Creative Reuse: The Opportunities and Challenges of Converting Office Space to Residential
The LA City Council passed an amendment to the Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance (JCO), which went into effect January 27, 2025. It applies to most landlords who own and lease residential property within the city, if they are...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
Burdens of Proof in Special Exceptions and Conditional Uses After Cogan Properties LLC v. East Union Township Zoning Hearing Board, et al.- Shifting burdens of proof are hallmarks of special exceptions and conditional uses in...more
The so-called “mansion tax” approved by Los Angeles voters in 2022 and effective April 1, 2023 (Measure ULA) is a misnomer. It establishes a new 4% documentary transfer tax on the sale of any real property priced or valued...more
Measure ULA, also known as the “Homelessness and Housing Solutions Tax,” was a ballot measure in Los Angeles which was recently approved by voters in the 2022 Los Angeles County Midterm Elections. Measure ULA will impose a...more
On June 22, 2022, the City of Chicago adopted a new ordinance commonly referred to as the “Cooling Ordinance”. The Cooling Ordinance modifies the cooling requirements for certain residential buildings, which does include...more
The Los Angeles City Council recently considered a vacancy tax intended to reduce the number of vacant residential units. The proposed Empty Homes Tax would aim to address homelessness by penalizing residential landlords for...more
As part of San Francisco’s ongoing energy efficiency push, the Board of Supervisors passed, and the Mayor signed, legislation that expands energy performance disclosure and benchmarking requirements to multifamily residential...more
CEQA Case Report: Understanding the Judicial Landscape for Development - In a partially published opinion issued April 4, 2018, Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute v. City and County of San Francisco, Case...more
The New Jersey Legislature amended the Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) in 2011 to replace the former “time of decision rule” with what is commonly referred to as the “time of application rule” (the TOA Rule). N.J.S.A....more
A referendum requiring either the rejection of an enacted zoning ordinance or submission to the voters that would leave in place zoning inconsistent with a general plan does not violate Gov’t Code Section 65860, according to...more
On Tuesday, July 11, 2017, the Santa Barbara City Council will consider a new zoning ordinance for the city. If the council votes to introduce and subsequently adopt the new zoning ordinance (NZO), it will be effective 30...more
An age-old problem faced by municipal officials is what to do about residents and landowners who fail to take care of their properties and allow junk, debris, and other unsightly items to accumulate. This often leads to...more
Bottlerock 2017 is fast approaching and Napa County will be flooded with thousands of people. Many of the people who attend this event will be from out of town and will be looking for a place to stay for the weekend....more
Local governments may not rely on zoning rules to prohibit renters in multi-family housing developments. Many local governments (and residents) prefer property owners living in their communities rather than tenants. This...more
On October 9th, the Los Angeles City Council voted 12-0 to approve an ordinance requiring mandatory earthquake retrofitting for thousands of buildings in Los Angeles. The ordinance comes nearly a year after the publication of...more