News
Mountain View approves policy for replacing rent-controlled apartments
The Mercury News – September 18
Mountain View has adopted a policy ensuring that rent-controlled apartments demolished for new rental housing are replaced with units that are affordable for lower-income tenants. Under the new rules, which take effect immediately, such projects will no longer be subject to the city’s rent control ordinance, which allows landlords to raise rents as high as they please when new tenants move in. Instead, rents will be capped at below-market rates so the units remain “naturally affordable.”
Los Angeles County to settle lawsuit over homeless crisis
NBC Los Angeles – September 12
Los Angeles County leaders announced a settlement agreement that commits hundreds of millions of dollars to expand outreach and supportive services for homeless residents, marking the potential end of two years of litigation over the crisis. Supervisor Holly Mitchell said the county will commit an estimated $236 million in new funding to address homelessness through 2027. Mitchell said the funds will also go toward a “comprehensive suite of services” for eligible residents of the 10,200 permanent housing units and 3,100 interim shelter beds that the city of Los Angeles has committed to build under its agreement.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors takes 1st step towards water management report
KPBS – September 14
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors directed the chief administrative officer on September 14 to update the county’s water and drought-management strategies, including sustainability efforts, and deliver a final report within the next year. Under the board’s direction, the report will include incentives for affordable housing developments to integrate and install stormwater capture and reuse systems and identifying financial risks caused by extreme weather conditions, among numerous other elements.
Los Angeles City Council backs bills preserving Santa Monica, San Gabriel areas
Spectrum News – September 14
The Los Angeles City Council signaled its support last Wednesday for two conservation bills pending in Congress that would help preserve areas in the Santa Monica Mountains and San Gabriel National Recreation Area. The Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act would expand the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area by about 191,000 acres, increasing public land access for nearly half of residents who live within two hours of the area, according to a motion filed by Council Members Nithya Raman and Paul Koretz.
150 years after the Great Chicago Fire, mass timber buildings are making a comeback
Smart Cities Dive – September 16
A Chicago high-rise will soon become one of more than 1,500 known mass-timber buildings already constructed or currently being designed around the U.S. Construction projects using the natural wood product have surged in recent years. According to data provided by the trade group WoodWorks—Wood Products Council, the number of completed or planned mass timber building projects in the U.S. grew from 63% between June 2020 and June 2022.
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