Legislation Cites Historic Preservation as Barrier to Affordable Housing
Legislation introduced in the House and Senate cites historic preservation as a barrier to affordable housing. The Yes in My Backyard Act (H.R 4351, S. 1919) aims to "discourage the use of discriminatory land use policies and remove barriers to making housing more affordable". Among the several land use policies identified in the bill is reducing the impact of historic preservation on housing production and affordability. While the Senate bill goes even further by suggesting "reducing the number of buildings protected by historic preservation."
The Yes in My Backyard Act was introduced by Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA) and Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN) in the House and referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. The bill was introduced by Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) in the Senate.
Preserving our historic resources and creating affordable housing are not competing goals and can work together. Studies have shown that neighborhoods with blocks of older, smaller buildings of mixed ages, tend to create more units of affordable housing. There is a need to address the affordable housing crisis, but historic preservation shouldn't be viewed as an obstacle, but instead as part of the solution.
National Park Service Announces $47.8 Million in Grants for the Repair of Historic Resources Damaged by Storms in 2018
Last week the National Park Service announced $47.8 million in emergency grants for the recovery and repair of historic resources damaged by Hurricanes Florence, Michael and Typhoon Yutu. Congress appropriated supplemental funding from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) to support historic preservation projects in communities most impacted by these storms. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, the Northern Mariana Islands, South Carolina and Virginia received grants ranging from $1.115 million for South Carolina to over $17 million for North Carolina, which was significantly impacted by both Hurricane Florence and Michael.
These funds were made available by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019, passed by Congress in June to assist in the recovery efforts from natural disasters. Members of Congress from the impacted states praised the announcement from the National Park Service.
"This funding will help preserve our Commonwealth's history and better prepare our treasures in the event of future natural disasters." Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said of the announcement.
National Trust for Historic Preservation Announces New Resources to Navigate Opportunity Zones
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced new resources for preservation advocates to help them better navigate Opportunity Zones. Opportunity Zones are a federal incentive included as part of the tax reform bill that passed in 2017 and are having an impact on historic preservation. The resources include GIS mapping web software that allows users to see the overlay of Opportunity Zones and National Register of Historic Places districts, Historic Tax Credit projects, and National Main Street districts.
The resources also track the latest legislation related to Opportunity Zones, and includes articles, discussions and advocacy tools as the historic preservation community works to meet the challenges posed by Opportunity Zones.
Save the Date: National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week Returns March 10-12!
Start making your plans to attend National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week 2020. Advocacy Week returns March 10-12 at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar in Washington, DC. This is our annual opportunity to have a mass impact on policy makers in Washington in support of critically important historic preservation programs and sound preservation policy.
Preservation Action and the National Conference State Historic Preservation Officers organize our industry's Advocacy Week each year, bringing over 250 preservationists to Washington, DC to promote sound federal preservation policy and programs. Together with a cohesive message in support of preservation-positive legislation we can ensure a strong future for the federal historic preservation program.
Make Your Hotel Reservations Today
Take advantage of the special $274/night rate at the
Kimpton Hotel Palomar. Make your reservations by calling 1-877-866-3070 and refer to room block "NCSHPO March 2020" or
visit the online portal. Th
e cut-off date for this rate is February 08, 2020.
Preservation Action is the only national
non-profit dedicated exclusively to lobbying for the best preservation policies at the federal level. We seek to make historic preservation a national priority by advocating to all branches of government through a grassroots constituency empowered with information and training.
Legislation introduced in the House and Senate cites historic preservation as a barrier to affordable housing. The Yes in My Backyard Act (
