In July, after a 6-year effort to overhaul its Zoning Ordinance, the Chesterfield Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of ZOMod moving it forward to the Board of Supervisors for a public hearing on September...more
A bid to bolster eviction protections for San Francisco’s oldest neighborhood businesses won key approval last Tuesday as city leaders contemplate a sweeping rezoning plan that stands to boost building height limits along...more
Often times, property owners wish to develop their property in a manner that differs from what is allowed by their local zoning ordinance. When this happens, the property owner must seek and obtain a “variance” from their...more
On Oct. 26, 2023, Arlington County released the final version of Plan Langston Boulevard (PLB) and scheduled public hearings for potential adoption in November. The final plan, which incorporates a few changes to certain land...more
A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco - Housing Wonks on a Mission to Shorten S.F.’s Permitting Process (Fixing Our City Podcast): Assemblymember Matt Haney and YIMBY...more
On June 14, 2022, the Montgomery County Council introduced ZTA 22-05, which proposes substantial revisions to Montgomery County’s Sign Ordinance. The intent of the ZTA is to remove inefficiencies from the sign review process...more
The Second District Court of Appeal held that a Board of Supervisors decision on the appeal of a conditional use permit from the Planning Commission was untimely under the County Code and hence that the Planning Commission’s...more
A Court of Appeal held that the state’s density bonus law (Gov’t Code § 65915) does not require applicants to submit financial information to support requests for incentives or waivers and preempted a city ordinance that...more
Below are summaries of the key California and Ninth Circuit land use and development cases decided in 2020. Each case name is linked to our more extensive discussion of the case on the Land Use & Development Law Report. 1....more
California Appellate Court Looks to Local Ordinance’s Intention for Determination - In determining what makes a “super majority” of a governing body, a California appellate court said the entire number of seats on the body...more
The San Francisco Jobs Housing Linkage Fee (JHLF) is set to more than double under the “Housing for SF Workers” ordinance recently passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (Ordinance). Mayor London Breed refused to...more
On January 1, 2020, several housing-related bills recently signed into law by the Governor take effect. We will explain the upcoming changes in housing law through a series of updates. Our first update provided information...more
HomeAway and Airbnb Lose the Battle Against Santa Monica - ("Airbnb Loses Major Fight Over California City's Rental Law," Bloomberg Quint - Stories on Mar 13, 2019) On March 13, the Ninth Circuit ruled against HomeAway and...more
New Rules on the Horizon to Reduce Emissions and Improve Air Quality - Facing pressure to meet federal clean air standards, California's South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) voted 7-6 to direct staff to...more
In April 2017, Henrico County, Virginia, initiated an update of its zoning and subdivision ordinances to make the regulations more user-friendly and to better implement the county’s Vision 2026 Comprehensive Plan. The update...more
On Monday, October 16, 2017, the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners voted (4-1) to direct County staff to draft a moratorium ordinance that would postpone County approval of new development applications for three to...more
On July 11, 2017, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors finally voted to adopt sweeping (and complex) changes to the City’s Inclusionary Affordable Housing program.....more
Chapter 245 of the Texas Local Government Code (the “Vested Rights Statute”), provides a regulatory scheme in which developers and the public may rely upon regulations of a regulatory agency in effect at the time an initial...more
Is the City another step closer to sorting out inclusionary housing requirements and implementation of Proposition C? Board of Supervisors members have introduced two competing ordinances that seek to call the question...more
On February 7th, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the implementing ordinance for San Francisco’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program. Pending the Mayor’s approval, the TDM Program will...more
The San Francisco Planning Commission took a major step on December 8, 2016, by approving the first market rate housing project to utilize the State Density Bonus law. The State law, which has been in effect for almost...more
In 2014 Montgomery County adopted a comprehensive amendment to its zoning ordinance and now it embarks on the process of rewriting its subdivision regulations. Subdivision regulations facilitate the planning authority of...more
City of Los Angeles - City Council - PLUM Approves Clean Up Green Up Ordinance - On November 24, 2015, the Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) considered the draft Clean Up Green Up (CUGU)...more
We bring you more interesting news from the world of land use, religion and government: The Chicago Tribune reports that the Village of La Grange, Illinois Planning Commission is considering a proposed zoning code...more