U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Sims is stepping down from his post at the end of next month.
Sims, who has been HUD's second-in-charge since May 2009, says he's leaving to spend more time with his family in Seattle.
Local governments in Portland, Ore., Los Angeles, Calif., and Kirkland, Wash., have taken steps to promote small housing development, according to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development's case studies clearinghouse.
Portland's Living Smart Program offers permit-ready "skinny home" plans — plans pre-approved by the city council that have already passed life, safety, and structural review — that developers can acquire to build on small, infill lots in the city's neighborhoods.
The ground breaking at Thayer Commons in Burlington's New North End yesterday was the subject of an article in today's Burlington Free Press.
The article cites Housing Vermont's Nancy Owens with a figure of about $760 for a two-bedroom rental in the facility, including heat and water, compared with a market rate of about $1,200.
VHFA Homeownership Outreach Coordinator Erin Perrin wrapped up her tenure at VHFA this week.
After five years with the Agency, she's off to Sugar Tree Mortgage, a new joint venture between Lang McLaughry Spera and Shelter Mortgage.
Good luck, Erin!