CP&DR

Voters Confront Land Use Measures

Oct 5, 2008

California, Featured Articles, Legislation, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 10 Oct 2008

Construction activity may have declined dramatically, but the number of ballot measures seeking to slow or guide growth remains high. Voters across California will face close to 50 growth-related local ballot measures in November.

It's not unusual for the number of slow-growth measures to increase at the end of a real estate boom. Construction often continues and the real estate market dies, and slow-growth measures are often a reaction to construction rather than the market. In other words, slow-growth ballot measures are a lagging economic indicator of the real estate market. This November's total is down from the 78 measures on the November 2006 ballot, partly because California had two primaries this year.

State Budget Hits Redevelopment, Public Transit

Oct 1, 2008

California, Featured Articles, Legislation, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 10 Oct 2008

The state budget signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in late September shifts $350 million from redevelopment agencies to schools, and it provides no funding at all for transit projects contained in the State Transportation Improvement Program. Still, the sentiment among many local government officials was that the budget could have been far worse.

Regional Planning Bill Approved By Lawmakers

Sep 3, 2008

California, Featured Articles, Legislation, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 09 Sep 2008

Senate Bill 375 is alternately being described as the most important land use legislation since the California Coastal Act of 1976, and a step in the right direction. Only time will tell whether the bill is a landmark or an incremental step, but there is no denying that SB 375 author Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) aimed high. "At the heart of this effort," Steinberg said, "is the need to integrate our housing and transportation plans to create sustainable communities."

Steinberg's bill was by far the most significant land use legislation approved during the two-year legislative session that concluded on August 31.

Loma Linda Referendums Cleared For Ballot

Aug 27, 2008

CP&DR Staff, Featured Articles, Initiatives and referendums, San Bernardino County, Vol. 23 No. 09 Sep 2008

Two referendums of large housing projects in the City of Loma Linda have been reinstated by the Fourth District Court of Appeal. The court overturned a Superior Court judge's decision to pull the referendums from the June 2006 ballot because referendum petitions failed to contain the full text of challenged ordinances. The Fourth District found the petitions to be legally adequate, clearing the referendums to appear on ballots in 2009.

Academics Recommend Proposition 13 Alternatives

Aug 26, 2008

California, CP&DR Staff, Featured Articles, Local government finance, Vol. 23 No. 09 Sep 2008

Calling Proposition 13, "deeply flawed," a new report by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy recommends entirely new approaches to property tax relief.

General Plans Address Climate Change

Jul 31, 2008

California, Featured Articles, General plans, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 06 Jun 2008

A general plan that does not address the issue of climate change appears to be an endangered species.

Numerous cities and counties in the process of updating their general plans are addressing climate change with policies for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and, to a lesser extent, adapting to changing conditions. Some localities have adopted climate action plans that affect the general plan and other long-term planning documents, while others have written specific general plan policies and implementation measures.

What Will The Sustainable Community Look Like In The Future?

Jul 31, 2008

Climate change, Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 08 Aug 2008

Today more than ever planners are recommending— and being urged to recommend —"sustainable" development practices. But what makes a development truly sustainable remains an open question, as there is uncertainty over what the sustainable community may look like as little as one generation in the future.

In interviews that CP&DR recently conducted with planners, academics, developers and advocates, a rough consensus of sustainable development began to emerge: The sustainable community will be compact, have numerous transportation options besides the car, and be far more energy-efficient than today's neighborhoods and cities.

Subdivision Maps Receive One-Year Extension

Jul 29, 2008

California, CP&DR Staff, Featured Articles, Legislation, Vol. 23 No. 08 Aug 2008

Urgency legislation extending the life of all subdivision maps by one year has been signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger. The California Building Industry Association (CBIA) praised the governor for signing SB 1185 (Lowenthal). The real estate slowdown has prevented developers from following through with approved projects, and the legislation ensures developers and landowners do not have to go through the entitlement process a second time.

Foreclosures May Become Redevelopment Agencies' Concern

Jul 1, 2008

California, Featured Articles, Legislation, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

Redevelopment agencies may soon have authority to assist homeowners with subprime loans who are facing foreclosure, and to acquire foreclosed housing.

Under a measure likely to pass the Legislature, redevelopment agencies could aid homeowners, lenders and developers whether or not the subject property is within a redevelopment project area. However, a late amendment to the bill would prevent agencies from using their 20% housing set-aside fund for the activities.

California Issues CEQA Guidance on Greenhouse Gases

Jun 20, 2008

California, California Environmental Quality Act, Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

State OPR says agencies must quantify and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from projects. But determining significance and cumulative impact is likely to be tricky.