Republicans Blast ‘Livable Communities’ Bill As Washington-Based Central Planning

Editor’s Note – Is there anyone who really believes that Washington, D.C. is truly concerned about our national debt?

Does this give you any confidence that our elected officials understand that our financial challenges have been brought on by the onslaught of social engineering and environmental friendly legislation over the past 20 years?

The Senate is proposing $5 Billion to prod local communities toward high-density, public transit-oriented neighborhoods that concentrate large numbers of people into small geographic areas connected by train and bus networks. 

Does not sound like fiscal responsibility in the face of record budget deficits and a crushing debt.

 

Republicans Blast ‘Livable Communities’ Bill As Washington-Based Central Planning for Cities and Towns

By Matt Cover
CNSNews.com

The Senate Banking Committee passed the Livable Communities Act on Tuesday, moving the bill one step closer to final passage. The bill creates $4 billion in neighborhood planning grants for “sustainable” living projects and a new federal office to oversee them.
 
Similar legislation in the House has been criticized by Republicans on the House Budget Committee, who charge that “the program’s aim is to impose a Washington-based, central planning model on localities across the country.” 
 
In the Senate version, written by outgoing Chairman Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the Livable Communities Act would designate $4 billion to aid local governments in planning high-density, walkable neighborhoods.
 
Premised on helping local governments to combat suburban sprawl and traffic congestion, the bill sets up two separate grant programs. One, known as Comprehensive Planning Grants, would go to cities and counties to assist them in carrying out such plans as the following:
 
— “coordinate land use, housing, transportation, and infrastructure planning processes across jurisdictions and agencies” and
— “ conduct or update housing, infrastructure, transportation, energy, and environmental assessments to determine regional needs and promote sustainable development; [and] 
— “… implement local zoning and other code changes necessary to implement a comprehensive regional plan and promote sustainable development.” 
 
The second grant type – Sustainability Challenge Grants – funds local efforts to:

— “promote integrated transportation, housing, energy, and economic development activities carried out across policy and governmental jurisdictions;
— promote sustainable and location-efficient development; and
— implement projects identified in a comprehensive regional plan.”
 
To administer and regulate these new grants, the bill creates the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC) within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
 
The legislation is designed to prod local communities toward high-density, public transit-oriented neighborhoods that concentrate large numbers of people into small geographic areas connected by train and bus networks.

Read More – http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=70475

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Tom Tillison

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles