Sustainable Development Update - July 2018 #2

Allen Matkins
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Sustainable Development Focus

California Democratic Party endorses rent control expansion

CURBED SAN FRANCISCO - Jul 16 On Sunday, the California Democratic Party endorsed Proposition 10, a November 6 ballot initiative that would repeal the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Act and allow California cities to place rent-control restrictions on newly created housing stock. Under Costa-Hawkins, cities may not subject newly built properties to rent control. The 1995 law also prevents cities from designating single-family homes as rent controlled. If Proposition 10 passes, it would add the following language to the state’s civil code: “A city, county, or city and county shall have the authority to adopt a local charter provision, ordinance, or regulation that governs a landlord’s right to establish and increase rental rates on a dwelling or housing unit.”

Changes to San Francisco’s Central SoMa rezoning plan would result in more housing

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE - Jul 16 The rezoning of San Francisco’s Central South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood, a decade in the making, has always been about jobs — creating a place for the large-floor-plate office buildings that tech companies covet. But as the plan heads to the Board of Supervisors for a vote in the next few weeks, Supervisor Jane Kim will introduce a set of amendments at Monday’s Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting designed to squeeze a little more housing out of the office-oriented rezoning. Kim wants to change the zoning north of Harrison Street from “mixed-use office” to “mixed-use residential,” adding housing to that part of the plan’s designated area, which generally runs from close to Market Street south to Townsend Street and from Second Street to Sixth Street. City planning officials say the change would result in about 250 more housing units and would mostly impact smaller sites north of Harrison Street.

San Diego votes to limit Airbnb rentals to primary residences only

THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE - Jul 16 In a move that will dramatically alter San Diego’s home sharing landscape, the City Council Monday voted to outlaw vacation rentals in secondary homes, limiting short-term stays to one’s primary residence only. The effect of the action will be to curtail investor activity in the short-term rental market while also barring residents and out-of-towners from hosting short-term stays in multiple properties other than where they reside.

Santa Cruz neighborhood rejects state orders to open beach for free

LOS ANGELES TIMES - Jul 11 Rather than negotiating with coastal officials as planned, a Santa Cruz neighborhood group said last Wednesday that it doesn’t need renewed permission to charge a $100 annual fee to access a county park known by locals as Privates Beach. The Opal Cliffs Recreation District has argued that it already has the right, established by state and county permits, to sell gate keys and use proceeds to keep the beach clean and safe. But the California Coastal Commission stepped in and voided the entire gate operation, citing the state’s landmark Coastal Act, which declares that access to the beach is a fundamental right guaranteed to everyone. The commission demanded that the neighborhood group start the permit process from scratch, but in a bold move district leaders fought back by withdrawing from the process entirely. The move sets up a legal fight over the future of the beach. If the gate operation remains in effect, it would be the first time a public beach in California is allowed to charge for access itself.

Here’s how one utility is thinking about mainstreaming all-electric buildings

GREENTECH MEDIA - Jul 13 California has been a leader in building energy efficiency since the late 1970s, but state officials readily acknowledge that much more can be done to decarbonize buildings. The California Energy Commission (CEC), the agency responsible for updating the state’s Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, is beginning a concerted push toward zero-emission buildings, hosting a first-of-its-kind workshop on the topic last month. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which has begun offering rebates for new or retrofitted all-electric homes, in comments submitted to the CEC after the workshop, outlined a list of policy recommendations to mainstream zero-emission, all-electric buildings in California, including the following: include the cost of gas infrastructure in Title 24; initiate a “pruning the tree” gas pipe pilot; amortize electrification costs over multiple appliance life cycles; and incentivize cities to add all-electric building code provisions.

California’s largest energy-saving home development being built in Fresno County

THE FRESNO BEE - Jul 12 De Young Properties is building a 36-single-family energy efficient development in southeast Clovis, called EnVision at Loma Vista, which is the largest development of its kind in the state and could serve as a model for how other builders meet the looming energy saving mandate. Each home’s solar installation, coupled with other energy efficient features, is designed to produce as much energy as the home will use in a year, which is known as zero net energy. Among the energy saving features of the home is the heat pump water heater. They also have roof tiles that reflect heat and sunlight away from the home and a high-efficiency air conditioning and heating system.

BYD and Generate Capital launch $200M electric bus leasing JV

TECHCRUNCH - Jul 11 There are 345,000 electric buses in use today across the world, but the U.S. accounts for only 300 of them. Now, Chinese electric vehicle company BYD is launching a new joint venture in an attempt to boost that number. In partnership with clean-energy financing company Generate Capital, BYD is starting a leasing program for electric buses. The companies say they will initially put in $200 million to the project to get it off the ground. The partnership says it has secured several clients already, including universities and corporations who use the buses to transport students and employees to, from, and around large campuses; and smaller municipalities.

 

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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