Useful Community Development: What's New

Here are the most recent important changes to our website, including new articles, visitor questions, and editors' answers. You'll also find links to significantly revised pages and time-sensitive or short items we want to bring to your attention. Sometimes we also add short items of interest, especially time-sensitive notes about conferences, webinars, or seasons.

Trust in Police Develops Only the Whole Community Works at It

Once breached, trust in police rebuilds and sustains itself only with intentional hard work. We explore steps to restore cooperation between community and law enforcement.

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How to deal with a business that is never open

Visitor Question: We are a little township still with 3,000 people in Crockett, Ca.94525 (bay area). There is a business name revoved in the center of

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Creating Impactful Public Fountains

Visitor Submission and Question: I've been wondering about how our large suburban neighborhood adjacent to a major city could maximize a major donation

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Community Policing Mostly a Plus for Neighborhoods

If you understand potential benefits and pitfalls of community policing, you can push your city toward better crime prevention performance.

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Industrial Wind Turbines in R1 District

Visitor Question: Penn Forest Township is a rural municipality in Carbon County, PA. Two applications were submitted seeking to erect 30+ wind turbines

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Property rezoned after purchase

Visitor Question: I purchased a 1 acre piece of property in west central Georgia on 7/6/2018 through the Property for Sale-Georgia State Properties Commission

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Pond fountain requirement

Visitor Question: Is a pond fountain required in ponds exceeding a certain depth? Editors Respond: When dealing with a question of this sort, we always

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Does civil rights violation make all covenants void

Visitor Question: Do all covenants become void if one covenant is now illegal? The City Council is telling me that since our documents still have the Caucasian

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Selective enforcement of deed restrictions

Visitor Question: I live in Gulf Gate, Sarasota. After living in this neighborhood and the same house for 20 years we decided to replace an old 4 foot

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Neighborhood Court Monitoring Has Potential to Decrease Crime

Court monitoring programs allow neighborhood residents to influence sentencing, present impact statements, facilitate wholeness for victims, and increase awareness of the criminal justice system.

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Can code enforcement make me move

Visitor Question: I live in a good size travel trailer outside of the city limits at the end of a privately owned dirt road, out of sight from any type

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Noise from mosque in residential area

Visitor Question: Hello. I have been a resident of a six-story building for 20 years. A month ago the private two-story house in between our three buildings

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Transit Oriented Development Creates Opportunity and Affordability

Transit oriented development, usually a mixed-use project adjoining and including a transit stop, reduces transportation costs and potentially housing cost while offering many municipal and social benefits.

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Church sold lots and cannot meet parking requirement

Visitor Question: I have general questions. A large church congregation owns several parcels in a half-residential/half-office zoned area. It then sells

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Closed CDC meetings and transparency

Visitor Question: Can a community development corporation hold meetings which are closed to the community at large? Editors Reply: A community development

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