Housing

Cupertino Mayor Steven Scharf, a fervent opponent of a new Bay Area housing initiative, opened his Jan. 29 state-of-the-city address with a short joke about "building a wall around Cupertino and making San Jose pay for it" that didn't go over well.

February 8, 2019 - East Bay Times

The story of informal housing is one of changing racial and class demographics, economic opportunity and needs, and regulatory control.

February 7, 2019 - Boom California

The Los Angeles plan to build supportive housing for homeless people is lagging and costing much more than anticipated. A new pilot program seeks to overcome these hurdles by soliciting new ideas and strategies from developers.

February 7, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Mayor London Breed is fighting hard to make it easier to develop affordable housing in the cost-impacted city. A fight will likely be required.

February 7, 2019 - The Bay City Beacon

A new report says that the state is going to face huge challenges in building 3.5 million homes over the next seven years.

February 7, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

A survey of land use policies in cities and counties of California is designed to inform a more complete understanding of the housing market, sustainability, and economic mobility in the state.

February 6, 2019 - UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design

The trend should serve as a "wake-up call" for housing policy, researchers say.

February 6, 2019 - The Washington Post

A new study maps out affordability and inequality across Toronto's transit network.

February 6, 2019 - The Star

A new law in Portland, Maine could be the first to charge an affordable housing fee from new hotel developments.

February 5, 2019 - Portland Press Herald

The latest example of the Internet's power to make deliver data and maps to the masses, produced by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

February 5, 2019 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Increasing allowable densities and reducing parking requirements are important strategies for achieving long-term planning goals, but to succeed they must be applied to large areas.

February 4, 2019 - Todd Litman

Civic San Diego and San Diego planning commissioners approved new parking standards that would eliminate minimums and set maximums of one space per multifamily unit. Those reforms and more must still be approved by the City Council.

February 4, 2019 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Although individual old buildings may be less expensive than newer ones nearby, historic preservation may make both old and new buildings more expensive.

February 4, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

Two Bay Area city council members serving on a regional commission suffered the political consequences of supporting a controversial regional housing initiative, not from their constituents, but from their colleagues.

February 1, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

If it approves HB 1797, Washington will pace the rest of the nation (even California and Oregon) on reforming zoning to allow more accessory dwelling units.

January 31, 2019 - Sightline Institute

Details are still forthcoming, but the big news out of New York City today is about the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development assuming new oversight powers over the city's troubled housing agency.

January 31, 2019 - Politico

When it comes to housing lawsuits involving the state and new housing laws, Huntington Beach might be ground zero. Over a week before Attorney General Becerra sued the Orange County city at the behest of Gov. Newsom, the city sued the state.

January 31, 2019 - SF Gate

Gov. Gavin Newsom, only weeks into his new office, had warned cities that his office would hold them accountable for failing to meet their housing requirements. On Friday, he directed Attorney General Xavier Bacerra to sue Hungtinton Beach.

January 30, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

A large group of technology and philanthropic foundations has announced multiple funds to help mitigate the crisis of housing affordability in the Bay Area. It's the second such effort announced already this year.

January 28, 2019 - The New York Times

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is renewing program support for thousands of local programs that offer support and assistance to the homeless.

January 28, 2019 - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development