A twelve-year saga of pitched battles between housing advocates, developers and an obdurate NIMBY (“Not in My Backyard”) assemblage was finally resolved last month by California’s First District Court of Appeal. In a victory for California housing proponents, the City of Lafayette’s approval of the 315-unit Terraces of Lafayette project has been upheld against the challenges … [Read more...] about Protracted legal odyssey ends in victory for Lafayette housing development
housing
Housing crisis-inspired policy goals now at loggerheads in Palo Alto
Once again, the chronic and acute shortage of housing in California takes center stage in this week’s blog, as has happened so many times over the past several years. This time, the spotlight is on Palo Alto, whose debates over development have also previously been featured here. The controversy at hand involves the tension between the development of additional market rate … [Read more...] about Housing crisis-inspired policy goals now at loggerheads in Palo Alto
Can SB 330, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, succeed in lowering barriers to residential development in California?
In my last blog post, I wrote about AB 1482, the statewide rent control bill adopted by the California legislature, which Governor Gavin Newsom has just signed. Awaiting action by Newsom momentarily is the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330), a measure intended to promote California housing construction by suspending certain local limitations on housing construction. While … [Read more...] about Can SB 330, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, succeed in lowering barriers to residential development in California?
San Francisco passes law giving nonprofits first rights to purchase multifamily residential property
California’s shortage of housing, especially affordable housing, is a conundrum that becomes harder and harder to avoid with each passing day. It is only a slight exaggeration for me to say that it seems like I’ve blogged about this problem every month for years. In every conversation I have about Silicon Valley real estate, this situation raises its ugly head, regardless of … [Read more...] about San Francisco passes law giving nonprofits first rights to purchase multifamily residential property
More legislative approaches to California’s housing crisis heading down the pike
California’s perpetual dearth of housing and the state’s ongoing efforts to address that situation have been featured regularly in this blog. Concerns over this predicament have extended to the highest levels of California government: In 2017, Gavin Newsom promised to “lead the effort to develop the 3.5 million new housing units we need by 2025” if he were elected … [Read more...] about More legislative approaches to California’s housing crisis heading down the pike