San Diego County
Low-Cost Housing Goes Affordably Green in Chula Vista
Submitted by jstephens on 8 March 2010 - 5:48amHey you, Mr./Ms. Conventional Apartment Developer! Yes, you. Don’t attempt to ignore me by rolling up your construction–loan documents and sticking them in your ears.
Ready-Made Downtown Planned For Otay Ranch
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 1:47pmThis is a message to all California cities: Take your hats off to Chula Vista. This city of 210,000 people between San Diego and the Mexican border has adopted a plan for an all-new downtown in the Otay Ranch district that makes most other downtown plans seem tentative and incomplete. Perhaps another California community has the political will to approve something equally forward-looking; for the time being, the Otay Ranch Eastern Urban Center is among the plans that are raising the proverbial bar in city planning.
Chula Vista Bayfront Land Swap Approved
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 12:18pmCharacterized as “the last piece in the puzzle” for Chula Vista bayfront redevelopment, a land swap between the San Diego Unified Port District and developer Pacifica Holdings has been approved by the district and the City of Chula Vista.
County Supervisor Asks PUC To Reconsider Transmission Corridor
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 9 February 2010 - 12:10pmSan Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob has asked the state Public Utilities Commission to reconsider its approval of the Sunrise Powerlink transmission corridor because of its potential to make the unincorporated community of Alpine into “a ghost town” due to years of construction.
Controversial SD County Project Gets Reprieve
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 26 January 2010 - 1:54pmThe Merriam Mountains housing project in North San Diego County lives – at least until the Board of Supervisors has another chance to consider the proposed development.
Fish Have Last Word At Wetlands
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 11 January 2010 - 1:53pmCan 12 million fish be wrong? Virtually no finned critters were to be found in the San Dieguito Lagoon as recently as 2007, when bulldozers began to push tons of earth to create berms along the banks of the coastal waterway. Seven months later, in January 2008, marine biologists were astonished to find millions of baby fish – far in excess of their expectations – squiggling in the newly irrigated lagoon in San Diego County.
Setback For North San Diego County Housing Project
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 29 December 2009 - 12:33pmThe proposed Merriam Mountains housing development in North San Diego County suffered a setback in December when the Board of Supervisors split 2-2 on the project. The tie vote equates to rejection of the project; however, supervisors within 30 days may call for a new hearing, and reconsideration appears likely.
State Supreme Court Accepts Prevailing Wage Case
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 2 September 2009 - 10:57amThe state Supreme Court will review an appellate court ruling that California's prevailing wage law does not apply to a charter city’s public works projects that are funded exclusively with city revenues.
SD Mall's Corporate Owners Fail To Avoid Reassessment
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 2 September 2009 - 10:50amAn appellate court has upheld San Diego County’s reassessment of the Fashion Valley Shopping Mall in San Diego. The court concluded that Equitable Life Assurance Company’s transfer of the mall’s title to the operating company of a limited liability corporation, in which Equitable owned a 50% stake, amounted to a 100% transfer of ownership and thus triggered a reassessment for property tax purposes.
SD Tax-Processing 'Fee' Declared Illegal
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 1 September 2009 - 4:23pmA fee that the City of San Diego levied on businesses and landlords for processing their taxes has been declared illegal by the Fourth District Court of Appeal. The court ruled that the fee amounted to a general purpose tax that should have been submitted to voters for approval.
