Focus
DOE launches partnership to cut in half building and factory emissions by 2030
S&P Global – February 28
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will partner with public and private stakeholders to develop ways to slash greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, factories, and homes through the Better Climate Challenge program. Participants will pledge to cut their operational emissions by at least 50% within 10 years and improve their energy efficiency by about 20%. HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said the program could further the department's goal of lowering the carbon footprint and energy costs of affordable housing.
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News
California rejects L.A.'s housing plan update, seeking more ambitious rezoning effort
Spectrum News – February 24
State housing regulators rejected Los Angeles’ blueprint for increased development over the next eight years, telling the city it must re-zone by mid-October to accommodate 255,000 new homes, instead of over the next three years, or risk losing access to affordable housing grants. The City Council recently approved the Housing Element Update 2021-29 on Nov. 24 as a guide that lays the groundwork for nearly 500,000 new housing units by 2029.
Hollywood Burbank Airport sues California's bullet train
Los Angeles Times – February 25
In the first legal challenge to the California bullet train’s impacts in the Los Angeles region, Hollywood Burbank Airport filed an environmental lawsuit seeking to put the project’s approvals on hold. The lawsuit alleges that the rail authority’s plans for tracks and an underground station near the airport could affect its operations and safety. It asks the state agency to reformulate its designs with a new environmental impact report that would need to be recirculated for public comment.
San Diego’s citywide cap on vacation rentals should be approved, Coastal Commission planners say
La Jolla Light – February 25
California Coastal Commission planners are recommending approval of San Diego’s planned citywide cap on short-term rentals, despite acknowledging that the new restrictions have the potential to slash the number of such rentals by half. A commission staff report released this week concluded that the regulations seek to strike a balance between providing access to the coast and preserving long-term housing. Even so, planners are asking the city to add a key provision requiring San Diego to revisit the new regulations in seven years to assess potential fallout from such a dramatic land-use change.
Irvine forgoes property taxes on two apartments to convert 1,000-plus units to middle-income housing
Orange County Register – February 28
Rents at more than 1,000 units at two apartment buildings in Irvine are expected to be marked down and turned into the city’s first housing that is priced for middle-income families. Sometimes called “workforce housing,” the lower-rate units are meant to target renters who fall into a void within the housing market — what’s been dubbed the “missing middle” — where they make too much for entry into affordable housing programs but not enough to afford today’s prices. Projects that convert market-rate units into middle-income homes have been adopted by cities up and down the state in recent years, including several in Orange County.
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