Local governments in the Central Valley are starting to adopt policies that require developers to mitigate the conversion of farmland to urban uses, primarily by acquiring agricultural easements or paying in-lieu fees. San Joaquin County has become a hotbed for the new policies, and farmland advocates are hoping to export those policies to other places.
A few weeks ago, I attended an Urban Land Institute event dedicated to hyping Los Angeles's newfound urbanity. It was a panel discussion on the windy roof of an old office building at 3801 Wilshire Boulevard, just across Western Avenue from the historic Wiltern Theater and catty-corner to the Red Line stop at Wilshire and Western.
It is no secret that affordable housing is in short-supply in Santa Clara County. Recently, the Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Charities Housing Development Corporation, and the Institute for Metropolitan Studies at San Jose State University released a report, "Housing Silicon Valley: A 20 Year Plan to End the Affordable Housing Crisis," to quantify the problem and suggest solutions. The study is available at the LISC website: www.bayarealisc.org.
The report led to the creation of a "blue ribbon commission" of housing experts and civic leaders that is scheduled to release an action plan in October. Greg Chin, program coordinator for LISC, helped write the report and is providing staff assistance to the commission. He spoke with CP&DR Editor Paul Shigley in May. >>read more
California's business community is accustomed to having its plans second-guessed by regulators seeking to determine whether a project or activity will harm birds, bugs, fish and plants. But a recent decision by the Coastal Commission appears to signal a dramatic shift in the state's regulatory environment, adding a global dimension to the list of potential impacts to be assessed.
The City of Fresno's policy of not requiring mitigations for developments' impact on state highways is illegal, according to the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
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