Office-to-Apartment Conversions – A Good Idea, but Tricky to Pull Off (Audio)
Elk Grove has settled a lawsuit with the state over a 67-unit supportive housing project the city denied, despite the fact that the city had recently approved a similar market-rate project. The lawsuit filed by Attorney...more
The Massachusetts Affordable Homes Act (H. 4977), signed into law on August 6, 2024, includes provisions intended to promote residential housing construction. These provisions: (1) require municipalities to permit accessory...more
This is part two of my three-part series on common misperceptions about the vacation rental industry in Oregon. Last week, I explained why vacation rentals are important drivers of local economies. This week, I take on the...more
Several cities in California successfully petitioned for a writ of mandate seeking the invalidation of California Senate Bill 9 (the HOME Act)....more
On April 2, 2024, HUD published a new rule in the Federal Register regarding the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS). The new rule updates the HUD regulations on Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands and...more
Officials broke ground Monday on a new high-speed rail system that will connect Southern California and Las Vegas. The Brightline West system will average speeds of about 115 miles per hour and reach a top speed of around 200...more
What Happened? Both the FHA and VA have established new loss mitigation options to provide payment reduction to delinquent borrowers. On February 21, 2024, the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) within the U.S....more
On March 28, 2024, the Adams Administration announced that its City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning proposal would, if approved by the City Council, introduce new, higher-density residential zoning districts to New York...more
Governor Gavin Newsom, whose second and final term ends in January 2027, has made curbing homelessness and increasing housing key priorities. However, his recent budget cut proposal contains more than $1.2 billion in cuts...more
On November 15, HUD increased its fee limits for property inspections for single-family homes. HUD requires federal mortgage holders to perform property inspections to determine “occupancy status, ascertain property...more
San Diego’s Planning Commission unanimously voted last Thursday against a key part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s housing plan that would have eliminated single-family zoning in much of the city. The commission voted to recommend the...more
The Illinois legislature recently approved the Electric Vehicle Charging Act (“Act”), which imposes certain requirements for “newly constructed single-family homes and multi-unit residential buildings” with parking spaces,...more
On April 7, 2023, New Mexico’s governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed into law New Mexico’s Right to Repair Act (Act), 2023 N.M. SB 50. The Act’s effective date is July 1, 2023. The Act applies to construction defects in...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
Not a day seems to go by in recent weeks without multiple articles and media hits on controversies over gas stoves. Across the U.S., opponents of gas stoves have implemented a coordinated effort by government regulators,...more
LOS ANGELES — Waymo Says It’s Bringing Robotaxis to L.A. Driverless car company Waymo, owned by Google parent Alphabet, said October 19 that it plans to add autonomous taxi fleet operations to Los Angeles. “L.A. is in the top...more
Florida's 25% Reroofing Rule, found in the 2020 (Seventh Edition) Florida Building Code– Existing Building Edition’s Chapter 7 Section 706 EXISTING ROOFING and as modified by Florida Legislature’s SB 4-D. ...more
AB 2221 and SB 897 Create Major Changes to California’s ADU Laws - In nearly every legislative session over the past few years, the California Legislature has enacted bills that reduce local control over the development of...more
Since before the pandemic, multi-family housing has been one of the hottest real estate investments in the nation. In the 2010s, the number of renters surpassed the number of homeowners in many U.S. cities, and fast-growing...more
The court of appeal held that the Housing Accountability Act (HAA) does not apply to a one-unit single-family home project. Reznitskiy v. County of Marin, 79 Cal.App.5th 1016 (2022). ...more
As a result of skyrocketing housing prices in Israel, a number of major legislative amendments are being enacted to regulate pinui-binui (vacate-and-build) projects. The legislature announced that the purpose of these...more
Attorney Kimberlee Stafford studies office-to-apartment conversions as a possible response to the housing crisis. Apartments, Commercial Buildings, Conversion, Office Closures, Residential Leases, Single-Family Housing,...more
I recently read a fascinating article on a recently completed multi-family development in Alexandria, Virginia called Park+Ford. It describes the conversion of a 1980s era office park into 435 units of housing. What makes...more
UC Berkeley ordered to freeze enrollment due to CEQA lawsuit Associated Press – March 3 The California Supreme Court ordered UC Berkeley last Thursday to freeze its undergraduate enrollment at 2020-21 levels...more
The economy is strong and growing — perhaps too quickly as the labor market remains tight. A surprising number of people are choosing to stay out of the labor market, for now, contributing to the supply chain disruptions...more