Heather K Way in the News

Houston Chronicle November 1, 2023

Houston Housing Authority eschews controversial PFC tax breaks, uses very similar tax break instead

Clinical Professor Heather Way laments that the Houston Housing Authority bypassed recent reforms to the Public Facility Corporation tax break law.

Texas Monthly November 1, 2023

Black-Owned Land Is Under Siege in the Brazos Valley

Clinical Professor Heather Way provides insight into how state property code influenced a court's ruling on property appraisals in a piece about developers that are using heirs' property laws to dispossess Black landowners in Brazos County.

KVUE October 27, 2023

‘It makes me feel unwelcome in this community’ | Property association fee hikes make low-income, affordable homes difficult to keep

Clinical Professor Heather Way and the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic's work regarding proposed improvements to Austin's affordable homeownership program is referenced.

The Dallas Morning News August 28, 2023

Brewery to spur East McKinney development has residents wanting change, fearing costs

Professor Heather Way discusses how gentrification inherently leads to displacement for lower income families and calls for cities to proactively mitigate the impacts of development projects.

The Wall Street Journal July 10, 2023

Wave of Rental Resets to Further Deplete Affordable Housing

Clinical Professor Heather Way discusses how gentrification will increase demand for apartments with Low Income Housing Tax Credits after their current government protections expire.

The Dallas Morning News July 10, 2023

Why East McKinney has higher percentage of renters than city overall

Clinical professor Heather Way observes that renters are the most vulnerable to displacement in East McKinney, where development is causing rising home values.

San Antonio Express-News May 5, 2023

End of the line? Legislature takes aim at tax breaks widely used to create affordable housing

Clinical Professor Heather Way comments on the rapidly expanding use of the Public Facilities Corporations (PFC) program in Texas in an article discussing legislative efforts to reform the program.

The Dallas Morning News May 1, 2023

Builders of Hope is fighting displacement of longtime residents in West Dallas

Clinical Professor Heather Way discusses the legal tool kit she co-produced, which is designed to protect historic Black places and is being used by nonprofit Builders of Hope to fight displacement in the Gilbert-Emory neighborhood.

Kera News May 1, 2023

Did sale of historically Black Frederick Douglass School seal the fate of Gilbert-Emory neighborhood?

Clinical Professor Heather Way emphasizes the importance of permanent affordability in strategies to reduce displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods.

Austin Business Journal April 6, 2023

75 years, no taxes: Controversial Texas program in spotlight

Professor Heather Way asserts that the Public Facility Corporation program's median income threshold results in marginal benefit to renters while prioritizing property tax breaks for land developers.

Dallas Observer February 27, 2023

Texas Bill Would Prohibit Public Facility Corporations From Issuing Tax Exemptions

A 2020 study by Professor Heather Way and the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic was referenced in an article about a proposed bill that would limit the use of tax breaks for public facility corporations in Texas.

The Dallas Morning News February 22, 2023

Dallas’ 75-year, tax-free lease deal to developers kills needed revenue: critics

Professor Heather Way discusses property tax exemptions for affordable housing developers after a controversial lease agreement between the city of Dallas and a private developer was settled.