Since 1956, KB Home built over 600,000 homes in California, from San Diego the Bay Area and many places in between. That’s more homes than are in many states.
If KB Homes Is Leaving L.A., What Does That Say About California?
Cities Begin Shutting Down Data Center Development
In no way does the City of Monterey Park — a Los Angeles suburb known as a hub of the Chinese-American community — resemble the State of Maine. And yet, both have adopted an au …
Cities Contemplate Massive Upzoning Wrought by SB 79
The largest upzoning in the history of California will drop on select cities July 1. Collectively, SB 79 will increase the state’s zoned capacity by several million units.
Cities Consider Warehouse Restrictions Amid Concerns About Tariffs
The promise of jobs and economic development has pushed jurisdictions to embrace warehouses by the millions of square feet — totaling over 1.17 billion square feet of warehouse space in southern California alone. Meanwhile, local opponents remain vigilant.
New Laws Lead to Flurry of High-Rise Proposals
Due to a recent confluence of new laws and economic conditions, high-rises are being proposed, approved, and built in some unusual places.
Fresno City Council Defers Vote on Major Expansion
An annexation and zoning plan that would constitute the most dramatic expansion of a California city in recent memory will, most likely, be more incremental than monumental.
Wildfire Education Program for Planners & Firefighters Wins National APA Award
Planners are not necessarily trained to address wildfires, and firefighters are not necessarily trained to understand urban planning. Yet, a new initiative bridges the gap. The program’s directors offer insight into its national importance, the organization’s future, and winning an APA award.
Newport Beach Housing Initiative Qualifies for Ballot
Newport Beach City Council votes to introduce a measure that would reduce allowable new housing below the target required by the city’s Housing Element, which will appear on the November 2026 ballot.
Despite AB 130, Glendale Rejects Sears Redevelopment Design
The 682-unit project was declared exempt from CEQA and apparently met the city’s objective design standards. The city council voted against it anyway.
Measures to Comply with Housing Law Pass in Santa Cruz, Sausalito
Voters resoundingly favored new housing in Santa Cruz and Sausalito, two cities that have historically had strong anti-growth movements.
Voters Face Multiple Housing-Related Ballot Measures in Santa Cruz, Sausalito
The Cities of Santa Cruz and Sausalito present voters with land-use ballot measures intended to promote affordable housing. However, the approach varies with measures in Santa Cruz revolving around increased taxes on property sales, while Sausalito focuses on localized zoning.
Ballot Measure to Wipe Out Housing Laws Gains Support
Local control advocates are pushing the Our Neighborhood Voices ballot measure again
Hollister Rescinds General Plan
In an odd turn of events, the City of Hollister rescinded its own general plan in advance of a referendum
Cities Look to Self-Certification to Break Permitting Logjams
Pressured to rebuild Pacific Palisades, the City of Los Angeles may adopt a rare policy to help developers and builders sidestep lengthy permitting processes that can delay production of new housing
Housing Crisis Caused by Much More than Zoning
USC demographer professor of planning Dowell Myers does not dispute these phenomena. But, according to a newly published study “Misalignment of Housing Growth and Population Trends: Cohort Size and Lagging Measurements Through Recession and Recovery,” they are actually tangential to deeper economic causes that have led to what he describes as not just a local housing crisis but, indeed, a national housing crisis
We Can’t Control Wildfires; We Can Only Reduce Vulnerability
There are times when Mother Nature – especially when abetted by climate change and drought – will do as she pleases. In those cases, all cities and residents can do is try to minimize the damage
One Ski Resort’s Long-Shot Bet to Survive Low Snowfall and Devastating Wildfires
The closest ski hill to Los Angeles recently sold to an investment group with big plans. But can those ideas work amid catastrophic climate threats that continue to plague the mountain?