The City of Berkeley, California, is considering changing is long-held policy against auto malls within city limits.
"After decades of shunning cars by using flower-planter roadblocks, anti-global-warming policies and alternative-transportation strategies, the city is considering rezoning two areas in West Berkeley to allow car dealerships. The change would allow dealers that currently have cramped, relatively inaccessible showrooms downtown to relocate closer to the freeway and double the size of their lots."
"'If we want to keep auto dealers in Berkeley, we have to give them space to relocate,' said Dave Fogarty of the city's economic development office."
"The Planning Commission will consider the zoning changes at its Sept. 5 meeting. The city currently has no land zoned for auto dealers. The existing dealers have grandfathered exemptions."
"Berkeley's five auto dealers contribute about $1.2 million annually in sales tax revenue, about 10 percent of the city's sales tax income."
FULL STORY: Building an auto mall in Berkeley? Maybe.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” philosophy.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)