News
San Francisco goes down to the wire on key housing reform bill
 San Francisco Standard – November 27
The standoff between San Francisco and California’s housing development agency continued last Monday, as lawmakers navigated a complex procedural gambit to pass legislation to comply with state housing mandates by a second deadline or face consequences from Sacramento. The Constraints Reduction Ordinance, intended to eliminate neighborhood notifications and other forms of discretionary review, had undergone multiple changes in committee—against advice from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. That agency gave a November 24 deadline for passing the bill to comply with a state mandate to reduce barriers to getting housing built. Now that San Francisco has missed that deadline, the agency is sending the city a “Corrective Action Letter” giving it another 30 days to pass the legislation and meet other requirements before decertifying its Housing Element legislation.
Barrio Logan one step closer to ending pollution after San Diego OKs long-awaited growth plan
The San Diego Union-Tribune – November 20
Though San Diego City Council members disagreed with key changes that some considered “inappropriate,” the long-awaited community growth blueprint for Barrio Logan is just steps away from being implemented after nearly two years in limbo. The plan update, which the City Council approved last week, aims to improve public health in Barrio Logan — situated just south of downtown on the San Diego Bay — by separating residents from the neighboring shipping industry, while ensuring no new industrial facilities are permitted in the pollution-weary neighborhood. Since the City Council first signed off on the plan in December 2021, city planners have been working with the California Coastal Commission, which must weigh in on any planning policies and development that affects the state’s coastlines, to reach a compromise on key changes to the neighborhood plan. After nearly all of the 53 modifications were agreed upon, the commission kicked the plan back to the council in June for final approval.
City of Bakersfield to contract for first-ever eviction protection program
The Bakersfield Californian – November 25
Citing a continued struggle to protect its most vulnerable residents from unlawful evictions, the city of Bakersfield is instituting a first-of-its-kind Eviction Protection Program (EPP). Funded with $350,000 through the city’s Measure N tax, the pilot program will contract with an organization by next year to provide education and mediation on rental rights. Similar efforts can be seen at the city, county, and federal level: the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a "Right to Counsel" ordinance in July for unincorporated areas; the city of Fresno is more than a year into its EPP; and the Evictions Protections Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, if passed, would establish a program through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Tahoe is at a ‘breaking point,’ says new lawsuit that seeks to block development plan
San Francisco Chronicle – November 29
A coalition of Tahoe residents has filed suit to block newly approved updates to a development plan that lay the groundwork for more affordable housing, hotels, and restaurants on the lake’s West Shore. In late October, Placer County supervisors approved amendments to the county’s overarching Tahoe development plan, which — in conjunction with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency — governs building requirements in the lake basin from Tahoma north to Kings Beach. The plaintiffs behind the new suit are skeptical the county’s plan would produce the kind of community benefits it espouses and could instead contribute to traffic congestion, crowding, and pollution, among other issues. Opponents of the plan amendments also worry that streamlining new developments could produce more luxury homes instead of the affordable units many in Tahoe believe are desperately needed.
Office-to-residential conversion costs can be 30% lower than new construction: Gensler
Smart Cities Dive – November 21
Around 25% of the office buildings Gensler assessed meet the criteria for potential office-to-residential conversion, according to the latest data from research it updated in October. The study, which initially looked at 300 buildings in 25 cities across North America, was expanded to more than 1,000 potential conversion sites. The research provides a ballpark measure for building owners to quickly assess the suitability of aging office buildings for conversion, the company says.
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