November 2009
Solving Downtown Sacramento's Problems With An Arena
By Paul Shigley on 17 November 2009 - 1:20pmThe environmental impact report for the huge Sacramento rail yards redevelopment project was upheld earlier this month by Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connolly.
Two lawsuits over the EIR were filed – one by a group of environmentalists and one by Westfield, which owns Downtown Plaza not far from the rail yards. Both suits claimed Sacramento did not adequately address traffic and air impacts.
In Bad Times, ULI Talks Planning, Not Development
By William Fulton on 10 November 2009 - 9:01amThe Urban Land Institute has a reputation of being an organization in which enlightened developers get together with the occasional savvy planner and designer. So with a real estate downturn in full swing, it's not surprising that the main topic at ULI's Fall Meeting in San Francisco last week was ... planning, not development.
Climate Change Adaptation Recommendations Result In Same Old Fight
By Paul Shigley on 9 November 2009 - 3:51pmIf predictions about the impact of global warming are even half right, a lot of us are going to be quite literally swimming – or at least wading – through our daily lives in 30 or 40 years. Yet in the current debate about how the state should approach “adaptation” strategies, all parties are crouched in their typically unhelpful postures.
NBC Universal's Growth Plans: A Monologue
By Paul Shigley on 9 November 2009 - 3:43pmNBC Universal has unveiled a master plan for buildout of its 391-acre property in the hills between Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. Morris Newman offers his analysis by way of a dramatic monologue.
Social Justice Advocates Make Case For Annexation
By Paul Shigley on 9 November 2009 - 3:36pmThe Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has given new life to a lawsuit alleging that the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County discriminated against four predominately Latino communities.
Palos Verdes Estates' Aesthetics Topple Cell Phone Antennas
By Paul Shigley on 9 November 2009 - 3:03pmA city may consider aesthetics in regulating the construction of telecommunications antennas, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. The ruling is the latest in a series of court decisions upholding the authority of local government to decide where wireless antennas are located.
Lengthy Capitola Litigation Returned To District Court
By Paul Shigley on 9 November 2009 - 2:47pmhe Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals continues to crack open the door to property owners seeking compensation for what they claim is a government taking. In its most recent decision, the court ruled that the owner of a rent-controlled mobile home park in Capitola should have its day in federal District Court. This despite the fact that the U.S. District Court and two state courts ruled that a state court decision against the property owner should have settled the matter.
CEQA Guidelines Changes Downplay Automobiles
By Paul Shigley on 9 November 2009 - 2:30pmThe Natural Resources Agency has altered proposed amendments to the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines. The changes appear to shift the focus of environmental analysis away from a project’s effects on automobile traffic and toward impact on the overall transportation system.
In Brief: Central Valley Economy Continues To Suffer
By Paul Shigley on 9 November 2009 - 1:59pmNews from around the state: Already a very poor region, the Central Valley's problems have become worse because of the recession; two Sacramento planning department have been put on leave because of a building permit scandal; the California Redevelopment Association has sued the state for taking $2 billion of tax increment; federal agencies agree to speed the review of new electricity transmission corridors.
More On The Broken Public Review Process
By Paul Shigley on 6 November 2009 - 12:12pmMaybe California’s public process for making land use decisions really is “old and sick,” as new urbanism champion Andrés Duany said during a recent presentation in Sacramento.
Duany’s criticism of the system and his praise of a jury-style process used in Perth, Australia, seems to have struck a chord. The piece I wrote about Duany’s presentation drew quite a bit of readership on Planetizen, and I’ve been receiving emails ever since.