San Diego Superior Court Ruling Stops Sprawl Development in Fire-Prone Area
Photo: Quino checkerspot butterfly Earlier this month, the San Diego County Superior Court reversed San Diego County’s approval of the Otay Ranch Village 14 project, a proposed development that would have paved over critical wildlife habitat while building 1,100 homes on fire-prone land east of Chula Vista. In a consolidated cases brought by a coalition of environmental groups and the People of California, the court ruled that the […]
Recent Housing Legislation and the Initiative Power: What You Need to Know
The State Legislature’s burst of new housing legislation has significant implications for use of the initiative power. Find out more about SB10’s explicit shift of power to local legislatures and other ways in which the new laws may complicate planning and zoning initiatives.
SF Homeless Navigation Center Defended
The firm assists the Office of the San Francisco City Attorney in successfully defending the San Francisco Port’s 2019 approval of the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center, a high-service shelter for adults experiencing homelessness. (Safe Embarcadero for All v. State of California (2019).)
SMW Helps Launch Affordable Senior Housing Project in Redwood City
The firm assists Midpen Housing Corporation in 2019 to secure land exchange agreements between the state, Redwood City, and private owners necessary to develop the Arroyo Green project, bringing 117 affordable senior housing units to downtown Redwood City.
Truckee Workforce Housing Support
The firm assists the Martis Fund in an innovative 2019 grant supporting development of 77 units of affordable housing in Truckee.
Affordable Housing Project Opens at Candlestick Point
Residents move into 306 units of affordable housing at the Alice Griffith Community at Candlestick Point, on land the Firm helps acquire and entitle, including the prosecution of quiet title litigation that successfully defends the public ownership of the site. (Successor Agency v. All Persons (2017).)
SB 827 Comes . . . and Goes
In a previous edition of In the Public Interest, we provided a summary of the legislation enacted by the State in 2017 to address California’s growing housing crisis. Since then, a new, highly controversial housing bill—SB 827—has come and gone. Senator Scott Weiner introduced SB 827 in January of this year. If approved, the bill would have […]
2017 Housing Law Update
It is no secret that California is in the grips of a serious housing crisis. According to one study, less than 50% of households in the state can afford housing.* Real estate prices have risen 15% since 2009, while median incomes have risen just 5%. And California has well over 100,000 residents without homes; 25% […]
Facebook Settlement Promotes Affordable Housing
The firm represents the City of East Palo Alto in negotiating a settlement with Facebook in 2016 that results in a $20 million fund for affordable housing and requirements for job training for City residents.
Legislation Passes Authorizing Mission Rock Project on Giants Parking Lot Site
In 2016 the state legislature enacts legislation (AB 2797), drafted by the firm for the Port of San Francisco, authorizing the development of the Mission Rock project on the site of a surface parking lot. The project includes 40% affordable housing and a five-acre waterfront park on China Basin Park.