Federal updates
- Build Back Better is on the back burner in the Senate as the chamber moves on to other issues that will occupy it’s time over the next several months. Although Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats are still seeking ways to gain Senator Manchin’s buy-in, some have acknowledged the possibility that even a smaller package might not move forward.
- Appropriations committee chairs announced that they reached agreement on a framework for the fiscal year 2022 budget. Now that there is agreement on the topline numbers, appropriators will be able to negotiate details of the spending package.
Meanwhile, the House passed a new stopgap measure to keep the government funded through March 11, which would buy time for ongoing budget discussions. The stopgap bill was sent to the Senate, where it has yet to pass. The current continuing resolution is set to expire on February 18, so the extension is needed this week to avoid a potential government shutdown.
State updates
- New North Carolina district maps are due this Friday after the state’s supreme court ordered them to be redrawn earlier this month. A panel of three Wake County Superior Court judges will decide by February 23 whether the new maps comply. The panel can also decide to go with plans submitted by voting rights groups. In the meantime, an independent redistricting expert known as a special master will be appointed to assist in the process.
- Buncombe County’s Affordable Housing Committee is proposing a plan to build ~3,000 affordable housing units by 2030: Buncombe County wants to build 3,000 units, invest $62 million, use tax credits | Citizen Times
- Wake County’s Board of Commissioners approved $4.7 million in American Rescue Plan funds for affordable housing. Grants were awarded to Families Together, Green Chair, Healing Transitions, InterAct, Oak City Center, Passage Home, South Wilmington Street Center, and Urban Ministries through the county’s Bridge to Home Program: $4.7 million in Wake County affordable housing funds approved, input sought on future plans | CBS17
- Concord City Council approved rezoning for the property of a future 13-unit townhome community. The townhomes will be affordable to households earning 60% to 80% of the area median income (AMI): Look out for another small block of affordable housing in Concord | Independent Tribune
- The City of Greensboro is requesting proposals from housing developers who have submitted a preliminary application to the NC Housing Finance Agency for 2022 LIHTC projects. Proposals are due March 15: City Requests Proposals for Affordable Housing Development | City of Greensboro
Reports/articles/events
- More cities seek to redress widespread 20th-century destruction of Black neighborhoods | Washington Post
- Oped: The Rent Crisis Summed Up in One Chart | NY Times
- Fannie Mae pays $53M to settle recession-era discrimination suit | Housing Wire
- It’s Time to Put Cities at the Top of America’s Economic Agenda | CityLab
- It’s not just home prices. Rents rise sharply across the U.S. | NPR
- Triangle housing market: Demand at ‘all-time high’ but affordability at ‘all-time low’ | WRAL TechWire
- Multimillion dollar investment by Cape Fear Collective aims to preserve existing affordable housing units | WECT News 6
- ‘Hayti Reborn’ members protest Durham Housing Authority’s plan for Fayette Place | Raleigh N&O
