San Francisco may become the first big US city to do away with parking minimums in certain housing developments. The legislation introduced by Supervisor Jane Kim would relieve developers from having to provide parking but would require projects to require alternatives like bicycle parking. The proposal is seen as beneficial to the environment and helpful in reducing construction costs. The city will still have a maximum parking limit for each zoning district. The full board will vote next week on the proposal. “It would not prohibit parking in any redevelopment. It would merely remove the requirement that a developer would have to build a minimum number of parking spaces,” Kim said during last week's Land Use and Transportation Committee hearing, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
Oakland A’s Finally Settle on Waterfront Stadium Site
After years of searching for a new stadium site — going as far as San Jose and scouring Oakland — the Oakland A’s announced plans to build a new ballpark on the Howard Terminal Waterfront site and be open by 2023. The development, which may include residential or commercial buildings in addition to the ballpark, is being designed by Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group. The ballpark would have seating capacity for about 34,000 on a 55-acre property. The group places to break ground in 2020 and plans to privately finance the stadium, although they are still unsure how much it’s expected to cost. Team officials are finishing an environmental impact review of the Howard Terminal site, which is expected to start this week and last about a year. As part of the project, the A’s propose turning the 155-acre Coliseum site into a tech and housing hub. (See prior CP&DR coverage and commentary here and here.)
ARB Releases Assessment of SB 375
As mandated by 2017’s Senate Bill 150 report, the Air Resources Board released its first assessment of the state’s progress towards meeting the goals of Senate Bill 375 last week. The report found that California regions are not on track to meet their greenhouse gas emission targets by 2020 or by 2035. Compared to a 2005 baseline, carbon dioxide emissions per capita and vehicle miles driven per capita dipped in the mid-2010s to roughly negative-10 percent but have since risen. A 10 percent reduction in per capital CO2 emissions is the 2020 target anticipated by SB 325. Other reports say California will meet its 2020 targets, but those emission reductions are almost entirely from cleaning up the electricity sector. Even with cleaner fuels and more electric vehicles, emissions in the transportation sector have been rising. The report was put together by Air Resources Board staff and based on data from regional agencies and said, “While positive gains have been made to improve the alignment of transportation, land use, and housing policies with state goals, the data suggest that more and accelerated action is critical for public health, equity, economic, and climate success…California will not achieve the necessary greenhouse gas emissions reductions to meet mandates for 2030 and beyond without significant changes to how communities and transportation systems are planned, funded, and built.” (See CP&DR commentary.)
OPR Releases Guidelines for Autonomous Vehicles
The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research released guidelines for autonomous vehicles. The guidelines enable policymakers to get ahead of the conversation and think about the future we want, rather than leaving the possibilities open to investors. The principles are meant to be used by agencies, legislators, policymakers, business investors, and the public as they begin to consider the consequences of a new way of traveling. The work is primarily based on research conducted at UC Davis at the Institute of Transportation Studies. OPR says the principles could help keep public costs low, reduce emissions and energy use, and improve transportation equity. For instance, the autonomous vehicles must be shared, pooled, preferably zero-emission, used to support high-capacity transit, safe, and used efficiently for freight. Autonomous vehicle companies are not claiming the technology would be ready for widespread adoption anytime soon.
$1.2 Billion Renovation of Los Angeles Convention Center Takes Step Forward
The Los Angeles City Council Economic Development Committee approved the recommendation of a report from the chief legislative analyst that called for the city to work with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) to complete the $1.2 billion development to enlarge the LA Convention Center and add hundreds of hotel rooms at L.A. Live. A city committee signed off on a proposed deal that would give AEG $97.7 million worth of incentives. The tax break would help fill the project’s $119 million funding gap or the difference between a developers estimated value when complete and the cost to construct it. Part of the discrepancy, according to the report, is “the risk associated with building a high rise, steel frame structure like a hotel. The project still needs full City Council approval.
Quick Hits & Updates
According to a new study commissioned by the City of San Jose, the Google transit-oriented village could bring more than 25,000 new jobs into downtown. This would be a 65 percent increase in the number of workers in the downtown area now. The biggest economic benefits would occur if taller buildings can be construction in certain parts of downtown. An easing of building heights would allow the Diridon Station and SAP Center area to be 200 feet high. (See prior CP&DR coverage.)
The Peninsula Open Space Trust announced it has closed a deal to purchase 159 acres in the foothills of Santa Clara County between Almaden Reservoir and Loma Prieta. The property is known as the “Punch Bowl” and is approximately 12 miles south of downtown San Jose. The property would be owned by the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and provide the first connection between the 5,000-acre Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve and the massive, 18,000-acre Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve to the north, which includes Mount Umunhum. The connection will allow for permanent protection for wildlife such as mountain lions, bobcats, and deer. The 159 acres were sold by the Geiger Family Trust for $400,000.
Federal judge Philip Gutierrez of Los Angeles barred the Trump administration from approving oil companies’ requests to use fracking in offshore wells along the Southern California coast until a review of the possible effects on endangered species and state coastal resources is completed. Judge Gutierrez said federal agencies that issue underwater drilling permits but consult with the USFWS about the possible impact of fracking chemicals on sea birds and otters, before approving any permits off Santa Barbara, Ventura, and LA counties. He also said agencies must present their plans to the California Coastal Commission.
The Institute for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) released a new report on the economies of five inner cities nationwide. The report fond that small businesses typically make up 64 percent of net new private sector jobs in a year. In Los Angeles, small businesses account for 74 percent of aggregate jobs and in inner-city areas, small businesses account for 77 percent of jobs. One small business developer told ICIC, “There are a lot of small businesses in the entertainment industry. The studios outsource a lot — almost everything. There is a real symbiosis between major entertainment studios and the small businesses that serve them.
The Santa Cruz City Council discussed expanding its tenant relocation assistance law meaning the City may require landlords to pay tenants to relocated if they increase rents beyond a certain threshold. The triggers include rent increases of five percent in a single year or a combined seven percent in two consecutive years. Tenants evicted for reasons other than the end of their lease or breach of their rental agreement would also be eligible for the relocation assistance. The new ordinance, if approved by the council with a second vote in mid December would not go into effect in mid-January but would apply retroactively to rent increases notices issued since Nov. 27.
A proposed project to create Napa County’s first commercial solar energy farm ended in a draw with two Planning Commissioners for the project and two against. The commissioners will try again on the Dec. 5 meeting when Commissioner Jeri Hansen should be present. Renewable Properties is proposing an 18-acre, 12,000-panel solar farm near American Canyon. The project would border I-80 and would not be located on prime farmland.
The City and County of San Francisco released a report that evaluates seismic resilience of the city’s tallest buildings. The report found 68 high-rises share a set of features that could render them particularly vulnerable when the next major earthquake strikes. The buildings noted were all built between 1964 and 1989 and have steel skeletons and a particular welding technique that experts now know is particularly susceptible to fracture during an earthquake. While this does not necessarily mean the high-rises are unsafe, city officials are conducting inspections. City officials are figuring out how to implement new requirements to ensure buildings that may have unseen damage from the Loma Prieta earthquake get the scrutiny they need.
The US Supreme Court limited the reach of the Endangered Species Act, by setting aside a lower court ruling that afforded protection to an area in Louisiana where endangered frogs have critical habitat. The roughly 100 remaining dusky gopher frogs live only in a single pond in a wooded area in nearby Mississippi. The justices did not decide whether the Louisiana area could be a protected habitat but instead sent the case back to the 5th Circuit Court in New Orleans to reconsider the matter.
The Department of Housing and Community Development released a Notice of Funding Availability for approximately $77 million in Supportive Housing Multifamily Housing Program (SHMHP) funds. The funding provides loans to individuals, public agencies, or private entities for the development of multifamily rental housing containing permanent supportive housing and construction or rehabilitation of new multifamily rental housing projects. Applications are due February 8, 2018. HCD will be holding two workshops, one on December 13 in Sacramento and one on December 18 in Santa Ana.
The League of American Bicyclists released its list of 45 new bicycle friendly universities and colleges. These colleges and universities “have proved outstanding in their support of bicycling to ensure healthy, accessible, and eco-friendly transportation and recreation for students and staff.” Santa Monica College and UC Santa Cruz both received silver and have both been part of BFU since 2014. Loyola Marymount University and University of San Diego both received bronze. Loyola Marymount joined the list for the first time this year, while USD first joined in 2013.
A lawsuit was filed in Sacramento Superior Court saying the construction of a massive tank for sewage and rain runoff under McKinley Park would harm historical aspects of the park which opened in 1872 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The lawsuit also claims the project would create noise, vibration, and air quality impacts for the surrounding East Sacramento neighborhood and nearby daycare. The $30 million project would install a large basin under the park that would store rain and sewage during major rainstorms.
The Federal Transportation Administration announced Los Angeles Metro will receive $100 million in federal grants next year for the Purple Line extension from the Westside to Koreatown in downtown. The $9 billion extension is nine-miles under Wilshire Boulevard, which is the busiest transit corridor in the County and one of the highest concentrations of jobs and housing in the region. The project is expected to generate 78,000 new daily trips. The Purple Line extension is schedule to open in three phases: from Koreatown through the Miracle Mile by 2023, to Beverly Hills and Century City by 2025, and to Westwood and West LA by 2026. The entire project is expected to be completed two years before LA hosts the Summer Olympics.
HCD provided finalized Streamlined Ministerial Approval Process Guidelines that incorporate feedback from participants during open house forums, public comment letters, and additional conversations and research during the public outreach period. The guidelines will be effective starting January 1, 2019 and establish terms, conditions, and procedures for a development proponent to submit an application for a development to a locality that is subject to the streamlined, ministerial approval process.
San Diego County’s Planning and Development Services Department said in an email that the hearing scheduled for this month to decide if several large housing developments should be approved by the county Board of Supervisors has been delayed indefinitely. The delay is due to “staff workload in in preparing some of these projects, the county’s Climate Action Plan litigation and the injunction which applies to the PSRs (property specific requests), and applicants continuing to provide additional information to staff for their projects.” All the projects are planned for parts of unincorporated San Diego County and need a General Plan Amendment. The projects include the 1,735-unit Lilac Hills Ranch, 780-unit Warner Ranch, and 1,100- unit Otay Ranch.
Sacramento city officials announced a measure capping rent hikes at 5 percent collected enough signatures and qualified for the 2020 ballot. The “Sacramento Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Charter Amendment” would limit rent increases as well as restrict landlords’ ability to evict renters. The initiative would also establish an elected rental-housing board tasked with monitoring and enforcing rent controls.
After six decades of debate, Caltrans officially announced the 710 Freeway extension project from Alhambra to Pasadena is dead. Caltrans finalized a report endorsing local street improvements rather than a freeway tunnel. The adoption of the local-street alternative became the inevitable solution when the Metro Board of Directors diverted $700 million in funding away from the tunnel proposal and applied it to area road projects.
