues in its court filing, Costco Project will create numerous construction and retail jobs, inspire local business growth, and significantly increase tax revenues to the Town, Albany County, and Guilderland School District.

Pyramid is currently suing the town in an attempt to knock $139.2 million off of Crossgates Malls $282.5 million assessment. In tax year 2019, the seven parcels of land that collectively make up Crossgates Mall paid entities within Guilderland the town itself; Guilderland schools; and the public library about $7 million in property taxes. If Crossgates were to win its lawsuit, the taxes it pays could be cut by about half.

Barber, in his affidavit, citing a paid-for-by-Pyramid economic analysis, asserted that Costco would generate significant annual property and school tax ($141,707; however, $16,160 would be the countys money) and sales tax revenues ($2 million; of which $157,516 would be Guilderlands take) at a time when State, local, and school budgets are under extreme pressures.

Barber goes on to state that Costco alone is projected to generate 142 jobs, over $3.9 million in earnings, and over $114.4 million in sales in Albany County, annually, and 187 jobs, over $5.1 million in earnings, and over $133.3 million in sales in the Town, every year, in terms of the direct, indirect, and total impact on employment and wages, according to an economic impact analysis.

But economists of all stripes left, right, libertarian, in the academy, and at think tanks caution readers of economic impact analyses to take their findings with a grain of salt, in part because, most economic impact studies are commissioned to legitimize a political position.

Excerpt from:
Guilderland and Pyramid seek to reverse ruling that halted companys projects - The Altamont Enterprise

ANN ARBOR, MI South University Avenue in Ann Arbor is looking a lot different these days as preparations are being made for the next student apartment high-rise.

A row of one- and two-story buildings that for many years contributed to South Us funky and eclectic vibe home to businesses such as South U Pizza, Oasis Grill, Rendezvous Hookah Lounge, The Village Apothecary, PNC Bank and Underground Printing was demolished recently.

All that remains standing on the south side of South U on the block between Church Street and East University Avenue now is Good Time Charleys and Catina, and theyre staying.

Rising in the big, empty space next to them will be a 13-story apartment building called Vic Village South, complementing the Vic Village North high-rise across the street.

It will join several other high-rises built in the South U area in recent years, all catering to University of Michigan students.

Vic Village South will add nearly 130 more apartments with 300-plus beds, including 14 affordable housing units, said Sean Havera of Hughes Properties, the developer, which is working with general contractor The Christman Co.

There will be four ground-floor commercial spaces in the new high-rise, some of which could be combined for a bigger business, Havera said.

Tenants have not been identified yet.

Underground Printing and PNC Bank moved into new ground-floor spaces created in the Vic Village North high-rise, which opened last year, and Oasis Grill moved down the street into a space previously occupied by China Gate.

The high life: Inside Ann Arbors newest luxury apartment high-rise

The family that owned Oasis Grill also owned South U Pizza and the Rendezvous Hookah Lounge, which closed about a year ago. The Village Apothecary closed five years ago.

Work on an earth-retention system for Vic Village South is expected to begin in February and that will allow crews to finish excavating building foundations and start construction, which will last into summer 2023, Havera said.

It wont be too difficult to start construction amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Havera said.

Where were at with all of the work being outside, that helps, he said, indicating vertical construction is not expected until around next October and there will be an extensive amount of exterior work before interior work begins.

The block of South U in front of the development has been reduced to a single traffic lane during construction.

The new building will include two levels of below-grade parking and the developer has an agreement to lease about another 40 overnight parking spaces in a nearby public parking deck.

Vic Village South will offer a different mix of floor plans and amenities than Vic Village North, Havera said, noting there will be some studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, in addition to higher-bed-count units that are attractive to larger groups of students wanting to live together.

And while Vic Village North offers more of a standard fitness center, Vic Village South will have a CrossFit gym, Havera said, adding tenants of both buildings will have shared access to the amenities in both buildings, including tech lab spaces, study areas and rooftop lounges.

Ann Arbors small-town look fading as downtown reaches toward sky

Vic Village South will have a 13th-floor lounge and game room with an outdoor TV, grill and fireplace, similar to one of the upstairs lounge spaces at Vic Village North, Havera said.

It will be the sixth student-focused apartment high-rise built in the South U area since 2009, following Zaragon Place, Landmark, ArborBLU, Six11 and Vic Village North.

After Vic Village South, Hughes Properties plans to shift focus to its next planned high-rise development, Vic Village East, where the Middle Earth shop and Safe Sex Store on South U were demolished in recent years.

Beyond the South U district, more apartment high-rises are planned downtown, including one underway at Main and William called The Standard, which is expected to open in fall 2022.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Before-and-after views of downtown Ann Arbors dramatic transformation

Timeline: Ann Arbors downtown housing boom and whats to come

1960s building boom introduced Ann Arbor to high-rise controversy

Vintage photos showcase downtown Ann Arbors historical charm

See plans for 3-story, mixed-use development proposed in Ann Arbor

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Another South U block demolished to make way for next Ann Arbor high-rise - MLive.com

Whether in stagnant northern cities or in the booming Sun Belt, a wide array of groups thus had ample reason to oppose urban development. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, through the implementation of height limits, density restrictions, design review boards, mandatory community input, and other veto points in the development process, they achieved more victories than many of the initial participants thought possible. The broad-based nature of the anti-growth coalition was key to its success. Nature enthusiasts, architectural historians, homeowners, and rock-ribbed socialists all found it advantageous to portray developers as a shadowy, parasitic force in metropolitan politics. Politicians, for their part, were more than willing to position themselves as defenders of this broad array of neighborhood groups and their values. But the composition of the coalition also limited the scope of its activism. In particular, the centrality of homeowners within the anti-growth alliance meant that maintaining the stability of property values would always guide the direction of the movement overall. In the 1960s and 70s, when renting in cities was relatively affordable and owning a house was often not especially profitable, this dynamic posed no obvious problem. Environmentalists believed that they could seek to save their conservation areas, preservationists their historic districts, leftists their tenant protections, and homeowners their exclusive neighborhoods, all apparently without harming one anothers interests.

These now-half-century-old arguments have had remarkable staying power well into a different era of urban history, one in which gentrification, rather than renewal, is the hot-button issue. Despite this shift, many still insist that neighborhood change remains inextricably linked to development. As Stringers reference to a gentrification-industrial complex indicates, critics have come to portray high-end shopping and glassy condos not as lagging indicators of local demographic change but as the causes thereof. The battle lines are drawn in the form of fights over discrete construction projects. Every politician wants to be seen as the second coming of Jane Jacobs, taking to the streets to block the bulldozers and save the soul of the neighborhood.

But if gentrification is defined as a demographic transition toward wealthier, whiter residents, this approach makes for a poor policy response. This is because the forces that drive this kind of neighborhood change do not come from the construction of specific apartment buildings or retail complexes, no matter how many granite countertops or artisanal coffee shops they might contain. Instead, they result from a degree of demand for inner-city living that would have shocked the slow-growthers of the 1960sdemand that, for the most part, has been channeled not into new condos but into homes built before the first wave of anti-development activism. When white-collar firms began to re-concentrate downtown in the 1980s and 90s, their workers, soon priced out of elite neighborhoods, bought old homes in marginal areas and modified them to their liking. The people they displaced crowded into poorer quarters of the city, or moved to lower-end suburbs, or, often, left for more affordable parts of the country altogether.

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The Pandemic Disproved Urban Progressives Theory About Gentrification - The Atlantic

They reflect significant changes over the past decade in the way Sydney houses its population of 5.3 million. About 15 per cent of NSW's population, or 1.12 million people the vast bulk of whom are in Sydney now live in apartments, compared with 8 per cent of Victoria's population and 7 per cent of Queensland's.

Over the past decade, 258,000 apartments have been built in NSW, which translates into an extra 500,000 people living in units.

What has not been well known is exactly who lives in them. A paucity of information spurred the University of NSW's City Futures Research Centre to embark on a project to map the socio-economic make-up of people in Sydney's apartments.

It dispels common perceptions of the social fabric of Sydney's apartment dwellers. "If you look at the marketing most developers have, there is a young couple sipping chardonnay gazing over the city," said Bill Randolph, head of City Futures.

He argues it has resulted in many apartment towers built in recent decades failing to cater for the people who end up living in them. "The bulk of the stock is two-bedroom, investment-grade units. And the majority of apartments are owned by investors," he said.

The mapping identified about five groups living in the city's apartments. As Sydney's population grows, an understanding of these tribes will become crucial for determining planning policy and ultimately tailoring apartments to suit the people who call them home.

By far the largest tribe comprises the "economically engaged". They make up half the citys apartment households and their abodes tend to be east of Olympic Park in areas such as south Sydney. "Obviously if you want to be a first homebuyer in Sydney and want to live east of Strathfield, you have to be living in a flat or an apartment," Professor Randolph said.

Those in the largest tribe tend to be in full-time professional jobs, on higher incomes and from English-speaking nationalities. Most are either mortgage-holders or private renters, and their households tend not to suffer from overcrowding. The tribe has grown significantly over the past decade, swollen by the arrival of first-home buyers and private renters.

The second-largest group comprises the young, jobless or under-employed a group barely evident in the data on apartment dwellers a decade ago.

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Professor Randolph said the group dubbed "the young, un(der)employed" emerged as a result of the investor-led boom in apartment construction. It is dominated by people aged between 15 and 24, many from north-east and south-east Asian backgrounds. Group households are also over-represented and some endure overcrowding, which the research suggests means room sharing is likely to be common. Many of them work in low-paid service jobs in the central city. All up, they account for 10 per cent of apartment households.

The third-largest tribe accounts for 8 per cent of households in Sydney's apartments. This group of "battlers" and migrant families is characterised by households on low to moderate incomes, many from south and central Asia, north Africa and the Middle East.

Several years ago, Al Turnbull and Maggie Korenblium, both 31, had difficulty finding an apartment in the private rental market that would suit their growing family.

"Once you add in Sydney rent and Sydney childcare costs, you can take away what looks like middle-class earnings," Mr Turnbull said. "It can take you to the wall."

Maggie Korenblium. Al Turnbull and their young children Esme and Hamish outside their Pyrmont apartment building.Credit:Wolter Peeters

The couple had been living in a one-bedroom apartment in Petersham in the inner west for 18 months. They had just welcomed their daughter, Esme, and started to weigh their options because their apartment was too small.

"I was preparing for two very lean years," Mr Turnbull said.

Fortunately, an application they made to an affordable housing provider was accepted and they have since been able to rent a larger two-bedroom apartment at Pyrmont.

Their rent fluctuates depending on household income. "That is the thing that is the lifesaver," he said. "I'm happy to be out of the private rental market."

Tenants Union of NSW chief executive Leo Patterson-Ross said developers typically built two-bedroom apartments because they were the most profitable, which often resulted in families having to split or crowd into units because it was the only housing on offer.

"What we are not good at in Australia is finding out what the tenants want," he said.

"We don't tend to ask people what they want from their housing, and that is the real challenge. What we don't have at the bottom of the market is genuine competition. Landlords aren't having to compete with each other. It's the tenants having to compete for housing."

Older public housing tenants comprise the fourth largest tribe at 6 per cent of households in apartments. Most are single occupants, aged over 65 and are on low incomes.

Mr Patterson-Ross said the waiting list and the profile of the people on it tended to drive government strategy on public housing. "They assume that once you are on the waiting list as a single person, that you are never going to move on or have a family," he said.

More than 51,000 are on the waiting list for social housing in NSW, including more than 5000 on a "priority" list. In some cases, people can be on it for decades, and a large increase in supply will be needed to dent wait times.

"It should be that you have a waiting time of maybe a couple of months before the right kind of housing becomes vacant. That is what a healthy public housing system would look like," Mr Patterson-Ross said.

Finally, established owners and downsizers mostly those over 65 make up the smallest tribe in Sydney's apartments. They comprise just 3 per cent of households in apartments.

Peter and Lindy Blackhall downsized to an apartment from a four-bedroom house.Credit:Janie Barrett

Neutral Bay apartment owners Peter Blackhall, 72, and wife Lindy, 70, are happy down-sizers. They moved out of a four-bedroom home, which included a swimming pool, garage and lawns, about eight years ago, largely due to the large number of hours they had to spend maintaining it.

"It was just too much work," Mr Blackhall said. "We had all this room four bedrooms, two bathrooms. We weren't really utilising the facilities."

The retirees now enjoy breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline from their two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in a 50-year-old building on the lower north shore. "They will be carrying my wife and I out of this building in a box," Mr Blackhall said.

While downsizing is often talked about as a phenomenon, Professor Randolph said the number of older people who sold their houses to move into to apartments was small, and tended to be an "upmarket group" who shifted into buildings near Sydney Harbour.

Over the past decade, construction of apartment towers has transformed Sydney's skyline, especially in areas such as Rhodes, Wentworth Point, Meadowbank, Green Square and Mascot.

As the apartment market matures, Professor Randolph expects a shift away from large towers to smaller blocks. "In a sense, the apartment market might be set for a reset over the next five years, perhaps with less of a focus on the investor," he said.

"The anecdotal evidence is that developers are looking to build much more to sell to first-home buyers because the investor market has been on the nose."

The evacuation of the Opal Tower, in the foreground, two years ago due to cracking led to a shake-up of building regulations.Credit:Janie Barrett

NSW's residential construction crisis, sparked by the Opal and Mascot towers debacles, has been a blow to the apartment market. Yet two years after residents were evacuated from the Opal Tower at Olympic Park, the hope is that tighter regulations in the wake of the crisis will prevent the construction of defect-riddled apartment buildings and renew buyer confidence.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also set to reshape Sydney's apartments.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes believes the coronavirus will leave an indelible imprint on the design of apartment buildings because there will be a greater demand for living space.

"The nature of common property I think will change," he said. "Fewer touch points in common areas to ensure less capacity for transmission of communicable disease."

He agrees that there will be a greater demand for more compact, lower rise apartment buildings, "rather than soaring towers that reach for the heavens".

A greater mix of housing types is expected in Sydney over the coming years.Credit:Janie Barrett

"Over the past 10 to 20 years, there has been a very binary choice. They have been detached homes in the suburbs or massive towers. There is now more demand for products in between," he said.

While the pandemic has resulted in Sydney's population flat-lining, SGS Economics expects it to return to historical trend by 2028. It means the city's population will expand by more than 100,000 a year, and Mr Stokes is adamant that Sydney cannot afford to put the brakes on home building now, given longer-term population forecasts.

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He is eager to encourage the fledgling build-to-rent market residential buildings in which developers own all of the apartments and lease them out in business zones of the city, saying it will create more vibrant neighbourhoods in otherwise sterile commercial districts.

"The developers have the incentive to build really good-quality stuff because they are going to own it. They're going to do a proper job because they're going to be liable for defects," he said. "On so many levels, it's a win-win."

He believed build-to-rent was a tool that would help young people get a leg into the property market because it gave security of tenure for 10 to 15 years, which the general residential market tended to lack. "That gives them 10 to 15 years where they can save up a deposit, and also use negative gearing against the baby boomers," he said.

"Younger people are competing against the baby boomers to buy the homes. Here, the younger people have the opportunity to use negative gearing to buy the house they ultimately want to live in. It levels the playing field a bit. And remember, rising property values have created a massive transfer of wealth to people over the age of 55 or 60."

Our Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Heralds newsletter here, The Ages here, Brisbane Times here, and WAtodays here.

Matt O'Sullivan is City Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald.

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The Sydney apartment tribes reshaping the harbour city - Sydney Morning Herald

By The Herald Editorial Board

It can seem judging by the building activity we see around us as if Everett and much of the rest of Snohomish County is seeing a building boom.

But bigger booms in jobs and in population have overtaken housing construction.

While construction of housing has increased about 24 percent in Everett in the 20 years between 1999 and 2018, its population growth has outpaced construction, rising 28 percent. Recent declines in housing construction have cut in to the gains seen in boom years in 2001 and 2006.

Even with a surge of 747 units of housing built in 2016, the city still averaged only 231 units a year between 2011 and 2018, compared to an average of 650 units a year in the first 10 years of the period, according to a City of Everett housing profile completed in 2019.

At the same time, median home prices have soared, pricing out middle-income homeowners and renters. A median-priced single-family home cost $194,750 in 2011; by 2018, the same home fetched about $390,000, more than doubling in price, and putting home ownership here out of the reach of many with middle-income employment.

That shortage of housing available for rent or ownership for middle-income families in Everett has prompted a multi-year effort by the City of Everett, called Rethink Housing, seeking strategies to secure the housing needs of current and future residents in a city that is expected to need 23,000 new housing units in less than 15 years.

As part of the effort, which includes a series of forums and chats this year, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin invited Chris Gregoire to speak at an online Facebook forum last month. Gregoire, the former two-term governor, is chief executive of Challenge Seattle, a policy organization that, among other issues, is working to resolve the Greater Seattle regions own housing challenges.

Gregoire noted that Everett and Snohomish County share with Seattle and King County many of the same pressures on housing affordablility and lagging stock of housing, particularly for middle-income families.

In Everett, since 1990, while the median income level has increased 92 percent, median housing prices have increased by 173 percent and median rental costs have increased 162 percent, forcing middle-income employees out of the communities in which they work and into longer commutes.

Typically, the types of workers earning middle-income wages what has often been called family-wage jobs include health care workers, firefighters, police officers and other front-line workers, building trades workers and educators, the heart and soul of our communities, Gregoire said.

As a result of the exodus of those families, she said, public education suffers, community safety is compromised, traffic congestion worsens, homelessness increases, socioeconomic diversity declines and the regions economic growth slows.

Using the impact to public education as an example, Gregoire said, for teachers to be forced out of the community by the unaffordable cost of housing, it means fewer teachers can stay after school to help students, advise clubs or coach sports. And the loss of middle-income families can eventually result in a decline in school enrollment.

San Jose, Calif., provides a case study. Because of this lack of affordability, so many (teachers) have left that area, they had to close down three elementary schools, with more to come. If we stay on this course, theres no reason to assume that the same outcome wont happen to us, she said.

The same constraints are forcing longer commutes on firefighters, police officers, hospital staff, utility workers and others whose jobs often depend on their quick availability during a crisis.

What is happening is obvious: Were lacking affordability and compromising our quality of life because were on long commutes, were diminishing our air quality and were creating financial insecurity, Gregoire said.

Builders have good financial incentives to build for higher-income homeowners; while government and nonprofit agencies are working to get lower-income housing built. For King County, the governor said, higher-end housing comprises about 57 percent of what was recently built, with 30 percent of construction intended for lower-income residents. Housing for middle-income families made up only 12 percent of the market.

Information from the U.S. Census Bureau and Zillow estimates that the median income necessary to cover the rent for a new apartment is currently $2,800 a month in the Puget Sound region, but most middle-income households can afford only between $1,300 to $2,700 a month, if families stick to the recommendation of spending no more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

Closing that gap, Gregoire said, will require lowering the costs for property, financing and construction. Addressing a range of public-private initiatives increasing density through changes to zoning, encouraging transit-oriented development, providing below-market loans, extending housing tax incentives, streamlining permitting, reducing parking requirements along transit corridors and supporting construction and technology innovations all can add up to reduce rent or mortgage payments enough to make an apartment or home affordable to a teacher, nurse or police officer.

But it will require doing things differently than we have done and accepting change.

That resistance to change is nothing new when we consider current conceptions of neighborhoods and homes.

Most recently, Housing Hope proposed the construction of 44 units of housing a mix of single-family homes and apartments on three acres of land near Sequoia High School, intended primarily for homeless students at the alternative high school.

The project, designed with the consultation of neighbors, was of relatively low density and offered quality construction that would have fit in architecturally with the neighborhood and importantly would have filled a dire need to address a large population of homeless students in Everett. Yet the project was opposed by some, and its consideration was delayed and ultimately rejected by the Everett City Council.

The project was intended to fill a need for low-income families, but its not difficult to see similar objections raised again if apartments or other housing are proposed that strays from neighborhood norms.

We have to embrace change, Gregoire said. If we fail, the outcome is not a community we want to live in.

Making a success of rethinking housing in Everett and avoiding the potential for the citys decline by pricing out those vital to its community should begin with discussions of what residents want to see, what they are willing to accept and how to make change work.

Rethink Housing forums

The City of Everetts Rethink Housing sessions continue through the coming months. Among scheduled events online:

A virtual chat session is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, inviting members of the public to share thoughts and ideas about the citys housing policies. A second chat session is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28

Nan Roman, chief executive of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, will speak in an online forum at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14.

A full listing of events is available at EverettWa.gov.

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Editorial: Changes needed to build more middle-income housing - The Daily Herald

The Guardian

* Senators decline to defend electoral college ploy on TV * Democrats and GOP leaders to block gambit aimed at party base * Trump pressed Georgia Republican to overturn Biden victoryAll 12 Republican senators who have pledged not to ratify the electoral college results on Wednesday, and thereby refuse to confirm Joe Bidens resounding victory over Donald Trump in the presidential election, declined to defend their move on television, a CNN host said on Sunday.It all recalls what Ulysses S Grant once wrote in 1861, Jake Tapper said on State of the Union, before quoting a letter the union general wrote at the outset of a civil war he won before becoming president himself: There are [but] two parties now: traitors and patriots.How would you describe the parties today? Tapper asked.The attempt to overturn Trumps defeat seems doomed, a piece of political theatre mounted by party grandees eager to court supporters loyal to the president before, in some cases, mounting their own runs for the White House.Nonetheless on Saturday Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin led 11 senators and senators-elect in calling for an emergency 10-day audit of results in states where the president claims electoral fraud, despite failing to provide evidence and repeatedly losing in court.The senators followed Josh Hawley of Missouri like Cruz thought likely to run for president in 2024 in pledging to object to the electoral college result. A majority of House Republicans are also expected to object, after staging a Saturday call with Trump to plan their own moves.Democrats control the House and senior Senate Republicans are opposed to the attempt to disenfranchise millions many of them African Americans in swing states seemingly guaranteeing the attempt will fail. Nonetheless, Vice-President Mike Pence, who will preside over the ratification, welcomed the move by Cruz and others.A spokesman for Biden, Michael Gwin, said: This stunt wont change the fact that President-elect Biden will be sworn in on 20 January, and these baseless claims have already been examined and dismissed by Trumps own attorney general, dozens of courts, and election officials from both parties.Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee now a senator from Utah, said: The egregious ploy to reject electors may enhance the political ambition of some, but dangerously threatens our democratic republic.More Americans participated in this election than ever before, and they made their choice. President Trumps lawyers made their case before scores of courts; in every instance, they failed.Adding to this ill-conceived endeavour by some in Congress is the presidents call for his supporters to come to the Capitol on the day when this matter is to be debated and decided. This has the predictable potential to lead to disruption, and worse.Encouraged by Trump, far-right groups including the Proud Boys are expected to gather in Washington on Wednesday.On Sunday Romney and fellow Republicans Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Bill Cassidy (Louisiana) was part of a bipartisan group of 10 senators who rejected attempts to overturn the election. On Saturday Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, a battleground state, also registered his opposition.Hawley responded by decrying shameless personal attacks.Georgia, where Trump refuses to accept defeat, goes to the polls in vital Senate runoffs on Tuesday. Stacey Abrams, a former gubernatorial candidate there, told ABCs This Week: Its always dangerous to undermine the integrity of elections without evidence.The Democrat lost her 2018 race to Brian Kemp, a Republican who ran his own election as secretary of state. Abrams refused to concede. Asked about Republican claims Trumps objection is no different, she said: Well, its not simply different circumstances. Its apples and bowling balls.I pointed out that there were a series of actions taken that impeded the ability of voters to cast their ballots. And in almost every one of those circumstances the courts agreed, as did the state legislature.By contrast, she said, President Trump has lost every single one of his challenges in the state of Georgia and he has no evidence.The Washington Post reported that it had obtained a tape of an extraordinary hour-long call on Saturday, in which Trump pressed Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to overturn Bidens victory.The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry, Trump said. And theres nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that youve recalculated.Raffensperger said: Well, Mr President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.Trump said: So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.Trump acknowledged the call, tweeting that Raffensperger was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ballots under table scam, ballot destruction, out of state voters, dead voters, and more. He has no clue!Last week, Ben Sasse of Nebraska issued a stinging rebuke of Hawley, saying: Adults dont point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.We have a deep cancer in American politics, Sasse added. Both Republicans and Democrats are growing more distrustful of the basic processes and procedures.The senators who followed Hawley made the same point, pointing to polling. On Sunday, Johnson said they were acting to protect democracy.Such arguments are in bad faith blame for public distrust weighs heaviest by far on the White House and its allies. To Johnsons insistence that tens of millions believe the election was stolen, NBC Meet the Press host Chuck Todd suggested he look in the mirror if he wanted to work out why.Todd then cut Johnson short, saying: You dont get to make these allegations that havent been proven true.On CNN, Tapper played remarks by Hawley from January, during Trumps impeachment.The consequences to the republic of overturning an election because you dont like the result, Hawley said, and because you believe that that election was somehow corrupted, when in fact, the evidence shows that it was not thats an interesting approach. I think its crazy, frankly.

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1 dead in 4-alarm Yonkers apartment building fire - Yahoo News

The investigation continues into what caused a massive blaze at the Waldo Heights apartments Monday in Kansas City.Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from across the country are headed to Kansas City to help determine what caused the fire and whether the circumstances are suspicious."There was some absolutely heroic firefighting by the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department last night," said John Ham, spokesman for the Kansas City ATF.As daylight broke, work began to figure out what caused the fire"We start with everything on the table as a possible cause," Ham said.Ham said the Kansas City ATF is working with the fire department and the police department's bomb and arson squad. The ATF's national response team has also been called in."That team is made up of fire investigators with collectively hundreds and hundreds of years of experience," Ham said. "We have forensic chemists, forensic engineers, electrical engineers."He said they're being tapped because of the size and complexity of the fire."Just because we're bringing in the national response team doesn't mean that we believe it to be a set fire, but that's certainly one of the things that are on the table," Ham said.Patrick Williamson lives in another building at the complex."We were seeing embers flying over our heads, hitting the building behind us," Williamson said.He said he also noticed a challenge for emergency crews."There were firemen, firefighters running all around just searching for fire hydrants," Williamson said.The fire department said it's typical for older construction to have fewer hydrants and that they had to use around 1500 feet of hose line to get water on the flames.Police say there was a disturbance call Monday night before the fire started. Right now, they cannot say whether they believe it's related to the fire. The ATF's national response team is expected to be on site Wednesday morning.The Red Cross is helping 30 families that lived inside the apartments. Officials said 33 people are sleeping at 16 different hotel rooms."There's so much stress going on when you have a life event like this, so we try to offer as much empathy as we can and try to get immediate assistance as quickly as we can," said Scott Riggs, of the American Red Cross.Waldo Heights required families to have renter's insurance, which should help with housing and replaced damaged items.Charities like Salvation Army are stepping up to fill in the gaps both short and long term."Nobody knows when an entire apartment building in Kansas City is going to go up in flames. But when it does, the donations we receive mean that we can be there to help folks not just with the necessities they need today but with longer term re-housing tomorrow," said Doug Donahoo, of the Salvation Army.

The investigation continues into what caused a massive blaze at the Waldo Heights apartments Monday in Kansas City.

Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from across the country are headed to Kansas City to help determine what caused the fire and whether the circumstances are suspicious.

"There was some absolutely heroic firefighting by the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department last night," said John Ham, spokesman for the Kansas City ATF.

As daylight broke, work began to figure out what caused the fire

"We start with everything on the table as a possible cause," Ham said.

Ham said the Kansas City ATF is working with the fire department and the police department's bomb and arson squad. The ATF's national response team has also been called in.

"That team is made up of fire investigators with collectively hundreds and hundreds of years of experience," Ham said. "We have forensic chemists, forensic engineers, electrical engineers."

He said they're being tapped because of the size and complexity of the fire.

"Just because we're bringing in the national response team doesn't mean that we believe it to be a set fire, but that's certainly one of the things that are on the table," Ham said.

Patrick Williamson lives in another building at the complex.

"We were seeing embers flying over our heads, hitting the building behind us," Williamson said.

He said he also noticed a challenge for emergency crews.

"There were firemen, firefighters running all around just searching for fire hydrants," Williamson said.

The fire department said it's typical for older construction to have fewer hydrants and that they had to use around 1500 feet of hose line to get water on the flames.

Police say there was a disturbance call Monday night before the fire started. Right now, they cannot say whether they believe it's related to the fire. The ATF's national response team is expected to be on site Wednesday morning.

The Red Cross is helping 30 families that lived inside the apartments. Officials said 33 people are sleeping at 16 different hotel rooms.

"There's so much stress going on when you have a life event like this, so we try to offer as much empathy as we can and try to get immediate assistance as quickly as we can," said Scott Riggs, of the American Red Cross.

Waldo Heights required families to have renter's insurance, which should help with housing and replaced damaged items.

Charities like Salvation Army are stepping up to fill in the gaps both short and long term.

"Nobody knows when an entire apartment building in Kansas City is going to go up in flames. But when it does, the donations we receive mean that we can be there to help folks not just with the necessities they need today but with longer term re-housing tomorrow," said Doug Donahoo, of the Salvation Army.

Read more:
ATF helping to investigate massive fire at Waldo Heights apartments - KMBC Kansas City

In 2020, Minneapolis rolled out major changes to building standards to guide the city's growth under its 2040 Comprehensive Plan. But one year after its final adoption by the City Council, that controversial plan hasn't led to many visible changes in the cityscape.

That doesn't surprise city planners, who expected developers would take some time to analyze the new regulations before changing their business plans. Last year's upheavals also played a role, they said.

"I think 2020 has had so many things going on with civil unrest and the pandemic," said Jason Wittenberg, manager of code development for the city of Minneapolis. "I think people are still wrapping their minds around what that is going to mean for people's preferences related to what kinds of environments they want to live in."

While the plan's biggest champion City Council President Lisa Bender is set to leave office in early 2022, she expects that will have little impact on the plan's rollout. "This has always been a team effort," she said in a recent public meeting.

Much of the day-to-day work is being led by a steering committee that includes city staff as well as Council Members Jeremy Schroeder, Kevin Reich and Cam Gordon.

The 2040 plan aims to create a more densely populated, transit-friendly Minneapolis by loosening restrictions on multiunit buildings across the city, among other changes. The city is pushing forward with implementing the plan even as it awaits a decision from the Minnesota Supreme Court, which heard arguments late last year on an environmental challenge.

Jack Perry, an attorney representing the groups that have sued the city, said they hope they will get to fully argue their case, which was dismissed by lower courts, and ultimately seek to block the plan and new ordinances from being enforced.

"We're confident that if we have a hearing on the merits, the city's plan will be ruled invalid," Perry said.

In a statement, city spokeswoman Sarah McKenzie said the city "remains confident that there is no legal basis to block full implementation of Minneapolis 2040."

"The Comprehensive Plan will manage the city's growth with a focus on undoing significant racial disparities created by a history of policies that have prevented equitable access to housing, jobs and investments," she said.

Here's what's happening with the 2040 plan:

2020 ushered in one of the most contentious elements: the end of single-family zoning.

City staff are still compiling statistics on the number of permits for new duplex and triplex construction in Minneapolis but don't expect to see a dramatic increase just yet.

"I think those have been fairly slow to ramp up," Wittenberg said.

Council members have asked city staff to continue monitoring the statistics and provide an update in March 2022 so they can figure out if they need to make adjustments.

After tiny homes gained popularity on home design shows, some in the city began eyeing them as a way they might provide shelter for homeless people.

New ordinance changes took effect early in 2020 that allow for "intentional community cluster" developments. Those projects allow people to live in clusters of tiny houses with shared common areas.

Wittenberg said, "We haven't seen one of those come across the permit counter yet," but they still expect that some of those projects are on the horizon.

In the interim, the city signed off on a similar project called an "indoor village," where tiny shelters are placed inside a warehouse. Local officials hope that will allow them to provide housing while also giving people a way to keep some distance from others amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Late last year, city leaders signed off on a 10-year Transportation Action Plan that's intended to change how people get around in Minneapolis.

It offers new guidelines to increase the speed and reliability of public transit, connect bikeways across the region and make the city safer for walking. The overarching goal, city leaders said, is to ensure that more people have access to affordable transportation and reduce carbon emissions.

"Our streets make up nearly a quarter of all land in Minneapolis and present an incredible opportunity to make good on commitments to race equity and climate change," Bender said in a statement after city leaders approved the plan.

Early in the new year, the city also expects to look at what parking and transportation requirements will be in place for new development. Those requirements could include developers subsidizing transit passes for residents or providing more parking for electric vehicles and bicycles.

Some developers threatened to stop doing business in Minneapolis when the city required them to include affordable housing units in new, large apartment buildings.

City staff hope to have data in the coming weeks that will show how many new affordable housing units were constructed in 2020, but Wittenberg said they "expect that those numbers are going to look fairly similar to the previous year."

In their last meeting of the year, City Council members approved new guidelines that outline how buildings should be designed in various parts of the city.

The "built form" policies regulate such things as the height of buildings and where they should be situated on lots.

"The point that we've been making is that, in many cases, we will be allowing more development and our regulations, in some cases, will be more permissive," Wittenberg said. But, he added, "we're going to apply those rules more rigidly than we have in the past to create those predictable outcomes."

Wittenberg said city staff are working on handouts that will help residents understand how the new rules apply to them.

Liz Navratil 612-673-4994

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With little effect on ground, work on Minneapolis 2040 plan continues behind the scenes - Minneapolis Star Tribune