Greetings Riverside Chapter Members,
With vaccination rates up and new covid-19 infection rates down the State is moving us closer to full reopening June 15th. This is exciting news we have all be waiting for! Getting back to work with colleagues and friends is going to be great. I can assure you that your Riverside BIA chapter team can’t wait to resume meetings and events again in person. Later in this newsletter you will see a robust list of upcoming events and I hope we will see you at one soon!
On the advocacy front, I have been keeping you abreast of the potential CFD changes at EMWD that would have harmed our industry. You might recall a member of the EMWD Board of Directors moved to remove connection fee’s as an eligible expense in district CFD’s, which would have hurt housing affordability and access. I am pleased to report that the advocacy efforts of your Riverside BIA chapter team and several of our members who are active builders in EMWD’s service area were successful in preventing this policy change. This EMWD debt policy remains pro-housing and a role model for facilities financing.
We continue to monitor local jurisdictions as they work through their housing element updates and are pleased to assist jurisdictions in achieving their housing goals. We also continue to engage in various cities where they continue to work through vehicle miles traveled (VMT) implementation and the significant barrier that state policy has created to delivering much needed housing. If you are experiencing issues with VMT impacting your projects, please share your stories with us at EO@riversidebia.org
I look forward to seeing you all at a chapter event in person soon!
