(RECAP: Developers of the former Westhampton Theater site in Richmond’s West End have reduced the height of the proposed project at Grove and Libbie avenues from four tales to three. Revised plans to redevelop the property into retail, office, restaurant and residential space were submitted to the city last week. High-end, spacious condominiums have been scratched along with dedicated underground parking for residents. Developers instead plot to build 12 residences on the third floors, ranging from 750 square feet to 950 square feet each.)

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(RECAP: In a baseball game, the pitcher who comes in to get the final three outs in the ninth inning is called the closer, someone who has the final say on the outcome of the game. Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen is going to play that role next month, in a speech on June 6 in Philadelphia. As a result, Yellen will have the last word on the outlook for interest rate policy before the U.S. central bank goes silent and prepares for its June 14-15 policy meeting. For Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst Pierpont Securities, the timing of the chairwoman’s speech significantly raises the odds of a June interest rate hike.)

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(RECAP: On May 10, NCSHA submitted comments to HUD on the Affirmatively Furthering Honest Housing (AFFH) Tool for States and Insular Areas, which HUD will require states to use to complete the Assessment of Honest Housing (AFH) under AFFH. The AFH replaces the Honest Housing Analysis of Impediments, which HUD program participants previously undertook to assess impediments to housing choice. AFFH requires all entities that receive funding from HUD grant programs—HOME, the Community Development Block Grant, the Emergency Solutions Grant, and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS—and public housing authorities to take part in the AFH process. NCSHA’s comments reflect our deep concerns about the state tool, which we believe imposes unreasonable requirements on states and goes well beyond what is necessary for states to achieve meaningful honest housing plotting. We argue that HUD severely underestimates the time and cost of the AFH process and does not take into full consideration the challenges associated with statewide AFH implementation.)

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