After failing to meet state targets for housing production, the city must create a shorter permitting process under a 2023 state law.
San Francisco will become the first California city to trigger SB 423, a law that requires cities that don’t meet their state-mandated housing goals to create an expedited permit approval process.
According to an article by KQED staff, “On Friday, the California Department of Housing and Community Development ruled that San Francisco was falling short of its goal to plan for building 82,000 new units of housing by 2031. Last year, the city authorized just over 3,000 units, according to the San Francisco Planning Department.”
The streamlined process could cut down permit application processing times from upwards of a year to weeks or months. Anti-development advocates say the law puts too much control in the hands of the state, tasking cities with ‘unattainable’ housing production targets.
Read the full story: After Missing Housing Goals, SF Has Permit Process Slashed Under New State Law
California Bills Would Clarify, Restrict ‘Builder’s Remedy’
The controversial law lets developers skirt local zoning rules in cities without state-approved housing plans.
Lawsuits Follow Housing Plan Failures in the San Francisco Bay Area
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment drama continues in California.
California’s Half Moon Bay says coastal regulations hinder housing development
The town is entirely within the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission, which imposes a layer of strict development regulations.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic Place Names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority