What's the next big thing?

The last big thing was housing, and it's over. So what's next?

We may be in a real estate slump, but as California communities and planners begin mapping out their futures, it is not too early to start thinking about what the next big thing will be in the world of real estate development.

Why is Trump asking the city to get involved in his purchase of Running Horse?

Voters in the northern Solano County city of Dixon will decide in April on a project that could change the nature of town: A horse racing track and entertainment center capable of handling events for up to 50,000 people, plus more than 1 million square feet of hotel, entertainment, retail and office development.

The Supreme Court's closely divided decision backing the use of eminent domain for economic development gives state and local governments a qualified boost in what property rights advocates promise to be continuing challenges to the practice in state courts. >>read more

California, it is oft-noted, has a larger economy than all but a handful of countries in the world. And the ongoing state budget deficit suggests the government could use more tax revenue. Yet the economic development bills that lawmakers introduced this year are a motley collection.

As two recent economic efforts illustrate, some job-creating projects require large public subsidies, and others do not. The public agencies running a former military base in San Bernardino and a reserve base in Moreno Valley waged a campaign involving millions of dollars in public subsidies in an effort to attract a DHL cargo sorting and shipping hub. March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley won the competition in December.

Stockton's inland shipping port is poised to triple its capacity if port officials can stave off a lawsuit filed by environmentalists and port neighbors. At issue is a plan to enlarge the port by 1,400 acres of land on the San Joaquin River that the Stockton Port District acquired from the federal government three years ago.