The name has changed, butt he reform game stays the same. Chief Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner has promised a more transparent project approval process. A team of consultants is just beginning to pitch their ideas.
The Assessment is written by former land use attorney at Latham and Watkins, Katharine Young:
"The real estate development representatives- many of whom noted their involvement in past Los Angeles City development reform initiatives dating back nearly 30 years-repeatedly cited the need for updated and enforceable community plans, as well as a streamlined application process to eliminate current redundancies across departments. Many attendees identified a key underlying shortcoming of the city planning process to be outdated planning and zoning documents that developers and their representatives now work around rather than with."
"As the facilitated session neared its conclusion, a number of participants expressed doubt as to the feasibility of implementing any strategic plan halfway through the mayor's second term, citing power dynamics at City Hall. Unions, general managers, land use expediters, lobbyists, and City Council members, attendees opined, all benefit from the current dysfunction and therefore continue to serve as barriers to long-term, meaningful development reform in Los Angeles."
Thanks to James Brasuell
Read the full story: L.A. First Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner’s Development Reform Effort Assessed
Development Streamlining Proposal Dies in San Francisco
The doomed effort was Mayor London Breed's third attempt to streamline development in the city.
Keeping Bees Away from Honey? Corruption Cases Expose Flaws in L.A. City’s Land Entitlement Process
Three former Los Angeles public officials share their collective perspective on how best to reform the city of Los Angeles' corrupted land use approval process.
Is CEQA the Main Impediment to Housing Construction in California?
According to a new study by UC Berkeley and Columbia University, local land use processes, specifically the approval process, rather than the California Environmental Quality Act, is the main impediment to housing production in California.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC to turn city-owned property into thousands of homes
The city has scheduled a public hearing regarding the development for October.
Buses travel at 5mph along this route in NYC. The Bronx's first-ever busway looks to change that
Prior to the busway, buses on the Bx36 route traveled as slowly as 5 miles per hour.
Pittsburg launches 'EZ permits,' aims for one-day turnaround for low-risk permits
The pilot ‘fast lane’ for permits is part of a bundle of modernization efforts for Pittsburg’s permitting process.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello