California law streamlines environmental reviews for large projects

2021-06-03T12:26:00-04:00

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law Senate Bill 7, aimed at streamlining large building developments in the state. The bill, also known as the Housing and Jobs Expansion Act, allows for certain proposed developments, particularly infill residential-led projects, to be fast-tracked through judicial reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Legislators hope that streamlining this judicial process will help alleviate the state’s affordable housing crisis.

The new law is an effective extension and enhancement of previous legislation introduced in 2011, known as the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act, or Assembly Bill 900. That legislation created an expedited judicial process under CEQA for large residential, clean energy, or manufacturing projects, providing they met certain requirements for scale, labor, and environmental standards. From Assembly Bill 900’s introduction in 2011 to its expiry at the beginning of 20...

Zoning in Los Angeles "doesn’t allow for sensible urban development"

2016-08-02T13:16:00-04:00

While zoning is a perfectly fine strategy to map new suburban cul-de-sac subdivisions and to stop growth, it backfires when we try to use it to guide the future of an evolving, dynamic city like Los Angeles. Zoning is a 20th century relic designed to “protect” existing residents from the encroachment of people and buildings they see as “undesirable.” [...] we should be following Chicago’s approach by focusing on public spaces, infrastructure and other common assets.

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California law streamlines environmental reviews for large projects

Zoning in Los Angeles "doesn’t allow for sensible urban development"