The comprehensive tax package passed by the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives includes a renewal and extension of the Opportunity Zone tax incentive (OZs). Don’t miss your opportunity to tell Congress to prioritize transparency and affordability in an extension of the OZ program! What are Opportunity Zones? The Opportunity Zones tax incentive is a tool … Continued
The National Brownfields Coalition and the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) hosted a webinar last week on understanding federal brownfields policy, advocacy, and funding in 2025. Attendees heard from Kennedy O’Dell, Senior Manager of Advocacy at Smart Growth America, and Jean Hamerman, Executive Director of CCLR, who explained the history of the brownfields program … Continued
The Center for Zoning Solutions’ hosted a webinar on how zoning regulations can impact a community’s climate efforts. Attendees heard from Jeff Roberts, the Director of Zoning and Development on the City of Cambridge’s Climate Resilient zoning measures, Bridge Rauch, a Community Organizer from Clean Air Coalition of Western New York on their coalition’s work … Continued
Major tax legislation is an opportunity for Congress to incentivize and unleash investment in housing and development through the tax code—are they taking the action the country so critically needs? The Republican-controlled Congress passed a sweeping budget resolution in April that allowed them to begin drafting the changes to the tax code that will shape … Continued
Congress invited testimony from former National Brownfields Coalition Steering Committee member Michael Goldstein, giving the Coalition another opportunity to champion the federal brownfields program and highlight potential improvements. On Wednesday, May 7th, the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment Subcommittee held a hearing focused on brownfields. Michael Goldstein, Managing … Continued
On Thursday, May 8th, Smart Growth America, LOCUS, and a coalition of 12 other impact-focused stakeholders in the federal housing and community development policy space sent a letter to Congress detailing suggestions on how the Opportunity Zone (OZ) incentive could be sharpened for impact if extended in upcoming tax legislation. The letter emphasized that the … Continued
Through a partnership with AARP Vermont and as part of AARP’s Livable Communities Technical Assistance Program, SGA evaluated the proposed Community Housing Infrastructure (CHIP) program for its potential impact on housing development. The CHIP program offers a new approach to fund infrastructure for housing at the project scale —a common and challenging funding gap to … Continued
Last Friday, May 2nd, President Trump released his “skinny budget,” a document that sets out his vision for the federal government by providing a rough outline of the more detailed budget request he will release later this year. While the president has attacked core federal programs before, this limited budget request proposed a deep and … Continued
Washington, DC (May 2)—Today, Smart Growth America responded to President Donald Trump’s discretionary budget request for FY 2026, which proposes deep cuts to programs including Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships Programs, and housing assistance programs—slashing vital housing and community development programs that serve millions of Americans. “President Trump’s budget proposal is … Continued
Join Smart Growth America, the National Brownfields Coalition, and the Center for Creative Land Recycling for a webinar on Tuesday, May 20th at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the current political environment for brownfields and how you can take action. It’s a time of change and disruption in Washington and in the midst of it … Continued