This report takes a local perspective on CA's new land use law, in the context of two preceding environmental laws, CEQA and AB 32. While the former enabled activists to fight new growth, the pendulum has begun to swing toward developers.
"Will a new state law strip the last vestiges of local control over the 'smart growth' projects that have triggered countless development battles in (Bay Area cities) in recent years?
While early opinions are mixed, there's little doubt that the laws created to battle globe-warming greenhouse gases (GHGs) could reshape the face of California cities in the decades ahead."
"'Ultimately, no one knows exactly what SB 375 will do, other than create a series of planning milestones that must be met between now and 2010, and then into the future,' declared three attorneys for one of the state's leading land use litigation firms three weeks after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the law."
"Two results could be 'significant density incentives' and streamlining of the environmental review process 'for certain transit-oriented projects' that will surely upset neighborhood activists who use the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to oppose new housing."
Thanks to Bay Area Transportation News
FULL STORY: Far-Reaching New State Law May Reshape the Bay Area
BART's Transit-Oriented Development Bill Sets Disturbing Precedent, Says APA
AB 2923, which would allow the Bay Area Rapid Transit District to rezone their properties near stations for transit-oriented development, passed its first committee. The California chapter of APA objects to the preemption of local land use authority.
California First: Carbon Fees Used to Fund Affordable, Transit-Oriented Housing
On June 29, the California Strategic Growth Council awarded $121.9 million in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds to help build 28 affordable housing developments on major transit lines. Funding originates from proceeds of the cap-and-trade market.
A New Era in California for Evaluating Transportation Emissions
An appellate court's rejection of SANDAG's $200 billion sustainable communities plan holds far-reaching implications for how regional planners evaluate greenhouse gas emissions from transportation to meet SB 375 requirements to the year 2050.
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The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
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DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
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