On March 11, Congressman Nick Rahall of West Virginia announced his sponsorship of the Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act of 2009, making him the first representative from West Virginia to sponsor the bill. His announcement is the result of a meeting he had with Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe, Councilman Jim Insco, and Police Chief Skip Holbrooke. The meeting provided the Huntington officials with an opportunity to communicate past government programs that helped the area and make recommendations as to what programs could be started to help this city become …

Senator Sherrod Brown, a co-sponsor of the Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act of 2009, is continuing to advocate for housing issues. Brown represents Ohio, a state that has one of the highest foreclosure rates and is home to many older industrial cities that would qualify for assistance under CRSI. According to Brown, “Too many communities are seeing vacant and abandoned properties that lower surrounding property values and compromise economic development. These homeowners and communities deserve better.”
CRSI would provide cities with the resources to develop and implement effective strategies to …

Huntington officials are scheduled to return today from a trip to Washington, D.C. While in the nation’s capital, they had appointments to meet with Congressman Nick J. Rahall, who is Huntington’s representative, West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd, and an aid from West Virgina Senator Jay Rockefeller’s office. In addition, they had a meeting scheduled with Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, who does not represent Huntington but was referred to as a supporter of the Community Sustainability and Innovation Act of 2009. Huntington officials recognized the ways in which Huntington could …

Baltimore Slumlord Watch was formed a year and is exactly what the name suggests: a group of Baltimore residents dedicated to ensuring that owners of rental property maintain these properties. The group sees the Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act of 2009 (CRSI) as a means of reducing blight and turning Baltimore into a “more livable city.” The group’s full expression of support can be read here.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has identified the Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act of 2009 (CRSI) as on of their 2010 “Federal Legislative Agenda Items.” The Trust is committed to support the bill and, of course, work to fully integrate historic preservation values into the bill. Since “The National Trust for Historic Preservation supports programs and legislation that integrate historic preservation and into renovation and reuse of vacant and abandoned properties,” CRSI fits nicely into their agenda. You can view The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2010 agenda …

A Columbus Dispatch article reports that Senator Brown (D-OH) is advocating for the passage of CRSI on the grounds that the problems created by vacant properties are too large to be addressed by cities on their own. Brown maintains that many cities that have experienced large scale property vacancies and population loss need help from the federal government. Read the full story here.