I don't agree with the saying that laws are made to be broken. That is the attitude of criminals. I believe, rather, that laws are elastic. Like the fan belts in cars, they are made be stretched until they snap. >>read more
Big bear Lake crushes proposed housing development while Madera County continues to wait for long-delayed development of new town, San Diego salvages its inclusionary housing ordinance, State Controllers Office reports majore violations, EPA presents 20 smart growth case studies, and Butte County bans new private roads.
A statewide initiative that could completely change how government agencies regulate land use, carry out infrastructure projects and redevelop cities has qualified for the November ballot. >>read more
An environmental impact report for one of the first Wal-Mart supercenters approved in California has been upheld by the Sixth District Court of Appeal. The court ruled that the City of Gilroy did not have to prepare a new economic analysis in the supercenter's environmental impact report because previous studies were adequate. >>read more
The latest round to be decided in the ongoing fight over building inspection and plan check fees has gone to the City of Corona, which successfully defended a lawsuit originally brought by developer Barratt American and its chief fee consultant. >>read more
A housing development proposed for North San Diego County may give county decision-makers the opportunity to apply some of the "smart growth" principles contained in a proposed general plan update before the plan is even adopted. >>read more
A plan to build housing for faculty and staff members at Sonoma State University appears to have widespread community support except for one detail: The university's chosen location is a greenbelt outside of the City of Rohnert Park's politically popular urban growth boundary. >>read more
Auburn Dam is the public works equivalent of a Hollywood zombie, rivaling any Tinseltown creation in its ability to withstand repeated attempts to kill it. First proposed nearly a half-century ago for a site in the American River canyon near the Gold Rush town of Auburn, the dam has withstood attacks by U.S. presidents, member of Congress, state and federal agencies, environmentalists, tax watchdogs, scientists, engineers and even nature itself.
The regional housing wars have begun again in Southern California. And how they come out will go a long way toward determining how much influence the state's four major "blueprint" regional planning efforts will have over local development patterns - especially infill housing - during the next few years. >>read more
