Creative Reuse: The Opportunities and Challenges of Converting Office Space to Residential
California CRE to Expand in 2022
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, the City Planning Commission certified for public review zoning map and text amendment applications (the Proposal) that would create a new Special Midtown South Mixed-Use District (MSX Special...more
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced in June 2022 the City of Yes zoning initiative, intended to modernize and update the City's Zoning Resolution by promoting environmental sustainability, easing restrictions on small...more
The City of Gaithersburg has adopted a comprehensive new zoning ordinance that reorganizes and modernizes the ordinance while making it more user friendly. Substantively, the new ordinance adds a new potential zoning category...more
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Senate Bill 102 on March 28, 2023, with an effective date of July 1, 2023. Commonly referred to as the Live Local Act (the Act), it has significant land use, zoning and tax benefits...more
In a lengthy published decision, the Court of Appeal upheld the City of Oakland’s environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed Oakland A’s MLB stadium and mixed use project, rejecting numerous challenges and affirming...more
On October 6, 2022, the Framingham City Council (“Council”) voted to refer proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance set forth in ORDER 2022-084-001 to the Planning Board for readvertisement and hearing, which is scheduled...more
On Dec. 15, 2021, the City Council approved the City’s rezoning plan for the SoHo and NoHo neighborhoods. The Council’s action completed the legislative process, thereby turning the plan into law. The stated objectives of the...more
Philadelphia’s latest budget goes into effect today, containing $5.2 billion in spending and a host of programs designed to curb Philadelphia’s increasing gun violence rates. Over $200 million is directed towards...more
In my last post, “Real Estate Alphabet Soup: Y Is for Yard”, I continued my primer on the “alphabet soup” of real estate. This post continues to stir the “alphabet soup” and completes the recipe with the final ingredient, the...more
The Town of Smithtown is considering the adoption of a local law that would allow residential uses as part of mixed-use developments in the Hauppauge Industrial Park. The proposal follows on the heels of an April 2019 report...more
A Summary of Published Appellate Opinions Under the California Environmental Quality Act - The year 2019 saw several trailblazing opinions, indicating that courts continue to grapple with some of CEQA’s core policies. The...more
On October 9, 2019, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 330, or the “Housing Crisis Act of 2019” in an effort to combat California’s current housing shortage, which has resulted in the highest rents and lowest...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law yesterday October 9, 2019, a major set of restrictions on the actions California cities and counties may take to impede housing development. Senate Bill 330 broadly aims to...more
On July 18, 2019, in Sacramentans for Fair Planning v. City of Sacramento, __ Cal.App.5th __ (2019), the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court decision denying a “vertical” consistency challenge filed by...more
The City of Coral Gables’ zoning code landscape and open space requirements were recently amended as of May 14, 2019. The Coral Gables’ zoning code now requires landscape open space to be provided at the ground level and to...more
The Second District Court of Appeal upheld the City of Los Angeles’s General Plan amendment, which changed the land use designation of a proposed project site for a mixed-use development against challenges the decision was...more
Several months ago, Charlotte’s Planning Director Taiwo Jaiyeoba charted a new course for drafting Charlotte’s Unified Development Ordinance (CLTUDO). We are now undertaking the development of a comprehensive vision plan for...more
In opposing Crossroad Ventures, LLC’s (“Crossroad Ventures“) endeavor to construct a vacation resort partially within the Town of Shandaken, (“Town“), grassroots preservation organization Catskill Heritage Alliance, Inc....more
May 22 drew crowds of government officials, area executives, project professionals, and the press with the groundbreaking for Worcester’s new Kelley Square Market. The launch of this project bolsters the excitement of the...more
On Monday, Feb. 12, the Denver City Council voted 11-1 to approve changes to the Denver Zoning Code and Municipal Code with the intent of implementing the 38th & Blake Station Area Plan Amendments—and allowing property owners...more
In the recently-decided Cherry Community Organization v. City of Charlotte, the North Carolina Court of Appeals determines that standing to bring a declaratory judgment action challenging a rezoning requires both allegations...more
Two recent New York cases brought to mind the well-known poem about trees. No, not the one written by Joyce Kilmer. The other one, written by Ogden Nash. Who can ever forget those immortal words. “I think that I shall never...more
On February 10, 2016, the Los Angeles City Council adopted the “HI” Hybrid Industrial Live/Work Zone Ordinance, which creates a new zone classification in the City of Los Angeles, the Hybrid Industrial (HI) Zone, with...more