Legal cannabis has cities grappling with odor complaints

Relaxed pot laws have led to a backlash of complaints linked to the odor emitted from smoking and vaping. To date, 24 states have legalized or decriminalized marijuana and several others have made it available for medicinal use.

This issue is especially thorny in the multifamily market. For example, pungent cannabis odors led a woman in Washington, D.C. to sue a tenant who lived in a rental apartment adjoining her home for making her sick from the smoke, according to a Bloomberg report.

The case went to trial, and a judge ordered the tenant to refrain from smoking pot in his own home and within 25 feet of the woman’s residence. In many jurisdictions, weed cannot be smoked on public streets, sidewalks, and parks, but it is allowed in one’s home.

Nonetheless, complaints by those living in the same building or nearby are on the rise. In some cities, cannabis users have been flouting laws prohibiting public smoking, and enforcement is rare.

No clear policy has emerged to balance the legal rights of those wanting to light up with the concerns of those overwhelmed by the pungent odors of marijuana. It’s an issue that both governments and multifamily owners have to contend with where pot has been legalized.

The U.S. is ill-prepared to provide adequate housing for the growing ranks of older people, according to a report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Over the next decade, the U.S. population older than 75 will increase by 45%, growing from 17 million to nearly 25 million, with many expected to struggle financially.

Yale University breaks ground on the nation's largest Living Building student housing complex

University Buildings | Dec 8, 2023

Yale University breaks ground on nation's largest Living Building student housing complex

A groundbreaking on Oct. 11 kicked off a project aiming to construct the largest Living Building Challenge-certified residence on a university campus. The Living Village, a 45,000 sf home for Yale University Divinity School graduate students, “will make an ecological statement about the need to build in harmony with the natural world while training students to become ‘apostles of the environment’,” according to Bruner/Cott, which is leading the design team that includes Höweler + Yoon Architecture and Andropogon Associates.

Almost a million apartment units are currently under construction in the U.S., says Apartment List.

MFPRO+ News | Dec 7, 2023

7 key predictions for the 2024 multifamily rental housing market

2024 will be the strongest year for new apartment construction in decades, says Apartment List's chief economist.

Codes and Standards | Dec 7, 2023

New York City aims to spur construction of more accessory dwelling units (ADUs)

To address a serious housing shortage, New York City is trying to get more homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The city recently unveiled a program that offers owners of single-family homes up to nearly $400,000 to construct an apartment on their property.