CP&DR

Arts Gain A Foothold In Downtown Modesto

Jul 2, 2008

Downtown planning, Paul Shigley, Redevelopment Watch, Stanislaus County, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

It has taken 25 years, but various government and private investments have turned downtown Modesto into a center for the arts, entertainment and dining. Still, there is a long way to go before downtown is completely "back" from the dead.

San Ramon City Center: Dressed Up But Going Nowhere

Jul 2, 2008

Contra Costa County, Downtown planning, Morris Newman, Places, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

San Ramon City Center is an ambitious, 39-acre mixed-use project in the Contra Costa County city of 50,000 people. CP&DR Contributing Editor Morris Newman doesn't think much of the project, but he concedes that he might be asking for a little too much.

Foreclosures May Become Redevelopment Agencies' Concern

Jul 1, 2008

California, Featured Articles, Legislation, Paul Shigley, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

Redevelopment agencies may soon have authority to assist homeowners with subprime loans who are facing foreclosure, and to acquire foreclosed housing.

Under a measure likely to pass the Legislature, redevelopment agencies could aid homeowners, lenders and developers whether or not the subject property is within a redevelopment project area. However, a late amendment to the bill would prevent agencies from using their 20% housing set-aside fund for the activities.

In Brief: San Quentin Project Questioned Again

Jul 1, 2008

California, CP&DR Staff, In Brief, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

In this month's roundup of state land use news: The state auditor is again raising questions about construction of a new death row at San Quentin; the State Water Resources Control Board is proposing an overhaul of the water regulatory system; the developer of a proposed Los Angeles project is suing the city for halting the review process; the company that owns the gigantic Newhall Ranch project has filed for bankruptcy.

9th Circuit Overturns Pacifica Developer's Award Of Damages

Jun 30, 2008

CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, San Mateo County, Takings, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

An award of $665,000 in damages and legal expenses to a developer in Pacifica has been thrown out by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The unanimous three-judge panel determined that a questionable condition of project approval that the city eventually repealed did not constitute a violation of the developer's equal protection rights because the condition did not stop the project from moving forward.

Study Of Large Irvine Company Development Upheld

Jun 30, 2008

California Environmental Quality Act, CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, Orange County, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

The Sierra Club's challenge of the environmental review for a large annexation by the City of Orange and a related development by the Irvine Company has been rejected by the Fourth District Court of Appeal.

The court turned away arguments that the environmental analysis for the Santiago Hills and East Orange projects improperly described the project, segmented environmental reviews, failed to adequately address water quality, incorrectly analyzed traffic and lacked a proper project alternatives analysis.

Statute Of Limitations Extended In Lawsuit Over Recreation Trail

Jun 30, 2008

California Environmental Quality Act, CP&DR Staff, Legal Digest, San Mateo County, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

An appellate court has reinstated a lawsuit over environmental review of a recreational trail proposed to be built in San Mateo County.

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge had thrown out the suit because it was filed after the California Environmental Quality Act's usual 30-day statute of limitations expired. However, the Sixth District Court of Appeal ruled there was "reasonable probability" environmentalists could show that a 180-day statute of limitations applied here.

Challenge Of Treatment Plant's Water Quality Exception Fails

Jun 30, 2008

California Environmental Quality Act, CP&DR Staff, El Dorado County, Legal Digest, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008

A plan that alters regulations for the operation of a wastewater treatment plant that disposes of effluent into a Sierra Nevada foothills creek, rather than requiring improvements to the plant, has been upheld by the First District Court of Appeal.

Anglers and environmentalists sued over the plan, arguing state water quality regulators violated the California Environmental Quality Act and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. But a unanimous three-judge panel of the First District, Division One, ruled for the government.

Slammed By Market Downturn, Exurbs May Not Rebound Quickly

Jun 25, 2008

California, Housing, Insight, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008, William Fulton

Are the exurbs dead?

You'd think so, based on all the publicity about plummeting home prices in California – and the rapidly increasing price of gasoline. In the short run, it is probably true that we'll see big housing price drops in the exurbs and construction will stop almost completely.

The Long Haul To Wetlands Restoration In Oxnard

Jun 24, 2008

Environment Watch, Larry Sokoloff, Ventura County, Vol. 23 No. 07 Jul 2008, Wetlands

Wetlands used to cover a huge swath of Southern California's coast, serving as a sanctuary for wildlife and plants. But today one is hard pressed to find many wetlands left in this urbanized section of the state, where homes, marinas and ports long ago replaced native habitat. While wide, sandy beaches and rocky tide pools are part of the Southern California landscape, quieter wetlands with estuaries, marshes and sand dunes are harder to find.