The bill passed the Assembly with 72 votes out of a possible 80 and later cleared the Senate on a unanimous vote.
California lawmakers approved a bill to fast-track a sports area and housing project in San Diego in the final days of their legislative session. If signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the new law would allow developers to use the city’s existing environmental review of the project to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, and immediately shield them from potential environmental lawsuits.
Critics of the project say the city did not study the potential environmental impacts of the project well enough. Midway Rising’s 165 foot-tall arena exceeds the neighborhood’s 30-foot building height limit, prompting the Audubon Society to raise concerns that the buildings could hurt or kill migratory birds.
The bill passed the Assembly with 72 votes out of a possible 80 and later cleared the Senate on a unanimous vote, Nadia Lathan writes for Cal Matters.
Read the full story: California lawmakers greenlight a new San Diego sports arena, bypassing environmental hurdles
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