Abstract
Excerpt: TAX INCREMENT FINANCING (TIF) IS A DEVELOPMENT TOOL1 used in conditions of scarcity to facilitate growth.2 TIF is a logically justifiable way for cities to raise capital to pay for improvements 3 and a tool used by public officials and private developers to popularly claim that proposed new growth will fund itself and not draw from other vital resources. 4 Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) are an innovative tool for stimulating growth and investment in a local community. 5 They are legally enforceable contracts entered into by representatives of community associations and developers that make it possible for a community to receive benefits in return for public subsidies and land use planning support.6 As part of a CBA, a community is typically promised that certain benefits will be conferred by developers in favor of the community, in compensation for the adverse impacts of development.7 CBAs are the product of community leaders engaging in conversations with developers to mitigate the unintended negative consequence of growth.'
