Housing Accountability Act
Infamous 315-Unit Lafayette Housing Development Finally Approved
In a dramatic sign of how far zoning reform has come in the state of California, CEQA wasn’t enough to stop a 315-unit apartment development first proposed 12 years ago in the city of Lafayette.
Court Ruling a Setback for California’s ‘Builder’s Remedy’
A state court has ruled in favor of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ efforts to block a development project despite the state’s efforts to intervene.
Land Use Regulations on a Collision Course in California
The future of planning in California depends on how lawyers reconcile the Housing Accountability Act with the California Environmental Quality Act.
Judge Tosses Area Planning Commission Decision on Controversial South L.A. Project
The California Housing Accountability Act, approved by the State Legislature in 2017, is cited in a court ruling that soundly rebuffs the decision by the South Los Angeles Area Planning Commission to veto a controversial project.
Controversial 315-Unit Housing Plan Again Moving Forward in Lafayette
Planetizen has been tracking the development proposal for the Terraces of Lafayette in California since 2015. The saga isn't over yet.
Developer Sues L.A. After Area Planning Commissioners Reject Multi-Family Project
A development controversy also now an expanding legal controversy, after a local planning commission rejected a controversial development proposal allowed by zoning.
Are Charter Cities Subject to California's Housing Laws?
After a San Mateo County Superior Court judge ruled that charter cities are exempt from the Housing Accountability Act, aka the anti-NIMBY law, the state stepped in to support the appellant, a YIMBY group that launched a "Sue the Suburbs" campaign.
New California Governor Follows Up Tough Housing Rhetoric with Action
Gov. Gavin Newsom, only weeks into his new office, had warned cities that his office would hold them accountable for failing to meet their housing requirements. On Friday, he directed Attorney General Xavier Bacerra to sue Hungtinton Beach.
New Housing Law Empowers Renters Group to Sue Cities that Deny New Construction
The California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund, unlike other renters groups, sees increased housing production as key to bringing down rents. It is enforcing the Housing Accountability Act in cities that arbitrarily deny new construction.
California Housing Battles Pit Older Liberals Against Younger Progressives
It's the old left, many home-owning seniors, against the younger left, many renter millennials when it comes to housing, according to an NBC report that looks at the local political dynamics underpinning the expensive California housing market.
Legal Strategies Shift on the Front Lines of the Bay Area's Housing Debate
The threat of a lawsuit by the California Renters Legal Advocacy has the city of Dublin rethinking a housing proposal that would add 220 units near the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.
Third Rail of the Housing Debate: More Density in Single-Family Neighborhoods
If California is going to address its chronic housing shortage, single-family residential neighborhoods can no longer be ruled "off limits." Opposition to a small Berkeley subdivision spawned new housing legislation and fostered the YIMBY movement.
California's 15 Housing Bills Won't Do Enough
At a new affordable housing project in a low-income neighborhood of San Francisco, Gov. Brown signed the package Friday that places a $4 billion housing bond on the ballot next year, adds a $75 real estate transaction fee, and streamlines permitting.
Critical Housing Bills Pass California Legislature on Final Day
The California legislature ended its season on Friday, handing Gov. Jerry Brown a third major victory. After passing landmark legislation earlier in transportation and climate change, a slate of controversial housing bills await his signature.
Putting Teeth into the California Housing Accountability Act
A 35-year-old law is not living up to its moniker, the 'anti-NIMBY law'. A bill co-sponsored by a group associated with the YIMBY movement would fine cities $10,000 per housing unit if they fail to comply with the law.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello