There was quite the fanfare back in 2004, when we amended the State constitution to authorize our version of tax increment financing (called “project development financing” in our statutes, but we’ll call it TIF). Money was raised to support the ballot question,...

We have been interested in how cities and towns use incentives to spur downtown housing development. It’s not often you see a single tool that both addresses the housing issue and also helps with downtown invigoration. We understand some folks are hesitant to spend...

This is the next installment in our series spotlighting the different ways communities across North Carolina are tackling their housing needs. Here, we are highlighting an idea being implemented by our friends in the Town of Chapel Hill that expedites the review...

A recent article in The Assembly newsletter asked, “Why do politicians love the sales tax?” The article discusses Mecklenburg County’s upcoming referendum on an additional 1-cent sales tax for transportation uses. The whole piece is worth your time. There are a couple...

This is the next installment in our series spotlighting different ways communities across North Carolina are tackling their housing needs. Local governments across North Carolina have adopted “penny for housing” policies. These units range is size from Raleigh through...

C-PACE financing, also known as Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy financing, is a financing tool that allows property owners to borrow money for clean energy projects which is then repaid through a special assessment that appears as an addition to one’s...

This is the third installment in our series spotlighting the different ways communities across North Carolina are tackling their housing needs. Here, we are recalling one of our favorite projects in Waynesville, which we first wrote about in 2023 (read that post...

This is the second installment of our series spotlighting the different ways communities across North Carolina are tackling their housing needs. Here, we are highlighting the Town of Troy’s Smitherman Village rent-to-own program which is providing residents with an...

(Because 1Ls don’t have time for another Top Ten list.) 1 – Law school is something you’re doing, not who you are. Tape that reminder to your bathroom mirror if you have to. Some aspects of law school and the legal profession are designed to hammer your soul if...

Control of stormwater is a big problem and getting bigger. And it’s not just storms like Helene and Chantal that pose risks -- “average” storms are causing more frequent and severe flooding. The Stormwater Association of North Carolina (SWANC) created a stormwater...