Focus
Senate passes sweeping land conservation bill
■New York Times - February 12
The Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping public lands conservation bill, designating more than one million acres of wilderness for environmental protection and permanently reauthorizing a federal program to pay for conservation measures. The bill designates 1.3 million acres in Utah, New Mexico, Oregon, and California as “wilderness,” the most stringent level of federal land protection, prohibiting any development and the use of most motorized vehicles on these lands. The bill creates less-stringent but permanent protections of land in Montana and Washington state.
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Report highlights need for better understanding of investment risk assessment in age of climate change
■Urban Land - February 5
A new report from ULI and Heitman, a global real estate investment management firm, points to the pressing need for greater understanding throughout the industry of the investment risks posed by the impacts of climate change. The report explores current methods for assessing and mitigating climate risk in real estate, including physical risks such as catastrophes and transitional risks such as regulatory changes, availability of resources, and attractiveness of locations. Both types of risks have financial impacts for real estate, including higher operational costs and declining property values. The report, released last week at ULI’s Europe Conference in London, is based on insights from more than 25 investors and investment managers in Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific region, as well as existing research.
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California to scale back $77 billion high-speed rail project
■Reuters - February 12
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday the state will dramatically scale back a planned $77.3 billion high-speed rail project that has faced cost hikes, delays, and management concerns, but will finish a smaller section of the line. Newsom said the state will complete a 119-mile high-speed rail link between Merced and Bakersfield in the state’s Central Valley. Newsom said the state will finish environmental reviews from San Francisco to Los Angeles, “connect the revitalized Central Valley to other parts of the state, and continue to push for more federal funding and private dollars. But let’s just get something done.”
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San Francisco mayor prepares bill to make affordable housing cheaper to build
■San Francisco Chronicle - February 10
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is readying legislation to eliminate thousands of dollars in fees the city charges when 100 percent affordable housing projects and accessory dwelling units are built or renovated. The ordinance is Breed’s latest effort to chip away at what she sees as the administrative forces that make it harder to build housing. Breed’s proposal wouldn’t expedite projects but would make them less expensive to get moving. The ordinance is also meant to encourage the development of accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, often called in-law or granny flats. In August, Breed instructed city departments to clear within six months the backlog of some 900 ADUs stuck in the approval pipeline — a deadline that will expire at the end of the month.
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State tells Encinitas to abolish anti-housing growth law
■San Diego Union-Tribune - February 7
State officials have told Encinitas that it needs to “amend or invalidate” an anti-growth ordinance passed by voters in 2013. Last Tuesday, the city received a letter asking it to take necessary action to eliminate or change Proposition A, a law approved by 52 percent of voters that requires a public vote every time a developer proposes changing zoning or increasing density and sets a citywide building height limit of 30 feet. The move comes as the state continues to push for more housing and increase its legal options. Huntington Beach was sued by California in January for not complying with state law to allow enough homebuilding to accommodate its growing population.
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San Fernando Valley multiplex has a plan for rainwater that usually flows into the ocean
■NBC Los Angeles - February 6
The Vineyards – a 20-acre apartment and commercial outlet in the San Fernando Valley – is leading the push for green building development with its eco-friendly design. Set to open this spring, the complex will be equipped with solar panels, LED-powered lights, and charging outlets for electric cars. One of the most noteworthy parts of the development, however, is a network of cisterns placed around the building for rainwater storage. By storing runoff rainwater, cisterns prevent water from flowing into sewers and rivers that carry it off into the ocean, where it is no longer usable. The Vineyards would then be able to use the captured water for irrigation, instead of relying on municipal water collectors like dams or reservoirs.
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