CP&DR -

Solving Downtown Sacramento's Problems With An Arena

Nov 17, 2009

The environmental impact report for the huge Sacramento rail yards redevelopment project was upheld earlier this month by Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connolly.

Two lawsuits over the EIR were filed – one by a group of environmentalists and one by Westfield, which owns Downtown Plaza not far from the rail yards. Both suits claimed Sacramento did not adequately address traffic and air impacts.

In Bad Times, ULI Talks Planning, Not Development

Nov 10, 2009

The Urban Land Institute has a reputation of being an organization in which enlightened developers get together with the occasional savvy planner and designer. So with a real estate downturn in full swing, it's not surprising that the main topic at ULI's Fall Meeting in San Francisco last week was ... planning, not development.

CP&DR Vol 24 No.15 - November 2009

by CP&DR Staff on Nov 9, 2009

Report

Click title to view: CP&DR Vol 24 No.15 - November 2009

Climate Change Adaptation Recommendations Result In Same Old Fight

Nov 9, 2009

California, Climate change, Insight, Vol. 24 No. 15 Nov 2009 - 1, William Fulton

If predictions about the impact of global warming are even half right, a lot of us are going to be quite literally swimming – or at least wading – through our daily lives in 30 or 40 years. Yet in the current debate about how the state should approach "adaptation" strategies, all parties are crouched in their typically unhelpful postures.

NBC Universal's Growth Plans: A Monologue

Nov 9, 2009

Infill development, Los Angeles County, Morris Newman, Places, Vol. 24 No. 15 Nov 2009 - 1

NBC Universal has unveiled a master plan for buildout of its 391-acre property in the hills between Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. Morris Newman offers his analysis by way of a dramatic monologue.

Social Justice Advocates Make Case For Annexation

Nov 9, 2009

Central Valley, Legal Digest, Paul Shigley, Stanislaus County, Vol. 24 No. 15 Nov 2009 - 1

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has given new life to a lawsuit alleging that the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County discriminated against four predominately Latino communities.

Palos Verdes Estates' Aesthetics Topple Cell Phone Antennas

Nov 9, 2009

CP&DR Staff, Los Angeles County, Telecommunications antennas, Vol. 24 No. 15 Nov 2009 - 1

A city may consider aesthetics in regulating the construction of telecommunications antennas, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. The ruling is the latest in a series of court decisions upholding the authority of local government to decide where wireless antennas are located.

Lengthy Capitola Litigation Returned To District Court

Nov 9, 2009

CP&DR Legal Digest, Legal Digest, Santa Cruz County, Takings, Vol. 24 No. 15 Nov 2009 - 1

he Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals continues to crack open the door to property owners seeking compensation for what they claim is a government taking. In its most recent decision, the court ruled that the owner of a rent-controlled mobile home park in Capitola should have its day in federal District Court. This despite the fact that the U.S. District Court and two state courts ruled that a state court decision against the property owner should have settled the matter.

CEQA Guidelines Changes Downplay Automobiles

Nov 9, 2009

California, California Environmental Quality Act, CP&DR Staff, In Brief, Vol. 24 No. 15 Nov 2009 - 1

The Natural Resources Agency has altered proposed amendments to the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines. The changes appear to shift the focus of environmental analysis away from a project's effects on automobile traffic and toward impact on the overall transportation system.

In Brief: Central Valley Economy Continues To Suffer

Nov 9, 2009

Central Valley, CP&DR Staff, In Brief, Vol. 24 No. 15 Nov 2009 - 1

News from around the state: Already a very poor region, the Central Valley's problems have become worse because of the recession; two Sacramento planning department have been put on leave because of a building permit scandal; the California Redevelopment Association has sued the state for taking $2 billion of tax increment; federal agencies agree to speed the review of new electricity transmission corridors.

More On The Broken Public Review Process

Nov 6, 2009

Maybe California's public process for making land use decisions really is "old and sick," as new urbanism champion Andrés Duany said during a recent presentation in Sacramento.

Duany's criticism of the system and his praise of a jury-style process used in Perth, Australia, seems to have struck a chord. The piece I wrote about Duany's presentation drew quite a bit of readership on Planetizen, and I've been receiving emails ever since.

Election Update: Slow Growthers Win In Davis, Mendocino County

Nov 4, 2009

California, CP&DR Staff, Elections, Initiatives and referendums

Slow-growth advocates won major victories in November 3 local elections when voters rejected a housing project in Davis and a shopping center in Mendocino County, as well as sewer extensions in Modesto.

But slow-growth forces suffered some unexpected losses. In Santa Barbara and Ventura, two cities with a history of voter-controlled development, initiatives that would have imposed strict height limits on new buildings were rejected. In the Bay Area, Walnut Creek voters approved amended parking standards necessary for the construction of a Neiman Marcus store downtown.

Water Reality Trumps Water Politics

Oct 30, 2009

California's water politics are hopeless. That's the only conclusion I can reach, and it was reaffirmed earlier this week when I attended a Great Valley Center forum on water.

Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation Annual Environmental Legislative Symposium - January 30, 2010 - Sacramento

Oct 30, 2009

Planning and Conservation League & PCL Foundation
Annual Environmental Legislative Symposium

Articles