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Student Corner: The Missing Middle: An Affordable Housing Solution?

August 23, 2017

Throughout the United States, the cost of housing is rising faster than incomes. While there are many discussions taking place around this issue, an important one is how the types of housing being developed can have an impact on affordability, particularly in areas where demand is high – namely, wal … Read more

Student Corner: One Neighborhood at a Time: The Incremental Development Alliance

August 3, 2017

In the Town of Riverdale, Betty Cooper is taking a walk through her neighborhood. She notices the dilapidated structures and blight that plague the area, and thinks to herself, “someone should do something about this.” Is Betty just a disgruntled citizen…or a developer in the making? The Incremental … Read more

How Should We Measure Community and Household Economic Conditions?

July 20, 2017

One of the fundamental measures for CED officials to track is a community’s economic condition. This issue of measuring economic condition, whether for an entire community or a single household, has taken on a central role in policy discussions recently, ranging from an emphasis on income inequality … Read more

Student Corner: A Closer Look at Multifamily Construction Types

May 18, 2017

A recent blog post examined the benefits of wood-framed construction. However, in the few months that have lapsed between that article and this post, The Metropolitan, a 241-unit apartment building under development in Raleigh inexplicably caught fire and subsequently burned to the ground, causing s … Read more

Making the Case for Affordable Housing: Using BLS Statistics to ask Hard Questions About Salaries vs. Local Housing Costs

April 18, 2017

Last year, nursing assistants in Goldsboro earned $11.83 an hour (median wage) for a mean annual salary of $24,610.  Is this a sufficient wage to sustain a person who wants to live and work there? Affordable housing for different demographic groups in North Carolina communities has been discussed in … Read more

May a City Mow an Overgrown Lot without a Court Order?

April 6, 2017

The Town of Manicure has been working hard to revitalize the historic neighborhood adjacent to downtown. As part of the effort to improve conditions in this and other neighborhoods, the town has been more vigilant in enforcing its overgrown lot ordinance, which prohibits property owners from allowin … Read more

Periodic Inspections, Permits, and Registration of Residential Rental Property: Changes in 2017

March 22, 2017

Update: The statutes referenced in this post were moved to G.S. Chapter 160D in 2021. See the Chapter 160D resource page and the cross-over chart to identify new statute numbers. Local governments establish residential rental property inspection, permit, and registration (IPR) programs to ensure tha … Read more

Student Corner: What’s Old is New Again: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

February 23, 2017

The granny cottage, in-law suite, or guest apartment, among its various names, might seem like a quaint relic of the past. But proponents are touting the Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) as the new frontier of housing development in an era of rising demand for diverse housing stock. Ranging in size, b … Read more

Student Corner: Does affordable housing negatively impact nearby property values?

January 26, 2017

Despite public perceptions of affordable housing negatively impacting nearby property values, there is evidence to suggest that the impact is minimal if at all. Trulia, an online residential real estate site, recently conducted a study indicating that low-income housing tax credit (read more on LIHT … Read more

Student Corner: Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Areas

January 19, 2017

The Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA) designation was established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1995. The intent of the program is to address economic development and housing needs within economically disadvantaged communities. To achieve NRSA status … Read more