Call it megachurch fatigue: A proposed Sufism Reoriented sanctuary is just one of an increasing number of religious developments facing no shortage of community backlash in northern California.
"In 2009, an effort to expand a Sikh temple in El Sobrante by 77,000 square feet was halted after residents objected to the size and scope of the new project. In San Leandro that year, congregants of International Church of the Foursquare Gospel filed a lawsuit over efforts by the city and local leaders to stop the group from moving into a new neighborhood with a 10,000-square-foot building.
Walter Kieser, managing principal at EPS LLC, an urban economics and planning consultancy in Berkeley, says Bay Area communities are increasingly pushing back against construction projects affiliated with religious groups because many of the projects have grown in size in the era of megachurches. Meanwhile, residents often hope to limit sprawl or want to preserve the pastoral nature of their neighborhoods, he says."
FULL STORY: Sanctuary Plans Pique Residents
New York State Attorney General Calls Out Town for Potential Religious Land Use Discrimination
Hasidic Orthodox Jewish developers allege the town of Forestburgh, New York, altered zoning regulations to dissuade them from building homes on a site that had received previous approval under different ownership; state officials appear to agree.
Affluent Bay Area Suburb Adopts New 'Rethinking Mobility' Plan
The city of Walnut Creek has adopted a new five-year transportation plan designed to get drivers into more efficient modes of transportation.
A Decade-Plus in the Making—Transit Village Comes to a Posh Bay Area Suburb
The city of Walnut Creek, located in the East San Francisco Bay Area, will soon gain 600 new, transit-adjacent apartments and a whole lot of parking.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.
Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.
Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
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