Housing Element Update: Smart Growth Policies Take A Major Hit
6/25/2010 - Andrew J. Junius
The San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Center held a forum this week on smart growth over the next 30 years, which provided us with plenty to consider as we look to the future. We all know San Francisco’s population is growing and will continue to grow. Association of Bay Area Government’s Ken Kirkey actually quantified this trend: ABAG has set a target of 65,000 new housing units to be built in the City by 2035. Providing this amount of housing is supposed to be the goal of the 2009 Housing Element update, so does the latest version move us…
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Landmark New CEQA Guidelines For Greenhouse Gas and Particulate Matter
6/17/2010 - Stephen R. Miller
On June 2, 2010, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) adopted stringent and landmark guidelines for mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and particulate matter (PM 2.5) from land use projects. The new guidelines may have a major impact on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process for these projects. There is also speculation that the Guidelines adopted by BAAQMD, which is the air regulator for the nine-county Bay Area region, may be adopted by other air districts in the State or used by environmentalists to challenge land use projects in other air districts that would rise above the…
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