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Land Use Law Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Land Use Law

Recent Developments: Are Land Contracts Preying On Low-Income Buyers Or Do They Offer A Different Avenue For Home Ownership?, Christopher Barron Jan 2016

Recent Developments: Are Land Contracts Preying On Low-Income Buyers Or Do They Offer A Different Avenue For Home Ownership?, Christopher Barron

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

As of May 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced an investigation into the practice of land contracts and compliance with federal truth and lending laws. The CFPB’s investigation is in response to the increasing number of reports from organizations, such as the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), condemning land contracts for their predatory nature and disparate impact on low-income buyers, specifically those of color. Furthermore, land contracts have been labeled as “Wall Street’s Toxic Transactions” because of large wall street investment groups utilizing them for their own capital gain. Land contracts have been vilified for luring unsuspecting …


Superiority Of Remediation Liens: A Cure To The Virus Of Blight, Marilyn Uzdavines Jan 2016

Superiority Of Remediation Liens: A Cure To The Virus Of Blight, Marilyn Uzdavines

University of Baltimore Law Review

Blight in a neighborhood is like a virus that spreads throughout the community. If left unchecked, that virus will destroy the community. In cities like Detroit, the spread of blight has ruined the economy and led to a dramatic plunge in population and the underfunding of city services. Blighted communities have transformed into vast swathes of abandoned properties that attract crime and create hazardous conditions to anyone who dares to remain in them. Although cities like Detroit have received exceptional media attention due to their overwhelming problems, blight continues to affect Detroit and communities in many states across the United …


Recent Development: Assategue Coastal Trust, Inc. V. Schwalbach: An Applicant Must Satisfy The "Unwarranted Hardship" Standard To Be Granted A Variance; The Variance Must Have No Adverse Impact On The Environment And Conform To The Purpose Of The Critical Area Program, Michael Louis Brown Jan 2016

Recent Development: Assategue Coastal Trust, Inc. V. Schwalbach: An Applicant Must Satisfy The "Unwarranted Hardship" Standard To Be Granted A Variance; The Variance Must Have No Adverse Impact On The Environment And Conform To The Purpose Of The Critical Area Program, Michael Louis Brown

University of Baltimore Law Forum

The Court of Appeals of Maryland held that the Worchester County Board properly applied the “unwarranted hardship” standard and correctly granted a variance under local critical area law. Assateague Coastal Trust, Inc. v. Schwalbach, 448 Md. 112, 140, 136 A.3d 866, 882 (2016). The court held that the variance would not have an adverse impact on the environment and the development was in conformity with the Critical Area Program’s purpose and intent. Schwalbach, 448 Md. at 143-44, 136 A.3d at 883.