Fullerton leaders have reached a settlement with the state over the city’s housing element. When looking at how much housing is needed in the state to meet the growing population, Fullerton’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation...more
City of Los Angeles - The Processes and Procedures Ordinance Becomes Operative January 22, 2024 - The city council adopted the Processes and Procedures Ordinance amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) to...more
Over the last year, planning, and more particularly planning reform, has become an increasingly hot political topic, even managing to grab headlines in the press and featuring in many of the speeches and promises made by the...more
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 was given Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. It introduces some wide-ranging reforms to the planning system which we summarise in this Insight. However, most of the changes will not...more
Last week saw the Secretary of State’s much anticipated call-in decision on the proposals by Marks and Spencer to demolish and rebuild its flagship store at the Marble Arch end of Oxford Street, London. Against the...more
El texto definitivo aprobado en segundo debate en sesión plenaria del Senado del Proyecto de Ley No. 338/2023 (Cámara) y 274/2023 (Senado) por el cual se expide el Plan Nacional de Desarrollo (PND) 2022-2026 "Colombia...more
For those of us with a keen interest in heritage planning, after 2021 delivered blockbuster decisions such as the Court of Appeal in Bramshill and the High Court quashing of the A303 Stonehenge Tunnel Development Consent...more
As part of its efforts to implement changes outlined in the 2021 Comprehensive Plan Update, the District of Columbia Office of Planning (OP) has undertaken multiple initiatives. These are at various stages in the planning...more
Ohio historic preservation and economic development projects may soon receive a large temporary boost from the Ohio General Assembly. Recently passed by the Ohio Senate and now under consideration in the Ohio House, Ohio...more
The New York City Council on June 17 approved legislation that would mandate a “racial equity report” in connection with many rezonings, special permits and other land use applications submitted on or after June 1, 2022. ...more
The California Court of Appeal issued a unanimous decision that will have lasting, positive implications for developers utilizing SB 35. SB 35 (Cal. Gov't Code Sec. 65913.4) requires cities and counties to quickly and...more
New bill would fight homelessness by raising California’s corporate tax rates - The Mercury News – January 13 - New, higher tax rates on large corporations doing business in California would raise $2.4 billion to fund...more
An ongoing study of Reston, Virginia, could lead to the establishment of additional historic designations at the federal, state and county levels across the community. A survey commissioned through a Virginia Department of...more
Eusebio Leal Spengler died last week. That name is not well-known in the US but he was the person who led an effort to preserve Old Havana, transforming that historic district from a forgotten slum into an architectural jewel...more
The Ballard Spahr Zoning and Land Use Team is continuing to monitor all aspects of the Philadelphia land use approval process during the COVID-19 emergency, including the issuance of zoning and building permits, regulation of...more
The Supreme Court has provided clarity and guidance on what constitutes a ‘building’ for the purpose of whether structures can be heritage listed, and has confirmed that when appealing listed building enforcement proceedings,...more
California lawmakers wrestle with coronavirus on top of housing shortages - Bullet San Francisco Chronicle – May 9 - As the Legislature returns for a session redefined by the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic,...more
In SEQRA litigation, there is an oft-quoted proposition that the Lead Agency may not abdicate or defer its responsibilities under SEQRA to another agency. See Riverkeeper, Inc. v. Planning Bd. of Town of Se., 9 N.Y.3d 219,...more
In Schmidt v. City of Buffalo Planning Bd., 174 A.D.3d 1413 (4th Dept., July 31, 2019), the petitioner, Terrence Robinson, filed suit to prevent the demolition of an architecturally significant apartment complex, claiming...more
A recent Supreme Court decision, In the Matter of Preserve Our Brooklyn Neighborhoods v. City of New York, demonstrates the difficulty a litigant faces when challenging a zoning determination on constitutional grounds. ...more
Local real estate investment firm NBP Capital acquired the downtown Multnomah County courthouse for $28 million this past November. The current structure was completed in 1914, although the site has been the home of the...more
The City of Portland has about 10,000 buildings, bridges, cemeteries, landscapes, and other resources that have been designated as historic. Of those, about 5,000 are "documented" on the City's Historic Resource Inventory,...more
The 2019 Colorado General Assembly has only been in session for a few weeks, but bills are already pending or in the works that may affect real property and development. Here, we discuss a few of the most impactful. For more...more
A Summary of Published Appellate Opinions Under the California Environmental Quality Act - The California Supreme Court issued its only CEQA opinion of 2018 at the end of the year. In Sierra Club v. County of Fresno, the...more
CEQA Case Report: Understanding the Judicial Landscape for Development - In an opinion published on August 9, 2018, Protect Niles v. City of Fremont, Case No. A151645, the First Appellate District of the California Court...more