On June 27, 2024, the California First District Court of Appeal affirmed the denial of a writ petition challenging the City of Lafayette’s determination that a 12-unit residential condominium building qualified for the Class...more
The Office of Planning (OP) has been working with residents, community stakeholders and Washington, D.C., government agencies to develop the Draft Nannie Helen Burroughs Corridor Small Area Plan (NHBCSAP). This plan is...more
After the Charter amendments suggested by the Orange County Charter Review Committee discussed in “Proposed Charter Changes Threaten Orange County's Economic Future” were blocked by the Florida Legislature as discussed in...more
A California Supreme Court ruling will allow student housing at University of California to be built at Berkeley's historic People's Park. In February 2023, a state appeals court in San Francisco had sided with the opponents,...more
The Florida Legislature on Feb. 28, 2024, passed Senate Bill 328, which amends the Live Local Act (Amended Act). It becomes effective upon becoming law (except as otherwise provided). While most of the 2023 Live Local Act...more
Recognizing that Downtown San Francisco is “struggling” post-pandemic, State Senator Scott Wiener has announced new legislation to exempt certain projects in the area from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review...more
In Yes In My Back Yard v. City of Culver City (2023) 96 Cal.App.5th 1103, the Second District Court of Appeal (“Court”) held that the City of Culver City (“City”) violated Government Code section 66300 (“Section 66300”)—a...more
More Density, More Height and Less Bureaucracy - The Live Local Act (“Live Local” or the “Act”) makes unprecedented changes to zoning law that impact and limit local government power....more
On December 15, 2021, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) released draft guidelines for the Commonwealth’s recently-adopted Multi-Family Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities. A public...more
Zoning laws are changing in Connecticut. The goal? To make housing more affordable and accessible for everyone. - Nearly a century ago, the Connecticut Legislature adopted the “Standard Zoning Enabling Act” (now Chapter...more
On May 17, the City Planning Commission (CPC) certified the SoHo/NoHo Neighborhood Plan (the Plan), which would replace outdated zoning regulations that preclude residences, including affordable housing, and severely restrict...more
Surprise! During the summer of Covid-19, the Town Board of Oyster Bay passed Local Law 4 of 2020, amending Chapter 246, the Town’s zoning code, to eliminate apartments over stores or offices as a permitted principal use in...more
Continuing a trend reported in our Sept. 9, 2020 alert (“Zoning and Land Use: Turning the World Right-Side Up Again”), the Appellate Division for the First Department, which exercises appellate jurisdiction over courts in...more
The need for zoning reform has been a perennial topic in both chambers of the Massachusetts State House for almost two decades. Signed into law by Governor Baker on January 14, 2021, Chapter 358 of the Acts of 2020, “An Act...more
The New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) provided greater detail on its proposal to rezone nearly 56 blocks of the SoHo and NoHo neighborhoods of Manhattan, which includes the following key features...more
As a coastal region confronting the impacts of climate change, South Florida must continue to advance urban resiliency and sustainability innovations through public investments, regulations, and private sector incentives that...more
On May 29, 2019, the City Council adopted a zoning text amendment to count certain mechanical voids as zoning floor area in residential towers. The amendment does not prohibit any mechanical space outright; instead, it...more
In April 2006, the Town of Huntington adopted a local law (Local Law 14-2006) that added § 198-27(A)(22) to its Zoning Code. That local law allows apartments on the top floors of some mixed-used buildings in its C6 General...more
Following more than six years of planning and public outreach, the City initiated the formal approval process for the Central SoMa Plan (Plan) at the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission on February 27 and March 1,...more