If you haven’t heard of Waymo, you’re probably not alone. I didn’t know of the work of Waymo until I started reading up on the phenomenon that is known as “self-driving” cars. Waymo is the Google self-driving project that became a standalone subsidiary in December 2016. Last year, Waymo launched a self-driving taxi service in
Real estate investors across the country are asking how to tap tax benefits for investing in projects in low-income areas, known as “Opportunity Zones” under an obscure provision of the 2017 Tax Act. They may not have to wait much longer – the federal government just released guidance for comment.
A little
Imagine a world without gas stations, parking ramps or parking meters. It may sound crazy, but many people in real estate development and design are doing just that.
In my last post, I introduced the discussion taking place around autonomous vehicles, or “AV” for short. Momentum for AV is building as car companies and
With the advent of driverless cars, young people are already lamenting the loss of freedom to hit the open road. Seemingly every major car company and every major technology company is racing to be on top of this promising new technology, referred to by many as “AV” or autonomous vehicles.
What does AV mean for
After almost a year delay, the Metropolitan Council today opened bids for the Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) project that appear to save $100-$200 million compared to bids rejected a year ago as “nonresponsive.” The price tag for the 14.5-mile line linking downtown Minneapolis with Eden Prairie is $1.9 billion, which includes planning, design, environmental
Last month, the House tax bill threatened to eliminate private activity bonds – a financing tool that has been used for years by local governments to fund critical infrastructure, such as educational facilities, hospitals and affordable housing. Municipal bond experts projected that 20 to 25 percent of the bond market would be lost under this
An obscure provision of the House tax bill (H.R. 1, Section 3601) threatens to end a financing tool that has been used by local governments for years to fund critical infrastructure such as airports, seaports, hospitals, educational facilities, affordable housing and tollways, to name a few. Private activity bonds, as they are called, are tax-exempt
It may not occur to you, when you walk from the bus stop to your office, that you are taking part in a form of “multimodal” transportation. Again, if you get off the train in Minneapolis and pick up a Nice Ride (bicycle) for a tour of Nicollet Island with visiting friends, you are taking
So, the government knocks on your door and says, “We’d like to locate a transit station on your property.” Access to transit and workers who use transit is usually a boon to an employer or commercial property owner, if you can navigate the potential pitfalls and risks associated with transit leases, easements, funding, management, operations
Depending on your politics, you may regard transit investment and transit-oriented development (TOD) as “government boondoggle” or “essential building blocks” for livable communities. Setting aside politics for a moment, let’s look at what TOD is and what it can do for a developing community or region.
At its core, TOD is urban development that harnesses