Articles

Cities are moving aggressively to adopt objective design standards, now required in reviewing housing projects. But developers can use the Density Bonus Law to end-run some of the standards. 

Altogether the governor signed more than 40 planning and development bills, vetoing only one bill designed to encourage conversion of old office buildings to housing, apparently because off the labor standards contained in the bill.

Not on this fall's ballot. With the state breathing down the locals necks on housing, maybe the era of ballot box zoning is over?

AB 98 would impose standards on new warehouses, especially in the Inland Empire -- but environmental justice groups say it doesn't go far enough and the bill was prepared in secrecy

Two bills sitting on the governor's desk would make it more difficult for cities and counties to claim that their housing element is compliant just because their elected officials approved it. Those are among the 30 so or planning and development bills approved by the Legislature this year.

Meanwhile, around the state, cities push back against builders remedy applications by saying builders remedy doesn't apply and applications are incomplete. And everybody is waiting for the outcome of the La Cañada Flintridge case.

Listing of insects could make landscape-level conservation planning more difficult because of challenges in identifying habitat.

The state passed a law protecting the species after the Fish & Game Commission deadlocked on listing it. Critics say the mitigation fee of $300 to $2,500 per plant will make housing projects infeasible.

Insurance in wildfire areas is becoming harder to get -- which should be a good thing for the state's growth management policies. But it's getting in the way of meeting the state's housing targets.

The state's environmental agencies may be insulated from the new ruling stripping federal administrative agencies of power -- and they're picking up the slack. But do they have the capacity and expertise to do the job?