The county's request covers a wide range of topics, including SB 35, SB 330, the Density Bonus Law, and quick approval of accessory dwelling units. Local residents fear displacement as a result of the fire.
The city was already allowing a controversial project to move forward and paying $2.3 millino to the developer in attorneys fees. Now it must subject itself to five years of HCD monitoring and pay $150,000 in attorneys fees to teh state.
The City of Berkeley got hammered in court for violating SB 35 and the HAA by denying a project to be built on a parking lot on Native American shellmound property. Now the city has to pay the developer $2.6 million -- plus attorneys fees.
Two years ago, an appellate panel ruled that the controversial housing proposal should have been processed under SB 35 -- the first major ruling. Now the court has ruled that a local judge had the authority to rule on Housing Accountability Act violations as well.
Elk Grove dispute highlights question in density bonus law over whether a specific plan's ground-floor retail standard is a "fundamental land use zoning standard" that can't be waived -- if such a thing exists.
The City Councilmembers appointed themselves the final arbiter of whether a project met SB 35 requirements. Then they overruled their own staff. But in the end, it was really just about vagueness and inconsistency between the general plan and the zoning ordinance.
