Free Republic

My dear fellow Americans, recently APC published my article concerning the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) on a local level. Thank you for all the feedback I’ve received. This article will give you a first person account of what happened as a result of practicing citizen activism. Read, share and let’s band together! LMT A Local’s Experience: As many of you may know, I make it a point to speak up in my local government as much as I can. Currently, the town of Mooresville, NC is conducting a series of town meetings to invite citizens to weigh in on the...

Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is proposing changes to the zoning law to make it easier for casinos to locate in New York City. The current zoning law makes no mention of casinos, leaving a state-approved gaming facility in the five boroughs vulnerable to litigation — putting the city at a disadvantage with casinos eyeing sites in the surrounding suburbs, city officials said. Nassau County already approved a lease for Sands to operate a casino at the Nassau Coliseum site, though it is currently tied up in litigation.

In 2001, Fargo, North Dakota, used the vehicle of zoning ordinances to prevent people from selling guns and/or ammunition from their homes. The ordinance was mostly ignored until some residents renewed their Federal Firearms Licence (FFL) in 2020. Fargo considered changing the ordinance but did not do so. In 2021, North Dakota strengthened its preemption statute to this language: 1. A political subdivision, including home rule cities or counties, may not enact a zoning ordinance or any other ordinance relating to the purchase, sale, ownership, possession,transfer of ownership, registration, or licensure of firearms and ammunition which is more restrictive than...

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wants to steamroll local zoning and land-use rules in favor of his own vision for planning and development across the entire state? Not so fast, say Colorado’s cities. Their opposition first popped up when their chief lobbyist at the Capitol, Kevin Bommer of the Colorado Municipal League, labeled Polis’ plan a “breathtaking power grab.” That was upon its unveiling a few weeks ago as Senate Bill 23-213. It was just the start of the push-back. As reported by Colorado Politics, the CEO of Colorado’s No. 2 city, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, turned up at the...

That's the implied slogan of 'affordable housing,' now set to wipe out the American Dream in New York. The indomitable Betsy McCaughey has called out the latest ugly manifestation of "diversity, inclusion, and equity" the drive to destroy the suburbs. The Biden administration and Democrat-controlled legislatures in several states have taken the lead in this effort. In New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul, as part of the state budget, has advanced a so-called Housing Compact that would eliminate local control and single family zoning. Hochul's plan would require that high-rise "affordable" (read: low-income, taxpayer-subsidized) housing be constructed close to each...

OLYMPIA — A bill that would strip single-family zoning regulations from neighborhoods across the state to allow duplexes or fourplexes to be built passed the Washington state House of Representatives late Monday. The measure, which passed 75-21 with bipartisan support, is aimed at alleviating the housing shortage by encouraging builders to put more people into existing city neighborhoods rather than encouraging urban sprawl. The bill requires cities between 25,000 and 75,000 people to allow two units per lot anywhere and four units on lots within one half-mile of a bus stop . Cities with more than 75,000 people or with...

New Yorkers living in the suburbs outside of New York City say Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) zoning plan to override local laws would effectively demolish their communities, forcing them to accept hundreds of thousands of new housing units. After failing to impose the plan last year, Hochul is once again attempting to strip the state’s suburban communities of their zoning autonomy with a plan that would force suburbs to build a percentage of new housing and if they do not comply, the state will take control of their local land use laws.

On November 2, 2018, Oakland tactical filed a lawsuit against Howell Township, Michigan, for using zoning to prevent the ability to construct commercial ranges in the Township, particularly a thousand-yard range on property which was a former quarry. Oakland Tactical has an option to purchase the property to construct such a range. On July 11, 2019, an amended complaint was filed by Oakland Tactical. From the complaint by Oakland Tactical:3.Howell Township has prohibited the siting, construction, and operation of shooting ranges in the town through its zoning regulations by failing to provide or allow any designated areas within the town...

Mayor London Breed vetoed legislation that would have eliminated single-family zoning in San Francisco to allow fourplexes everywhere and six-unit homes on all corner lots.In her veto letter Thursday, Breed wrote that it was with “great disappointment” that she rejected the law, but argued that new requirements and financial barriers added by supervisors “will make it even less likely for new housing to be built under the ordinance’s provisions” than under current state law. “While I support the original intent of the ordinance to add new desperately needed housing options for San Franciscans struggling with the high cost of housing,...

In a significant win for supporters of Second Amendment rights, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania granted a preliminary injunction order to William Drummond and the Second Amendment Foundation, Inc. on October 13, 2021. Drummond had sought to open a sportsman’s club at an existing range that had operated as the Greater Pittsburgh Gun Club since the middle 1960s. It consists of 265 acres in Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.In December of 2017, Drummond entered into a lease to operate the club. On February 19, 2018, the Robinson Township Board of Supervisors commenced proceedings to...

The Democrats’ amnesty bill quietly invites three million chain-migration arrivals into the U.S. workforce, likely forcing Americans to pay higher rents. The chain-migration arrivals will go to where [their migrant relatives] are concentrated, and many are already living in a high-cost-of-living area — Prince William County, and Prince George’s County in Maryland, for example. “There clearly will be a very large demand for housing, and particularly for low-income housing which we already have a massive shortage of,” said Rosemary Jenks, the director of government relations at NumbersUSA. “So yeah, this is going to exacerbate every social problem that we have.”...

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three housing-related bills into law Thursday that are likely to make multi-family housing projects easier to build and could open up many single-family zones to development. Senate Bill 8 extends until 2030 the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, which “accelerates the approval process for housing projects, curtails local governments’ ability to downzone and limits fee increases on housing applications,” Senate Bill 9 “facilitates the process for homeowners to build a duplex or split their current residential lot,” In practice, the bill will “require cities to approve up to four housing units on what was a single-family...

WASHINGTON — White House officials are outlining plans to build and restore more than 2 million homes, a response to the volcanic rise in housing prices over the past year. First, it intends to deliver 100,000 affordable housing units over three years through a series of administrative changes. It will increase mortgage availability through Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae for manufactured houses and buildings with two to four units. The government also intends to make it easier for would-be owners and nonprofits to buy homes that failed to sell in foreclosure auctions, as well as expand outreach to local governments...

A bill aimed at converting commercial properties into residential ones was quietly signed into law late last week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The measures is meant to increase housing options through a targeted effort. Distressed hotels, shopping centers, and other commercial buildings could all be converted into much needed housing. Throughout the state there is a lack of affordable, and even median income housing. It’s part of the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act.

On 28 May, 2021, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania reversed a decision that held that Stroud Township had the power, through zoning ordinances, to prevent people from discharging firearms on their own property. The Court reversed a summary judgment by the Court of Common Pleas of Monroe County dated 26 May 2020. The plaintiff, Jonathan Barris, appealed the decision on the grounds that Township Ordinance No. 9-2011 was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.Barris had first asked for a zoning permit on 27 December 2012.The Ordinance has been enacted on 6 December 2011. Barris had operated a private range on his...

Florence Fang defended her colorful, bulbous-shaped house and its elaborate homage to “The Flintstones” family, featuring Stone Age sculptures inspired by the 1960s cartoon, along with aliens and other oddities. The town, however, called the towering dinosaurs and life-size sculptures “a highly visible eyesore” and sued Fang, alleging she violated local codes when she put dinosaur sculptures in the backyard and made other landscaping changes that caused local officials to declare it a public nuisance. An attorney for the town previously said residents are required to get a permit before installing such sculptures, regardless of the theme.

Democrats may use their massive “infrastructure” plan to bribe local governments to essentially abolish suburbs, by making grants contingent upon towns and counties allowing apartments in any neighborhood, including those currently limited to single-family homes. That creates two scenarios, both of which benefit Democrats seeking power: If jurisdictions want to preserve a small-town feel, they must turn down the money, meaning the massive infusion of taxpayer dollars turns into a bonanza for Democratic-dominated cities, while leaving others out. Or if centrist suburbs give in to the temptation to take the money, they would essentially be signing a contract to become...

Last week, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Sec. Marcia Fudge announced that five communities, including one in the Sunshine State, have received a combined $160 million to redevelop severely distressed housing and spur comprehensive revitalization under the federal Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. The Choice Neighborhoods initiative supports the revitalization of communities through an emphasis on linking housing improvements with comprehensive social services and physical neighborhood improvements. Local leaders, residents, and stakeholders, such as public housing authorities, cities, schools, police, business owners, nonprofits, and private developers, come together to create and implement a plan that revitalizes distressed HUD-assisted housing and addresses...

The focus of President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill is allegedly to address aging infrastructure across the country, but the massive bill covers a vast amount of other spending, including money for “diversifying” neighborhoods. This portion of Biden’s American Jobs Plan would change zoning laws to end single family home neighborhoods and allow for multiple unit “affordable” or low-income rental housing.

President Trump is attacking Democrats on a new front: suburbia. "They want to eliminate single-family zoning, bringing who knows into your suburbs," Trump said on a July campaign call. While it's unclear whether Trump's veiled appeal to racial anxieties will help his poll numbers, the focus on single-family homes has touched on a contentious debate in a growing number of communities. Around the country, cities and states are grappling with how zoning rules have deeply codified racial inequity and exacerbated climate change.