Witness the full force of anti-development animus in Southern California, where at least three cities are facing variety of backlash to the status quo of zoning and development processes.
Leo Duran reports on the anti-density efforts of a sample of cities in Southern California in an article that supports a recent radio show devoted to the subject.
On the recent episode of Take Two, broadcast on a Southern California NPR affiliate KPCC, Leo Duran spoke with Raphael Bostic, a housing expert from the University of Southern California, to discuss the public support for more density.
Duran notes, however, a series of anti-density ballot initiatives, such as:
- A proposed ballot initiative by Stop Manhattanwood "targets zoning rules for large-scale real estate developments in Los Angeles. Also in Los Angeles, but left off the list by Duran, is the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative detailed several times on Planetizen already.
- Then there is the long saga of Huntington Beach, which recently rejected a state mandate "to create a set number of low-income units each year."
- And the latest news: "Activists in Santa Monica are working to put a ballot initiative up for a vote in November" that "would require the public vote to approve any project taller than 32 feet."
The linked article also includes a podcast of the radio report.
FULL STORY: SoCal cities buckle down to fight density

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