CP&DR

Voluntary Effort Sets High Goals for Bay Area's El Camino Real

May 30, 2008

Paul Shigley, Public Development, San Mateo County, Transportation, Vol. 23 No. 06 Jun 2008

When Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network CEO Russell Hancock talks about transforming El Camino Real into the Northern California version of the Avenues des Champs Elysees, one begins to wonder what color the sky is in his world.

General Plans Address Climate Change

May 30, 2008

California, Climate change, Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 06 Jun 2008

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.

Rare Fish Swimming in Restored Alameda Creek

May 30, 2008

Alameda County, Environment Watch, Habitat conservation planning, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 06 Jun 2008

Restoration of Alameda Creek in the East Bay reached a milestone this spring when what appeared to be hundreds of steelhead trout hatched in a tributary to the creek. If the young fish are indeed steelhead — experts should know soon — they would mark the first natural reproduction of steelhead in the creek since the 1960s.

Voters In Napa County, SF, SoCal To Decide Measures

May 1, 2008

California, Featured Articles, Initiatives and referendums, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 05 May 2008

After a lull during the off-year election of 2007, land use initiatives and referendums are starting to reappear on local ballots this June. Voters in at least seven jurisdictions are scheduled to decide measures that are related directly or indirectly to what gets built and where.

Proposed Resort In Lassen County Faces Bankruptcy, Uncertainty

May 1, 2008

Lassen County, Local Watch, Paul Shigley, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Vol. 23 No. 05 May 2008

Plans to build the first new, large-scale ski resort in California in four decades — and the largest project in Lassen County history — appear to be in serious jeopardy.

The developers of the proposed Dyer Mountain Resort, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains west of Susanville, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late March. News of the filing has caused environmentalists to celebrate, and Lassen County officials to wait even longer on what supporters have called an important economic development opportunity.

Requests For Public Agency Emails Cost Landowner

Apr 30, 2008

California Environmental Quality Act, Legal Digest, Marin County, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 05 May 2008

A property owner that lost a California Environmental Quality Act suit against the City of San Rafael has been told to pay the city for costs incurred recovering emails related to the property and a proposed development project.

Baldwin Park Plans Downtown Overhaul, Meets Resistance

Apr 28, 2008

Eminent domain, Los Angeles County, Paul Shigley, Redevelopment Watch, Vol. 23 No. 05 May 2008

The City of Baldwin Park is pressing forward with an extremely ambitious redevelopment project that would convert the present downtown area of mostly single story commercial structures and modest houses into a very high-density, mixed-use district adjacent to a Metrolink station. However, the city's extensive planning and a deal with a developer may be for naught if state voters approve eminent domain restrictions that will appear on the June ballot.

APA Award Winner Dave Brown

Apr 28, 2008

Los Angeles County, Paul Shigley, Q&A, Vol. 23 No. 05 May 2008

Dave Brown of Calabasas is this year's recipient of the American Planning Association's leadership award for a planning advocate. A member of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy advisory committee since 1985 and a Calabasas planning commissioner since 1992, Brown has been involved in land use and natural resources issues in the area since the 1970s. He received the award in part for his "overlooked but instrumental" role in creating the 153,000-acre Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. For 45 years he has been a history professor at Los Angeles Valley College, where he still teaches two classes. Brown spoke with CP&DR Editor Paul Shigley in April.

Stormwater Regulations Proliferate

Apr 4, 2008

California, Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 04 Apr 2008, Water

State water quality officials are continuing to press forward with more and more strict regulations for stormwater runoff. In response, planners and developers are worried about the cost of implementation and potentially unintended consequences.

Diamond Bar Considers Annexation Amidst Open Space

Apr 4, 2008

Habitat conservation planning, Los Angeles County, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 04 Apr 2008

Environmentalists, open space advocates, planners, elected officials and residents of several Los Angeles and Orange County communities are gearing up for the next round in the battle over the fate of thousands of acres in the hills along the 57 freeway.