A new ruling out of the Fifth Circuit is likely to have significant impacts on the ways that municipalities may regulate short term rental properties (“STR’s”). In Hignell-Stark v. City of New Orleans, 46 F.4th 317 (5th Cir. 2022), the court reviewed a New Orleans ordinance which limited the right to use a residence as an STR to only people whose primary residence was in New Orleans.

Continue Reading A New Federal Ruling Outlines Limits to Short Term Rental Regulation

As we originally reported in our September 2018 Otten Johnson Alert, the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), once the primary benchmark used for floating rate commercial loans, is nearing its end.  As of December 31, 2021 lenders stopped using LIBOR as a benchmark rate for new loans and one week and two month USD LIBOR rates were discontinued.  All remaining USD LIBOR rates will be discontinued on June 30, 2023. Continue Reading The LIBOR Act: A federal legislative solution for legacy contracts as LIBOR ends

On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the Aspen City Council (the “Council”) voted to extend its residential moratorium on (i) any new land-use applications for development approval and (ii) certain building permits for residential uses. The original Ordinance #27 was enacted on December 8, 2021 and was originally set to expire on June 8, 2022, but instead will now continue until Aug. 8, 2022 (pending final approval during a special meeting scheduled for May 3, 2022). As was reported in our February 2022 Otten Johnson Alert, the Council originally cited increasing real estate prices and environmental concerns among their motivations for the moratorium.

 

As a follow up to my December 2021 blog post about the future of 3D printed homes, The Washington Post recently wrote a great article about a newly constructed 3D printed house in Williamsburg, Virginia built by a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and Alquist. The home benefited a family through one of Habitat for Humanity’s programs.

What I love most about this article are the photos, which show the 3D printer in action and the interior of the home. The interior of the home was built using “classic” construction methods and products, and is a great example of how we can combine current 3D printing technology with “classic” building methods to build a more affordable house in a shorter period of time.

3D printers are already being used across industries to produce a number of products. A quick Google search provides an astonishing number of uses.  One industry to keep an eye on is the housing industry and the use of 3D printers to build houses on-site. Continue Reading 3D Printed Houses: The Potential for Positive Change in the Housing Industry