Back in March, we wrote about pending legislation that would amend the Planning Code to specifically address electric vehicle (“EV”) charging uses. At the time, the legislation was headed to the Planning Commission for initial consideration. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an amended version of that legislation on the first reading. As […]
The Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act (“Davis-Stirling Act”) is the primary body of law governing condominium projects and homeowners associations (“HOAs”) in California. The Davis-Stirling Act generally provides for election of the HOA board of directors by secret ballot. A change to the Davis-Stirling Act became effective in 2022 that authorizes the HOA board of […]
Golden West Project CEQA Appeal Denied Yesterday, the Oakland City Council unanimously denied the appeal of a 222-unit State Density Bonus project, including 16 units for very low income households, on a vacant lot next to the West Oakland BART Station, aka the Golden West project (the “Project”). The City Council upheld the Planning Commission’s […]
On Tuesday June 14th, Supervisor Melgar introduced a new version of legislation (“Appeal Legislation”) that will change, and effectively lower the threshold, for appeals of Conditional Use Authorizations (or denial) by the Planning Commission. A Conditional Use Authorization (“CUA”) refers to the use or development of a parcel that is not permitted as-of-right but requires […]
The “Affordable Homes Now” measure submitted in March by a coalition of labor and housing advocates, has successfully collected the 52,000 signatures required to qualify for San Francisco’s November 2022 ballot. Citing a study by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, the measure describes San Francisco’s four-year average to permit multifamily residential […]
Imagine being at home one day when you receive news that someone (or some entity) is claiming to be the true owner of that same property you worked so hard, and paid so much, to purchase. Is there a chance there is actual merit to such a claim? What does this mean for your ability […]
The Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (“DOSP”) is Oakland’s sixth area plan and has been in the works since the mid-2010s. On April 27, 2022, Zoning Code Amendments to implement the objectives of the DOSP were released. The DOSP’s objectives, include new and equitable housing production, economic opportunity, social justice, culture keeping, quality urban form, climate-friendly […]
Pending Specific Plan Will Streamline CEQA Review of Future Life Science Projects On April 25th, the City of San Carlos enacted a development moratorium covering approximately 120 acres of land in the north side of the City, and east of Old County Road (see map below). San Carlos has seen significant life science and R&D […]
The Department of Building Inspection and the San Francisco Fire Department have drafted a new Information Sheet EG-02, which provides guidelines for R-3 projects that are unable to meet the Building and Fire Code (SFBC) Section 1030, which requires emergency escape and rescue openings (EEROs) to open directly into a public way or to a […]
After a productive legislative year in 2021, the state legislature is continuing to tackle California’s ongoing challenges related to the housing crisis and lengthy processing times. Two bills would aim to minimize some of the roadblocks facing housing projects by bringing down both direct costs and holding costs. First, AB 2063 proposes to codify the […]
