CP&DR -

Lack of Administrative Challenges Ruins Porterville Project Opposition

Feb 4, 2008

California Environmental Quality Act, CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Tulare County, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

In a case that the court called "unnecessarily complicated," the Fifth District Court of Appeal has ruled against residents challenging the environmental review of a 219-house subdivision in the foothills of Porterville.

Alameda Point: Nostalgia Confronts 21st Century Plan

Feb 4, 2008

Alameda County, Military base reuse, Morris Newman, Places, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

Like boxers vying for a title, two very different ideas of planning are competing for the future of Alameda Point, a 770-acre community carved out of the former military base next to Alameda, the city.

State Supreme Court Dismisses Review of SD County Ordinance

Feb 4, 2008

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, San Diego County, Telecommunications antennas, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

The California Supreme Court has dismissed a case involving San Diego County's antenna ordinance because the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the ordinance last year.

Creative Bills Offered For Local Infrastructure Finance

Feb 1, 2008

California, CP&DR Staff, Legislation, Legislation, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

This could become a year of creative financing, and not merely for the state government. Lawmakers are considering at least three bills that could change the rules for financing local infrastructure.

State's Solution To Budget Deficit May Have Long-Term Consequences

Feb 1, 2008

California, Insight, Local government finance, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008, William Fulton

When you've got a $14 billion deficit, everybody's ox is going to get gored. So the question for the planning and development community in California is not really whether something bad is going to happen. The question is whether it matters very much.

And You Thought CEQA Was Complicated Enough

Jan 31, 2008

It's difficult to believe that CEQA case law could get more complicated.

But it can, according to land-use lawyers who spoke at last week's UCLA Extension Land Use Law and Planning Conference.

During the last 12 months, Courts of Appeal have published about 25 California Environmental Quality Act cases — a huge increase from recent years.

No fewer than seven published cases dealt with the definition of a "project" under CEQA, according to Michelle Ouellette and Whit Manley, two leading CEQA attorneys at UCLA conference.

Fast Growing Stockton Faces Many Issues, Many Lawsuits

Jan 31, 2008

Downtown planning, Local Watch, Paul Shigley, San Joaquin County, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

A slew of land use issues are converging on Stockton, an older Central Valley city that is simultaneously struggling to revitalize its downtown and deal with a political environment that is both pro-growth and environmentally conscious.

Eminent Domain Acquisitions Grow More Expensive

Jan 30, 2008

California, Eminent domain, Legal Digest, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

Court have issued four recent court decisions regarding eminent domain that suggest that acquiring property through eminent domain is an increasingly costly prospect for the government. None of the four decisions addressed whether the government had the right to take the property in question. Rather, the cases dealt with procedure and valuation.

Time May Have Arrived For Solving The Delta's Troubles

Jan 30, 2008

California, Environment Watch, John Krist, Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is one of the biggest ecological train wrecks in the nation, the focal point of a tectonic smash-up between human needs and natural dynamics. In consequence, it also has become perhaps the most-studied and squabbled-over body of water in the West. The latest contributions to that voluminous body of work are the final report of a governor-appointed "Blue Ribbon Task Force," and a federal court ruling.

Housing Market Stalls, Evolves At Same Time

Jan 29, 2008

California, CP&DR Staff, Featured Articles, Housing, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

The California housing market crashed during 2007, and only true optimists and a handful of industry groups predict a turnaround this year. The halcyon days of the housing boom already seem like a long ways away.

But while the downturn has reached nearly every corner of the state, some markets are stronger than others. In particular, exurban markets are weak, while urban markets focused on infill development are relatively strong.

Failure To Address Land Swap Dooms Mt. Whitney Subdivision EIR

Jan 28, 2008

California Environmental Quality Act, CP&DR Staff, Inyo County, Legal Digest, Vol. 23 No. 02 Feb 2008

An appellate court has blocked a controversial subdivision at the eastern base of Mt. Whitney because the project's environmental impact report did not adequately consider a potential land swap between the developer and the Bureau of Land Management.

Enroll Now -UC Davis Ext. course, conf. or cert. program in Land Use or Environmental Planning, or Green Bldg/Sustainable Design

Jan 28, 2008

Announcement

Should California Restrict Driving In Order To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Jan 27, 2008

A statewide cap on driving?

Here's the thing nobody is quite willing to say out loud about implementing California's climate change law in the land use arena: The state may have to place an overall cap on vehicle miles traveled (VMT), even as it must accommodate more growth.

Take Your Pick, Coachella Valley: Crappy Jobs or Crappy Traffic

Jan 27, 2008

Can "the Desert" handle a million people?

More to the point, can the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley region handle a million people without creating a huge mismatch in jobs and housing that will create a swell of outcommuting from the area into the more job-rich parts of Southern California.