Governor Gavin Newsom on March 14 praised Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) for sponsoring two bills (SB 607 and AB 609) that would streamline housing development in urban...more
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has released a rezoning plan to allow taller buildings along transit routes from the Marina to the Sunset and Richmond districts, changes he said would accommodate 36,000 new housing units...more
In a show of bipartisan and bicameral unity, California lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping 20-bill legislative package aimed at overhauling the state’s housing development process. Branded as the “Fast Track Housing”...more
Senator Scott Wiener is back with another bill – SB 79 – to provide for streamlined ministerial (i.e., no CEQA) approval of qualifying housing development projects near transit across California. For qualifying projects...more
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has approved a resolution amending the city’s planning code to encourage the conversion of commercial buildings into housing. The amendment will remove select fees and application...more
On February 20, 2025, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) posted a pre-publication notice on its website of an Interim Final Rule that rescinds its regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy...more
The Los Angeles City Council last Friday granted final approval to a sweeping rezoning plan that aims to boost housing development along commercial corridors and existing dense residential neighborhoods. In a 14-0 vote,...more
Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Tuesday safeguarding victims of the Los Angeles-area fires from predatory real estate investors. The executive order is designed to protect residents in fire-ravaged zip codes...more
1/22/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
California ,
CARB ,
CEQA ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Buildings (DOB) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Housing Developers ,
HUD ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Real Estate Development ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Wildfires
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced that the state has filed a lawsuit against the city of Norwalk over its passage of an ordinance that blocks new homeless shelters and other housing projects....more
Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed two new bills that aim to boost housing supply and further address the state’s homelessness crisis....more
8/29/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Eviction ,
Governor Newsom ,
Housing Developers ,
Low Income Housing ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Wildfires
On June 27, 2024, the California First District Court of Appeal affirmed the denial of a writ petition challenging the City of Lafayette’s determination that a 12-unit residential condominium building qualified for the Class...more
8/13/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Bay Area ,
California ,
CEQA ,
City of Berkeley ,
Construction Project ,
Environmental Policies ,
Federal Funding ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Popular ,
Public Projects ,
Railways ,
Real Estate Development ,
University of California ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Maps
A California Supreme Court ruling will allow student housing at University of California to be built at Berkeley's historic People's Park. In February 2023, a state appeals court in San Francisco had sided with the opponents,...more
6/13/2024
/ Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) ,
CA Supreme Court ,
California Fish and Game Commission ,
CEQA ,
Excessive Noise ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Proposed Rules ,
Student Housing ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Maps
Across California and the nation, developers moved to start fewer homes in 2023, a decline some analysts say could send home prices and rents even higher as supply shortages worsen. Developers cite several reasons for...more
Two bills proposed to modify the Builder’s Remedy are currently making their way through the State Legislature. As currently proposed, AB 1893 (Wicks) would (i) reduce the required percentage of (lower income) affordable...more
The Los Angeles Superior Court issued a highly anticipated ruling on March 4, 2024, addressing a Builder’s Remedy project denial by the City of La Cañada Flintridge. The decision confirms (i) that a local jurisdiction cannot...more
The developer behind a proposed 259-unit housing project on Del Mar’s North Bluff is suing the city after more than a year of tense communications, alleging that the city’s repeated rejection of the project application...more
San Francisco’s state-mandated plan to raise building height limits to encourage housing production along transit corridors from the Sunset to the Richmond to the Marina came under criticism at the Planning Commission’s...more
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
Last February, two pro-housing groups sued a dozen Bay Area jurisdictions, including Cupertino, over their failure to meet the January 31, 2023, state deadline for housing elements detailing how they plan to approach...more
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass last Wednesday announced a new executive order to reduce permitting time for housing by 25-30%, a move that could significantly expand housing production....more
The Biden administration is launching a multi-agency effort to encourage states and cities to convert more empty office buildings into housing units, with billions of federal dollars available to help spur such transitions....more
11/10/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Biden Administration ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
HUD ,
Office Space ,
Property Tax ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Vacant Properties
After more than two years of resistance, the city of Coronado, a wealthy island city in San Diego County, has agreed to follow state housing law by setting aside more land for development, Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney...more
The Biden administration last Thursday announced further steps to lower housing costs and boost supply. The administration is looking to incentivize municipalities to lift restrictive land use and zoning policies by...more
Housing advocates touted the “Builder’s Remedy” as a clever way to circumvent NIMBY politics and get more housing built. But in the two months since the law has been available to Bay Area developers, few have submitted...more
Rent control expands as tenants struggle with the record-high cost of housing -
NPR – November 28 -
In November, voters in Florida, Maine, and California approved ballot measures to impose or tighten caps on rent hikes....more
12/6/2022
/ Bay Area ,
California ,
CARB ,
Environmental Policies ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
Roads ,
Sustainable Projects ,
Urban Planning & Development