California’s 2025 legislative cycle includes another ambitious package of housing bills as the state continues to look for ways to ease the housing crisis amidst continued political and economic uncertainty. Reforming the...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
Mayor Lurie launches initiative to speed up S.F.’s slow permitting process (SF Chronicle): The Mayor announced a new effort to...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco Why Mission Bay is recovering faster than anywhere else in San Francisco (SF Standard):
The redeveloped neighborhood is booming ahead...more
2/10/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
California ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Infrastructure ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
Can downtown be saved? Mayoral candidates’ big ideas to stop the bleeding (SF Standard): The candidates agree that something must be...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco - S.F.’s Stonestown to become west side’s largest residential development in 50 years (SF Chronicle): The plan to convert the Stonestown...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
Small and Mighty: How small businesses can reinvent downtown San Francisco (SPUR Policy Brief): SPUR’s research, drawn from a...more
5/7/2024
/ Bay Area ,
California ,
California Coastal Commission ,
Community Development ,
Construction Project ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Infrastructure ,
Public Projects ,
Real Estate Development ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
San Francisco’s Montgomery Street Could Signal a Downtown Revival (NY Times): Why a seven-block stretch of Montgomery Street, from the...more
San Francisco -
Can Free Rent Jump-Start a Downtown San Francisco Revival? Pop-Up Retailers Say Maybe (SF Standard): Nearly halfway into the three-month program, called Vacant to Vibrant, stakeholders say it has breathed...more
12/13/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Building Permits ,
California ,
City of Berkeley ,
Community Development ,
Construction Project ,
Density Bonus ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Real Estate Development ,
Retailers ,
San Francisco ,
Student Housing ,
Urban Planning & Development
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
San Francisco Office Market Shows Signs of Life (Wall Street Journal): Sales slowly materialize as some sellers accept lower prices,...more
11/8/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Bay Area ,
California ,
City of Berkeley ,
Community Development ,
Construction Project ,
County Planning Commissions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Housing Market ,
Real Estate Development ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Transportation Corridor ,
Urban Planning & Development
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
These three new blocks of housing are among S.F.’s best. They’re for the formerly homeless (S.F. Chronicle): Exploring three recently...more
9/19/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
California ,
Construction Project ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Low Income Housing ,
Real Estate Development ,
Recovery Plans ,
San Francisco ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Vacant Properties
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco San Francisco isn’t doomed. These 6 places show why (S.F. Chronicle):
The City is not without its current challenges but, for most of...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
National Insight on Downtown San Francisco Recovery (Urban Land Institute): San Francisco can create a more commercially vibrant and...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
The Luxury Shopping Oasis Emerging in San Francisco’s Struggling Downtown (Wall Street Journal): Although local foot traffic may be down,...more
6/5/2023
/ Architecture ,
Bay Area ,
California ,
Commercial Leases ,
Construction Project ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Economic Development ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Office Space ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Market ,
San Francisco ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Vacant Properties ,
Water Supplies
The land use entitlement process in California is notoriously complicated, lengthy, and fraught with uncertainty. Less attention is paid to the process of receiving building permits, post-entitlement. Generally, this process...more
5/17/2023
/ Building Codes ,
Building Permits ,
California ,
Construction Permits ,
Construction Project ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Municipalities ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
Housing Wonks on a Mission to Shorten S.F.’s Permitting Process (Fixing Our City Podcast): Assemblymember Matt Haney and YIMBY...more
5/8/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
California ,
Community Development ,
Construction Project ,
County Planning Commissions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Eviction ,
Housing Market ,
Local Ordinance ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rental Property ,
Urban Planning & Development
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
S.F. housing production slows to crawl as state goals loom (San Francisco Chronicle): The Planning Department’s annual housing...more
4/10/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Apartments ,
California ,
Commercial Real Estate Contracts ,
Construction Project ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Disparate Impact ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Local Ordinance ,
Low Income Housing ,
Office Space ,
Parking Lots ,
Real Estate Development ,
Retail Market ,
San Francisco ,
Urban Planning & Development
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team...more
3/7/2023
/ Building Permits ,
California ,
CMBS ,
Construction Permits ,
Construction Project ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Homeless Issues ,
Municipalities ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
While the 2020-2021 California Legislative Session was dominated by the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis and the ultimately unsuccessful Gubernatorial recall election, there were significant efforts made to change statewide...more
9/24/2021
/ CEQA ,
Density Bonus ,
Environmental Review ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Market ,
New Legislation ,
Pending Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws