CP&DR

Cal Supremes Continue CEQA Fascination

May 30, 2007

Yes, it's been 37 years since Gov. Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) into law. But we're still arguing about the statute's most basic definitions.

The California Supreme Court will get another crack at a very basic question — what constitutes a "project" that is subject to CEQA — in a case with the memorable name Save Tara v. City of West Hollywood (No. S151402).

Mixed-Use At The End Of The Retail Tunnel

May 30, 2007

LAS VEGAS _ Everywhere you go on the planning and development circuit these days, people are talking about mixed use. But does everybody really want to build it? Or lease it? Or live in it? Or finance it?

Report Addresses Redevelopment Oversight

May 21, 2007

The California Research Bureau (CRB) has suggested increasing public oversight of redevelopment activities by broadening the use, membership and roles of project area committees.

CEQA Issues Loom Over Yuba County Development

May 16, 2007

The CEQA questions, both procedural and substantive, were thick and juicy during a hearing Tuesday, May 15, on the Yuba Highlands project east of Marysville. Located on about 2,900 acres of unincorporated Yuba County between Beale Air Force Base and Spenceville State Wildlife Area, Yuba Highlands is proposed to have about 5,100 housing units and 85 acres of commercial development.

Among the questions that arose were these:

The Health Risks Of Infill Development

May 14, 2007

If you look at the Automobile Club of Southern California's 1937 freeway plan for Los Angeles, you'll see that the relationship between the freeways and the city evolved a bit differently from the way the people who wrote that plan envisioned.

Following The Money To The Best Land Use

May 11, 2007

When fiscal experts start talking about land use, planners often get nervous. Economists and planners don't necessarily have the same definition of "good" land use.

10 Years In The Life Of L.A.

May 4, 2007

Rich people living in subway-close high-rises? Poor people flooding the suburbs?

Density Photos Worth 1,000 Words

May 2, 2007

How many public hearings have you attended in which a development opponent or neighborhood organizer says he can't support 10 units an acre, but 6 might be acceptable? Or if 20 units an acre are proposed, maybe 10 would be OK. Do you think anybody in the room — including the activist — can actually imagine what the difference looks like?

Density, whether high or low, is not inherently good or bad. It all depends on the project and its environs.

Parade: The People's Journal of Public Policy?

Apr 30, 2007

Nearly two years ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in Kelo v. City of New London came down, CP&DR reported that the ruling wouldn't have much impact on California. And we were right, according to Jerold Kayden, co-chairman of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. The decision was no surprise because the court majority simply reiterated established constitutional principles, said Kayden.

Land Use Bill of the Year?

Apr 24, 2007

Senate Bill 303 by San Diego Democrat Denise Ducheny may well be the most controversial land use bill of the year. The bill is the building industry's vehicle for decreasing local government regulation. Not surprisingly, local governments are solidly in opposition. The bill sailed through the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on a 10-0 vote in late March, but mostly because lawmakers tasked the Committee on Environmental Quality with the heavy lifting.

January 2007: Solimar Research Group Releases New Infill Study

Apr 20, 2007

Announcement

Solimar in conjunction with Los Angeles County releases infill study on the proposed Exposition light rail line in South Los Angeles

A Victory For Farmland Preservation

Apr 13, 2007

From any perspective, it was a remarkable decision. The Shasta County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 in late March to reject an auto mall proposed on some of the best farmland in the county.

Blogs

Articles

Cal Supremes Continue CEQA Fascination

Mixed-Use At The End Of The Retail Tunnel

Report Addresses Redevelopment Oversight

CEQA Issues Loom Over Yuba County Development

The Health Risks Of Infill Development

Following The Money To The Best Land Use

10 Years In The Life Of L.A.

Density Photos Worth 1,000 Words

Parade: The People's Journal of Public Policy?

Land Use Bill of the Year?

January 2007: Solimar Research Group Releases New Infill Study

A Victory For Farmland Preservation