Assembly Considers Ballot Measure to Nullify State Influence over Zoning
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Carson) introduced ACA 7, a constitutional amendment that, if placed on an upzoning statewide ballot and approved by two-thirds of voters, would drastically reduce the state’s ability to influence local zoning regulations. The bill is intended to solidify cities’ local control and would run contrary to a raft of recently adopted laws, as well as many recently introduced bills, designed to mute cities’ opposition to housing development. As currently written, the measure "would provide that a county or city ordinance or regulation enacted under the police power that regulates the zoning or use of land within the boundaries of the county or city would prevail over conflicting general laws. (See related CP&DR coverage.)
State Updates Tsunami Risk Maps for California Coast
The California Geological Survey released a series of seven maps created to evaluate tsunami risk along the California coast. In the state’s most populous coastal area, changes to the existing Los Angeles County inundation map are modest, with the inundation potential upgraded in some areas and downgraded in others, noted Rick Wilson, head of the CGS Tsunami Program. CGS and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) have advised several communities with isolated pockets of population and few roads for evacuation -- such as in Alamitos Bay, Marina del Rey, and the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles -- about their increased inundation areas. A large tsunami could flood areas of Marina Del Rey and Long Beach to an elevation of 15 feet. Along the north coast, which is considered the most vulnerable part of the state, large tsunami could send surges onshore up to 50 feet high toward Crescent City and 30 feet high along the outer coast of Humboldt Bay and the Eureka area. In some cases, warnings could precede a tsunami by as little as ten minutes. (See related CP&DR coverage.)
Research Predicts Endurance of Telecommuting Post-Pandemic
New research from the USC Marshall School of Business suggests that changes in working conditions brought on by the pandemic shutdown will have lasting effects on real estate and traffic patterns. The researchers, using a quantitative model of internal city structure, the researchers found three major impacts: Jobs move to the core of the city while workers move to the periphery, traffic congestion eases and travel time drops, and average real estate prices drop with declines in core locations and increases on the periphery. They found that an increasing share of telecommuters is decisive for the average price of real estate due to workers telecommuting from less expensive locals, often on the periphery of the city core. When 33 percent of workers telecommute, the study found that the average house price falls by nearly 6 percent. Meanwhile, the income of landowners falls by 8 percent. The researchers qualify their findings by stating that it assumes workers actually enjoy telecommuting. If given the option to return, unhappy telecommuters could make the findings much less robust.
CP&DR Coverage: Bill Fulton on Challenge of Implementing Residential Upzoning
The rush to abolish single-family zoning in California – especially Northern California – is on. Sacramento was the first city to make the commitment, followed by Berkeley. Oakland and South San Francisco appear likely to follow. But, as any practicing planner knows, the actual use zoning – single family vs. duplex vs. multifamily – is only the first basic element in a city’s actual development code. Layered on top of use zoning are all kinds of other development requirements – parking standards, lot size, setbacks, etc. – that also restrict development. On top of that are private deed covenants and homeowner association rules, which could restrict development even further.
Quick Hits & Updates
Fresno has the largest number of people per household and the highest percentage of families of large U.S. cities, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Four other California cities were in the top 10 for largest family size in a single household: Los Angeles, San Jose, Sacramento, and San Diego. California ranks second nationally for the fullest homes in America, with an average size of 3.3 people per home.
With only one dissenting vote, the Southern California Association of Governments voted to adopt a final RHNA plan that will triple the state’s housing goals. The plan will now go to the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) for final approval. (See prior CP&DR coverage.)
Caltrans unveiled the California Transportation Plan (CTP) 2050, which details the state's long-range transportation vision and establishes a roadmap to improve mobility and accessibility in the state while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to transportation.
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) are launching a new initiative to tackle the Bay Area’s housing crisis. A central pillar of THE Expanded Regional Housing Portfolio effort is the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA), established by AB1487. BAHFA is the first state-approved regional housing finance authority in California.
The Coastal Commission approved a permit to a $330 million redevelopment of Dana Point Harbor. Aside from overhauling the aging marina, plans call for new restaurants, shops, and hotels, to be completed in 2026.
The City of San Bernardino has chosen Renaissance Downtowns USA and ICO Real Estate Group to redevelop a 43-acre Carousel Mall site. The development teams have proposed building up to 3,500 new residential units around a walkable downtown hub with a Riverwalk that loops through the new development.
The Los Angeles City Planning Commission will consider an ordinance that would revamp the city’s implementation of a 1984 law to require developers to offer a one-to-one replacement of existing units that are of equivalent size and include the same number of bedrooms, among other new clarifications and restrictions.
San Francisco’s rental market is showing signs of bouncing back after a 26 percent year-over-year drop in rental prices. In February, the city’s rent prices increased 1.2 percent in February from January—the first monthly increase since the start of the pandemic.
The Long Beach City Council voted unanimously to begin exploring the feasibility of a Latino cultural district. The idea, called El Mercado de Long Beach, would be to build an area near downtown that would include restaurants, grocery stores, housing, entertainment and more run by and for the Latino community.
Google announced nearly $30 million in loans for three subsidized housing developments in the Bay Area. The funds will go toward the construction of two buildings with a total of 250 units in Mountain View and Santa Clara, as well as 800 affordable homes in the Potrero Hill redevelopment.
The Los Angeles City Council is directing city agencies to establish a legal, budgetary, and policy framework to provide a “Right to Housing” to all Los Angeles residents. The intention is to “require the government to provide… solutions to prevent and address homelessness,” according to a press release.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would grant the highest level of protection 535,000 acres of California wilderness. Among the areas slated for protection are federally owned lands in Redwood National Park, land along the Eel and Trinity rivers in Northern California, the Carrizo Plain in central California, and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California.
New bills from freshmen assembly members from Orange County would shift $54 million from funds earmarked for California’s bullet train project, diverting the funds to help fund local transit and infrastructure projects that have lost 39 percent of revenue due to COVID-19. Another would block any federal funding from being used to support the rail project.
A Berkeley councilmember is sponsoring a 100 percent Affordable Housing Overlay modeled on Cambridge’s recent measure. Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Overlay permits greater height and density for ministerial approval for 100 percent below market-rate housing developments, increasing the availability of infill sites.
