Member Update
CEDAM News & Views: December 10,
2007 | |
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| CEDAM News... |
Applications for 2008 Real
Estate Development Training due THIS FRIDAY
 CEDAM is
gearing up for its 2008 session of its Real Estate Development
Training. A brochure
describing this signature program is available. If you are on
the staff or Board of a CDC or other community-based
organization engaging in affordable housing development, then
you do not want to miss out on this training opportunity! Only
a limited number of spaces are available, and the applications
will be accepted no later than December 15 -
apply today! Please contact Brian if you have any
questions.
2008-2009 QAP approved by MSHDA Board of
Directors
As we indicated in our Member Alert sent last Friday, the
MSHDA Board of Directors met last Thursday and approved
the 2008-2009 draft LIHTC QAP, the most recent version of
which is found here. MSHDA staff also
referenced an additional document outlining final
changes, and that memo from Michael DeVos can be found here.
IMPORTANT: Per the resolution passed
at the October MSHDA Board meeting, approval of the new QAP
should have immediately triggered a December round under the
2005-2006 QAP using 25% of 2008 credits. Instead, the Board
voted yesterday to instruct MSHDA staff to investigate the
legal process required to amend the existing QAP to allow a
50% holdback for Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park using
25% of credits. Action on a final round under
the 2005-2006 QAP is therefore delayed until the Board's
December 19th
meeting.
CEDAM's
comments from October's hearing can be found
here, and CEDAM's comments from September on the initial
draft can be found here. Please
contact Angie Gaabo at 517-485-3588 for more
information. |
| State Politics &
Policy... |
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CEDAM Policy Caucus Notes now
available
Thank you to everyone who participated in the
Regional Policy Caucuses! These meetings have heavily informed
the development of the 2008 Policy Agenda, which the Policy
Committee is currently working on. The notes from the meeting
are now available. Please send any comments or questions that
you have to Alicia. Please be on the look out for
the 2008 Policy
Agenda!
MSHDA 'Save the Dream' Programs Passed in the
House
 On December 4th, the Michigan
State House of Representatives passed MSHDA's Save the Dream
programs (HB 5443
- 5447) and has now been referred over to the Senate
for approval. The Save the Dream bill package establishes two
refinance programs to helpMichigan homeowners
facing foreclosure. The programs
include:
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ARM Assist Refinance,
which will assist homeowners in an ARM to refinance to a
lower interest, fixed rate
loan
-
MSHDA Rescue
Refinance, which will assist homeowners who are
delinquent on their mortgage
payment and at risk of losing their
homes.
Visit
MSHDA's website and/or Alicia for more
information.
Grocery
Store Tax Credit Bill - proposed by Senator Mark
Jansen
 On December 5th, the Senate Committee on
Economic Development and Regulatory Reform reported out SB 294,
which aims to
provide property tax exemptions to grocery stores built in
underserved areas. The grocery store, retail supermarket,
produce market, or delicatessen would have to offer fresh
USDA-inspected meat and poultry products, fresh fruits and
vegetables, and dairy products for the area to quality for the
property tax exemption. The committee heard
testimony from several organizations, including the Detroit
Economic Growth Corporation and Spartan Stores. The bill
is now headed to the Senate floor. Please contact Alicia for more
information.
15 bills of "Downtown
Legislation" - proposed by Senator Jason
Allen
Last week, members of the Senate Commerce
Committee introduced a package of bills aimed at revitalizing
Michigan's downtown areas. Senator Allen (R-TraverseCity) announced that the 15 bills would cover a wide
spectrum of changes, from revamping renaissance zones to
changes in Downtown Development Authorities (DDA), and much
more. Please read this document and/or contact
Alicia for more
information. |
| National Politics &
Policy... |
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President Bush's plan to freeze
rates
On December 6th, President Bush
announced the HOPE NOW Alliance plan
worked out between the U.S. Treasury Department and the
mortgage lenders. The administration estimates that it will
assist 1.2 million homeowners, who are in adjustable rate
mortgages (ARMs) and can afford to continue meeting their
current monthly payment. The HOPE NOW Alliance members have
developed three new voluntary industry standards that will
help borrowers by:
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Refinancing their existing loan
into a new private mortgage;
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Moving them into an FHA Secure
loan; or
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Freezing their current interest
rate for five years.
The plan
is being criticized as an industry-led plan that is voluntary,
gives too much room for lenders, and will not help as many
subprime borrowers as claimed (See New York Times article: In Mortgage Plan, Lenders
Set Terms by Edmund L. Andrews from
12/6/07.)
House Advances Mortgage Overhaul with
backing of Midwest Republicans
 KnowledgePlex- The House recently passed a
measure that would rewrite the nation's mortgage laws, the
first major legislative response to the meltdown in the
subprime mortgage market. The bill (HR 3915) passed by a vote
of 291-127, with 64 Republicans voting in favor. A
majority of Republicans in states such as Ohio and
Michigan - both hard-hit by mortgage troubles - voted for the
measure.
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Resources, Trainings, and
Events... |
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Expert Chat THIS
WEDNESDAY- Implementing Smart Growth Tactics
This Wednesday, December 12th, at 2pm
EST, KnowledgePlex and the Smart Growth Leadership
Institute will present on online discussion of the
Smart Growth Implementation Toolkit.
Developed through a grant from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, these tools help communities untangle
the thicket of policies and procedures
that get in the way of implementing smart growth strategies
and sustainable urban development.
They will allow
communities around the nation to gauge whether their current
policy and regulatory frameworks encourage and support smart
growth. More information about this discussion is
available here.
Training - LEED
for Commercial Interiors
 Mark your calendars - Wednesday,
January 9th, 2008 - The United States Green Building
Council will be hosting a day-long training in
Ypsilanti for practioners of the LEED
commercial certification. Please go to the USGBC's website for more
information on this and other training
opportunities.
MNA Public Policy Strategies
and Tactics - sessions in Grand Rapids
Advocacy has
become an increasingly important strategy that helps
nonprofits to meet their missions. This series of
workshops, co-sponsored by the Johnson Center at GVSU and
the MSU Extension, provides important tools for nonprofit
staff, board members, and volunteers to effectively engage in
public policy debates at the state and local levels.
Each workshop has a
specific focus and many are highly interactive.
Choose combinations for various leaders in your organization
that will strengthen your capacity for advocacy. The fee is
$25 for each workshop, and registration deadlines are one week
prior to each of the trainings. The first workshop is
on January 14, 2008. Register
Now!
Trainings in this series include:
For more information about these or other MNA
public policy trainings, contact Tiffany Aurora
at 517-492-2400.
MSHDA
Announces 2008 Housing Resource Fund grant
availability
MSHDA's Office
of Community Development is announcing the availability of
funding for 2008 grants from the Housing Resource Fund (HRF).
Through this fund, OCD supports projects designed to create
healthy neighborhoods and to provide quality affordable
housing for low and moderate income households in communities
and neighborhoods offering a quality of life that they
otherwise couldn't afford. For more details (including notice
of regional information meetings regarding 2008 funding),
please see the attached NOFA.
Other Resources
For information on other upcoming training
opportunities, don't forget to visit
MITTAC
- the Michigan Training and Technical Assistance
Collaborative
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CEDAM's
Career
Corner is also
frequently updated with job openings in the Community Economic
Development industry. New positions are added
often! |
Compliments of CEDAM
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