Articles

As the popularity of inclusionary zoning for affordable housing has grown, so has the number of cities and counties who have a stake in affordable homeownership problems. Experts in those programs, however, warn that they are fraught with dangers and require extensive monitoring to ensure that units remain affordable.

 

 

Can the entire San Joaquin Valley embrace the idea of regional planning – or at least agree on a common vision for how to accommodate future growth?

A far reaching piece of planning legislation wins unanimous backing from the state Senate Transportation and Housing Committee, the state attorney general's office sues San Bernardino County, prospects for a liquified natural gas terminal off the coast of Malibu look dim, Pasadena approves a redevelopment proposal for a portion of the Ambassador College campus, and Glendora's downtown village breaks ground on the first mixed-use project in over 50 years.

Alameda Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch sent shock waves rippling through California's water community in late March when he ordered the giant pumps at the heart of the State Water Project (SWP) to shut down, potentially cutting off water to two-thirds of the state's population.

The scene is a minor-league baseball stadium somewhere in the Inland Empire. The broadcasters are Ralph and Jim, a pair of middle-aged sportscasters, who are calling a Class-A game for local radio listeners.

The Association of Bay Area Governments has adopted a methodology for distributing fair-share housing units that directs housing growth to existing urban areas, especially those with jobs and transit, and downplays the trend of extensive development on the Bay Area's fringe.

The last two decades have witnessed a rapid increase in state and local government activities intended to influence future physical development within their jurisdiction. But nowhere has this growth management movement been as widespread as in California. >>read more

Author: Rick Pruetz Published: March 2003 Publisher: Arje Press As property rights and takings have become more important in land-use planning, the popularity of transferable development rights -- or TDRs -- has grown dramatically. Now, in an update of his classic book Saved By Development, Rick Pruetz, AICP -- America's leading TDR practitioner -- provides a comprehensive overview of TDRs, as well as the down-and-dirty basics that any jurisdiction considering implementing a TDR system must know.

Anaheim officials have sided with Disneyland and rejected SunCal's neighboring development proposal; report by LAO says Indian casinos will not provide significant revenues for the state of California; Madera County settled with Indian tribe; the Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved a proposed landfill on a Colusa County Indian reservation; Seal Beach has repealed a ban on three-story houses in the Old Town area; and the ongoing redevelopment of the former George Air Force Base in Victorville receives a boost from Newell Rubbermaid.

Parking is the demon of urban design. Like a gargoyle on a tower thumbing its nose at passers-by below, California's inflexible parking requirements seem to mock developers, housing advocates and city officials alike. >>read more

The water supply analysis for one of the largest housing developments ever approved in the Central Valley has been rejected by the state Supreme Court. The court faulted the water study in the environmental impact report for the 20,000-unit Sunrise-Douglas community plan outside Sacramento because the study did not adequately describe long-term water sources and the impacts of using those sources. >>read more

A Superior Court decision prohibiting Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs from demolishing an historic mansion in Woodside has been upheld by an appellate court. The court rejected the Town of Woodside's conclusion that repairing or adding onto the house were economically infeasible project alternatives to demolition and replacement. >>read more