Vol. 21 No. 06 Jun 2006

After sluggish construction for a number of years, condominiums are back. Although it is difficult to pin down exact numbers, 27% of housing starts during the first three months of the year have come in the form of multi-family units, many of which are for-sale condominiums.

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As business at the state’s shipping ports continues to grow rapidly, the movement of freight across urban areas has become a priority for the Schwarzenegger administration and local transportation planners.

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A billboard company has won the latest round in a drawn-out conflict with the City of Riverside. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Valley Outdoor Inc. may challenge the city’s handling of a permit application but may not contest the city’s sign ordinance.

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A report on the state's Enterprise Zone Program receives rebuttle while another report indicates California's hazardous waste facilities lack appropriate financial assurances to protect the environment. Also, Mission Viejo is being sued by affordable housing advocates while Carpenteria adopts new, record setting in-lieu affordable housing fees.

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A San Luis Obispo County businessman who did not attend a California Coastal Commission hearing regarding his proposed project has lost a lawsuit contending that he was not provided adequate notice of the hearing.

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A divided appellate court panel has upheld a 2004 regulation that gives the director of the state Department of Conservation the final say over whether reclamation of a surface mine has fulfilled the mine’s reclamation plan.

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A Rohnert Park mobile home park owner’s demand that a court grant a rent increase because an unconstitutional city law held down rents has been rejected.

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“Thank God for hospitals,” I said to myself a few weeks ago while speeding to the local emergency room, doubled over in the back of an ambulance. Only after the painkillers had deadened a hitherto-undetected kidney stone could I begin to think about hospitals from an urban-design standpoint.

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I tend to be skeptical about land use policy and development trends in California. Every time I leave the state, I see creative developments and practices that we Californians should be implementing.

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Now little more than a stopping point for truck drivers and weary travelers, Santa Nella may be on the verge of becoming the next bedroom community for Bay Area commuters.

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