CP&DR - Articles

In Brief

Oct 1, 2002

In Brief, other, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

Make sure to check this month's installment of CP&DR's listing of the up-and-coming land use stories in the Golden State.

Density Legislation Riles Local Planners

Oct 1, 2002

Featured Articles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

State lawmakers closed their 2001-02 session by approving bills that limit local government's ability to regulate housing density, urge better coordination by state agencies, protect agricultural land, add requirements to local general plans, and decrease litigation over condominium construction.

Pleasant Hill Surrenders to Retailers

Oct 1, 2002

Morris Newman, Places, Pleasant Hill, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

Food substitution is among the household arts that make daily living possible. One cup of buttermilk, for example, can be substituted with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar plus enough whole milk to make one cup. Or two cups of tomato sauce can be replaced with three-quarters cup of tomato paste, plus one cup of water. A few substitutions do not spoil the dish. They may even improve the taste.

California Infrastructure Inches Toward ‘Smart Growth'

Oct 1, 2002

Paul Shigley, Public Development, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank has loaned nearly $180 million to local governments since June 2000, but whether the loans are promoting the type of "smart growth" that backers touted a few years ago is uncertain.

City Cannot Base Antenna Permits Denial Solely on Antenna's Use

Oct 1, 2002

Legal Digest, other, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes does have the authority to regulate placement of radio antennas, but the city cannot deny a use permit for an antenna solely because the antenna would be used for commercial purposes, the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled.

Store Owner Stays Six Years after Condemnation, Still Gets Assistance

Oct 1, 2002

Legal Digest, other, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

A doughnut shop owner who remained in his place of business for six years after the city acquired the property for redevelopment still qualified for relocation benefits as a "displaced person," the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled.

Developer Wins Fee Credit for Demolished Units

Oct 1, 2002

Legal Digest, other, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

A school district may charge only limited mitigation fees on a redevelopment project in which new houses replace demolished residential units, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has concluded. The court held that the Tustin Unified School District could levy fees only on the difference in square footage between old apartments and the new houses that replaced the apartments.

State Supreme Court Rules City Suit Against Property Owners is Legitimate

Oct 1, 2002

Legal Digest, other, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

A City of Cotati lawsuit against mobile home park owners who challenged the city's rent control ordinance was not a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP), the state Supreme Court has ruled unanimously.

County's Cancellation of Contract for Housing Development Upheld

Oct 1, 2002

Legal Digest, other, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

In canceling a Williamson Act contract, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors did not need to find that the cancellation was consistent with the county general plan or that an emergency situation existed, the First District Court of Appeal has ruled. The county only needed to find that "other public concerns" substantially outweighed the need to protect farmland, and that no other suitable land not subject to the Williamson Act was available for the proposed development.

Cities Reject Corporate America

Oct 1, 2002

Stephen Svete, Trends, Vol. 17 No. 10 Oct 2002

Among the articles of faith that urban planners hold as self-evident is this: Land use planning is a local endeavor. Many planners even espouse that a town's general plan can influence the "quality of life" through land use regulation. This theory has been at the crux of New Urbanist arguments for revamping development codes.

In Brief

Sep 1, 2002

In Brief, other, Vol. 17 No. 09 Sep 2002

Make sure to check out CP&DR's monthly installment of the latest up and coming news and events in land use planning in California.

East Bay Works To Capture Biotechnology Manufacturing

Sep 1, 2002

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 17 No. 09 Sep 2002

Three counties in the eastern Bay Area are in position to capitalize on a predicted boom in the biotechnology industry, according to a new report. Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties, in fact, could be in better position than other locales in the Bay Area to accommodate manufacturing and distribution of new biotech products.

Auburn Dam Dies 1,000 Deaths; This Time It Might Be For Good

Sep 1, 2002

Environment Watch, John Krist, Vol. 17 No. 09 Sep 2002

A ferocious debate that has raged for more than three decades over the fate of a river in the Sierra Nevada foothills appears likely to end soon with a whimper.

Don't Count On Growth Debate During This Year's Race For Governor

Sep 1, 2002

Insight, Vol. 17 No. 09 Sep 2002, William Fulton

Twelve years ago while running for governor against a knowledgeable growth management ex-mayor, Democrat Dianne Feinstein scribbled the word "growth" on her hand so she would not forget to bring it up in her debate with Republican Pete Wilson.