Governor Gavin Newsom signed two budget trailer bills on June 30, 2025, enacting the most substantial reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in over five decades....more
7/24/2025
/ California ,
CEQA ,
CEQA Reform ,
Environmental Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Housing Developers ,
Land Developers ,
New Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
This is our third update on the important changes in the two budget trailer bills, AB 130 and SB 131, after previous posts addressing the new CEQA exemption for infill housing and the “near miss” CEQA streamlining process....more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
Mayor Lurie names new S.F. planning director (SF Chronicle): Sarah Dennis Phillips has been named the City’s planning director,...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
Mayor Lurie launches initiative to speed up S.F.’s slow permitting process (SF Chronicle): The Mayor announced a new effort to...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco Why Mission Bay is recovering faster than anywhere else in San Francisco (SF Standard):
The redeveloped neighborhood is booming ahead...more
2/10/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
California ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Infrastructure ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws
During the 2024 California Legislative Session, which closed on August 31, the State Legislature again passed many bills seeking to ease the state’s housing crisis. This post focuses on key housing-related bills that are, at...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
Small and Mighty: How small businesses can reinvent downtown San Francisco (SPUR Policy Brief): SPUR’s research, drawn from a...more
5/7/2024
/ Bay Area ,
California ,
California Coastal Commission ,
Community Development ,
Construction Project ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Infrastructure ,
Public Projects ,
Real Estate Development ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
Voters in San Francisco and California will again confront a formidable ballot during the election on March 5, 2024, with an array of qualified City measures and one state proposition to consider....more
2/28/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Ballot Measures ,
Bay Area ,
California ,
Community Development ,
Construction Project ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Mental Illness ,
Real Estate Development ,
Realty Transfer Taxes ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Urban Planning & Development
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
San Francisco Office Market Shows Signs of Life (Wall Street Journal): Sales slowly materialize as some sellers accept lower prices,...more
11/8/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Bay Area ,
California ,
City of Berkeley ,
Community Development ,
Construction Project ,
County Planning Commissions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Housing Market ,
Real Estate Development ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Transportation Corridor ,
Urban Planning & Development
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco San Francisco isn’t doomed. These 6 places show why (S.F. Chronicle):
The City is not without its current challenges but, for most of...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco -
National Insight on Downtown San Francisco Recovery (Urban Land Institute): San Francisco can create a more commercially vibrant and...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team...more
3/7/2023
/ Building Permits ,
California ,
CMBS ,
Construction Permits ,
Construction Project ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Homeless Issues ,
Municipalities ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
In early June, we reported on the key land use-related ballot propositions San Francisco voters faced during the June 7, 2022 special election. Now that the dust has settled after the election, voters came very close to...more
7/29/2022
/ Ballot Measures ,
Building Inspectors ,
California ,
Infrastructure ,
Land Use Restrictions ,
Local Ordinance ,
Municipalities ,
Real Estate Development ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Surface Transportation ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws
San Francisco voters will again confront a formidable ballot during the special election on June 7, 2022, with an array of ballot propositions to consider. Key land use-related measures are as follows...more