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The City of Industry has purchased a 2,400-acre Boy Scout camp in the hills outside of town. The acquisition and Industry's plans for the property have spurred a major fight between Industry and a collection of environmentalists and officials from neighboring jurisdictions.

One year ago, the water district that serves portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties reached a tentative agreement with other local and federal agencies on a plan to divert water from the Sacramento River. Supporters of the plan said it would benefit many different parties.

Development supporters fared better than slow-growth advocates during November's off-year election with few land use ballot measures. The pro-growth side won seven of the ten measures on local ballots that had obvious growth implications.

Constructing a golf course is a legitimate use of public parkland, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled. The court ruled against an Orange County citizens group that alleged the county government was improperly using land dedicated for a park.

The state Supreme Court has agreed hear to an unusual case from the Sonoma County city of Cotati that involves both mobile home rent control and an alleged strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP).

With its key location on the edge of the Bay Area and plenty of inexpensive land, Tracy would appear to be in position to attract some technology-based economic growth. And the city has inched into the tech arena, but it remains primarily a bedroom community.

An environmental assessment of a 5,000-acre federal land exchange in Las Vegas did not sufficiently address the question of the cumulative air-quality impacts of developing the property, a three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. The court held that federal officials may be required to prepare an environmental impact statement.

After years of design changes and project delays, a troubled North Hollywood redevelopment project finally appears to be headed toward construction. The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency board in September approved $31.7 million in loans and subsidies to aid the $194-million NoHo Commons infill project.

A developer who I interviewed recently (not the one discussed in this story) described certain buildings as sending "hostile messages" to an urban neighborhood. At first, I thought the notion was quaint. Then I began to understand what he meant.

Just in time for the recession, California's voters are going to take a crack at another parks and open space bond in March.

In the clearest decision to date on antiquated subdivisions, the First District Court of Appeal has ruled that subdivision maps recorded prior to the first version of the Subdivision Map Act in 1893 do not create legal parcels.

It was surprising news when the Center for Biological Diversity announced it had signed an out-of-court agreement regarding endangered species with its longtime adversaries at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. With a decade-long winning streak in court, the Tucson-based Center has become arguably the most important entity in the Endangered Species Act debate. Why wouldn't the organization want to continue kicking butt in court, especially since Gail Norton had replaced Bruce Babbitt as head of the Interior

A new state program intended to spur housing construction is being watched closely by planners and housing advocates. Supporters of the Jobs-Housing Balance Program believe it could spur cities and counties to approve needed housing developments, but some skeptics wonder if it will simply provide money to jurisdictions that would permit new homes anyway.