Update: The Livable Communities Act passed out of committee and heads to the Senate floor.
As communities and regions across the country craft proposals to apply for Sustainable Communities Initiative funding, the Senate Banking committee is preparing to mark-up the Livable Communities Act, legislation that would greatly expand on work begun by the Sustainable Communities Partnership of the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, and Environmental Protection Agency.
The Livable Communities Act would foster equitable and sustainable development by providing resources to communities and regions to coordinate land use, housing, transportation, and infrastructure planning. It would also create challenge grants that communities and regions can use to implement these long-term plans through investments in public transportation, affordable housing, complete streets, transit-oriented development, and brownfield redevelopment. The bill proposes $4 billion over four years (a significant increase over the current year’s budget of $150 million for the Sustainable Communities Initiative).
MPC, the National Housing Conference, and partners around the country have proposed including language in the bill that would encourage employer-assisted housing (EAH) programs, leverage public-private partnerships that support workforce housing, and engage employers as advocates for livable communities.
Please contact your legislators and urge them to support the Livable Communities Act and include incentives for employer engagement and EAH programs in the legislation.
More information about the Livable Communities Act: