SBR-Authors Podcast: Finding True Happiness Through Acts of Kindness: A Conversation with Karen Olson
Creative Housing Solutions Pop Up Across Oregon
Affordable Housing on the Front Range: Inclusionary Housing Ordinances and the New Middle Income Housing Authority
Office-to-Apartment Conversions – A Good Idea, but Tricky to Pull Off (Audio)
Episode 15 | Hot! Hot! Hot! Don't get Burned by the Perils of Buying and Selling Residential Real Estate
California CRE to Expand in 2022
Workforce housing (also referred to as middle-income or essential housing) is becoming a central focus for communities across the country. Whether you’re a city, town, village, housing authority, developer, or part of the...more
A major affordable housing development underway in Fairfax County, Virginia, is setting a new precedent for large-scale, multi-phase transactions in high-cost suburban markets. Located adjacent to the County’s Government...more
As part of an ongoing effort to address the affordable housing shortage, the Connecticut General Assembly has passed Senate Bill No. 1444 which is designed to facilitate the conversion of certain buildings to residential use....more
Good news for Kentucky local governments—they’ve got a new tool to help tackle housing shortages, thanks to legislation passed during the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly. Senate Bill (SB) 25 now allows local governments to...more
According to recent news coverage, about 30,000 housing units proposed for Boston are approved by the Boston Planning Department (BPD) yet unable to break ground due to market conditions. In response, the Wu administration,...more
Last Friday, Massachusetts’ “Unlocking Housing Production Commission,” established by Gov. Maura Healey in October, 2023, released its report titled “Building for Tomorrow.” The report lays out a series of recommendations to...more
Following Governor Newsom’s recent Executive Order to assist those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County, on Monday, LA Mayor Karen Bass issued her own emergency Executive Order designed to expedite the...more
On December 5, 2024, the New York City Council approved the “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” text amendment, as modified by the City Planning Commission, following recommendations from the Zoning and Franchises...more
Local and state elected officials, community stakeholders, private developers, and employers are grappling with Ohio’s recognized lack of high-quality, workforce-attainable housing options. While Ohio has been successful in...more
The American Southwest is experiencing a notable shift in its approach to addressing affordable housing shortages. California, Nevada, and Arizona are exploring and debating various zoning relief measures to incentivize...more
The Live Local Act (Act), originally passed on March 29, 2023, was modified by SB328 on May 16, 2024. While the Act has been heralded as a solution to Florida’s affordable housing shortage, it has faced roadblocks since its...more
City of Los Angeles - Increase to Planning Applications and Affordable Housing Linkage Fees - On July 1, 2024, the fee for planning and land use applications increased by 3.5% based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban...more
On July 12, 2024, a bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives titled the “Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act” (H.R. 9002) (the “Bill”), which, if enacted, will provide an investment tax...more
Colorado’s General Assembly passed two bills this legislative session dedicated to improving the state of affordable housing in Colorado. HB24-1316 and HB24-1434 aim to supplement the State’s oversubscribed affordable housing...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
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
The Florida Legislature continues to modify the proposed changes to the Live Local Act (Act) through the latest version of Senate Bill 328 (SB 328), passed on February 7, 2024. For background on the original Act, see “Live...more
Yesterday, the Florida Senate on the opening day of legislative session unanimously passed by a vote of 40 to 0, Senate Bill 328 also known as the “Live Local Act 2024”. SB328 is in response to a mix of reactions to the...more
The 2024 Florida Legislature is contemplating revisions to The Live Local Act (“Act”) which took effect on July 1, 2023. These changes are being considered in Senate Bill No. 328 and Florida House Bill No. 1239....more
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
Background - On March 29, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 102, otherwise known as the Live Local Act (“LLA” or “Act”), into law, representing a large investment for housing efforts, one of the largest in...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
In response to Mayor London Breed’s recent Executive Directive, titled “Housing For All,” on May 4, 2023, the San Francisco Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve a package of Planning...more
The California Fifth District Court of Appeal's recent opinion in Martinez v. City of Clovis provides considerable guidance to local jurisdictions across the state as they wrestle with heightened housing element requirements...more
The land use entitlement process in California is notoriously complicated, lengthy, and fraught with uncertainty. Less attention is paid to the process of receiving building permits, post-entitlement. Generally, this process...more