The bill would add subsidized housing to the list of uses for redevelopment of brownfield projects. This provides developers with a tax subsidy to rebuild in these areas. Apart from the issues on whether housing should be directed towards brownfield properties, brownfield projects directed towards housing provide nice profits for developers and owners, but fail to provide the promised benefits for the constituents the politicians serve.
Melstrom, et al. – “Black and Hispanic households benefit less than White households from brownfield cleanup and vacant land development. Second, owners appear to benefit more than renters from cleanup and development. Overall, these results provide evidence of differences associated with race and housing tenure in who benefits from local land use actions.”
Sen. Nesbitt voted no.
Wendzel voted no.
Bill passed and signed by governor.