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California Land Use & Development Law Report

California Land Use & Development Law Report offers insights into legal issues relating to development and use of land and federal, state and local permitting and approval processes. View posts by topic. Subscribe 🡢

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Air Resources Board’s Regulatory Relief For Small Truck Fleets Violated CEQA

A court of appeal has held that the California Air Resources Board violated CEQA when it issued a "regulatory advisory" notifying small trucking operations that they need not meet ARB's regulatory deadline for retrofitting their truck engines, and that the regulation would soon be relaxed. John R. Lawson Rock & Oil, Inc. v. State Air Resources Board, 5th Dist. Case No. F074003 (Jan.

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Attorneys’ Fees Can Be Awarded to CEQA Litigants Hoping to Preserve Their Home Values

Successful petitioners under CEQA who are motivated to file suit, in part, by their private financial interests are not necessarily ineligible for an award of attorneys' fees under the public interest fee statute. Heron Bay Homeowners Association v. City of San Leandro, 19 Cal. App.

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Court Upholds Use of Small Facilities Exemption for Microcell DAS Project

In Aptos Residents Association v. County of Santa Cruz, the court of appeal upheld Santa Cruz County's use of a CEQA exemption to approve a distributed antenna system (often referred to as a DAS) for the provision of cell service. (6th Dist., No. H042854, Feb.

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EIR For Railyard Did Not Adequately Analyze Air Quality Impacts

Rejecting most challenges to the environmental impact report for a new railyard near the Port of Los Angeles, a court of appeal nevertheless held that the EIR must be decertified because it did not adequately address air quality impacts in the vicinity of the new yard. City of Long Beach v. City of Los Angeles, 19 Cal. App. 5th 465 (1st Dist.

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Size Limit on Retail Tenants Not Likely to Cause Urban Decay

A general plan policy that limited the size of retail tenants in certain areas of a city was not likely to cause urban decay and was not inconsistent with other general plan policies encouraging infill development, the court of appeal held in Visalia Retail, LP v. City of Visalia, 20 Cal. App.

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CEQA YEAR IN REVIEW 2017

A Summary of Published Appellate Opinions Under the California Environmental Quality Act In 2017, the California Supreme Court issued two decisions involving highly controversial questions of first impression. In the closely-watched Cleveland National Forest Foundation case, the court reversed the court of appeal's ruling that the EIR for SANDAG's region

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Court Defers to City’s Interpretation of the Building Code

A city's interpretation of the building code is entitled to significant deference in light of the city's expertise regarding land-use determinations. Harrington v. City of Davis, 16 Cal. App. 5th 420 (2017). The City of Davis approved a conditional use permit for a property owner to use a home in a residential neighborhood as professional office space for three therapists.

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Department of Interior Declares That Only Deliberate Acts Constitute Take of Migratory Birds

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of the Solicitor has issued Memorandum M-37050, dated December 22, 2017, which concludes that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act's prohibition on the "taking" or "killing" of migratory birds applies only to deliberate acts, such as hunting, intended to take a migratory bird.

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Voter-Approved Initiative to Limit Large Developments and Chain Stores Exceeded Initiative Power

In a case that illustrates the limits of use of voter-approved initiatives to limit development, the court of appeal invalidated an initiative passed by voters in the City of Malibu that sought to limit large developments and chain stores. The Park at Cross Creek v. City of Malibu, 12 Cal.App.5th 1196 (2017). The initiative at issue, Measure R, consisted of two components.

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“Urban Decay” Not Reasonably Foreseeable Consequence of Relocating Courts from Historic Downtown Courthouse

Citing the likelihood of repurposing Placerville's historic downtown courthouse and evidence nearby businesses were not dependent on it, the First District Court of Appeal held that "urban decay" was not a reasonably foreseeable consequence of moving judicial activities from downtown to a new building in the outskirts of the city. Placerville Historic Preservation League v.

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Categorical Exemptions for Telegraph Hill Residential Project Upheld

In Protect Telegraph Hill v. City and County of San Francisco (2017) 16 Cal.App.5th 261, the First District Court of Appeal rejected a series of CEQA challenges to San Francisco's approval of a conditional use permit for the renovation of a historic cottage and the construction of a three-unit residential building.

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Court Upholds Refinery EIR’s 2007 Baseline and Reliance on Cap-And-Trade for Climate Change Analysis

In a precedent-setting decision, the Fifth District Court of Appeal has upheld two key aspects of the 2014 environmental impact report for a refinery expansion project. Association of Irritated Residents v. Kern County Board of Supervisors No. F073892 (5th Dist., Nov. 21, 2017).

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Certified Regulatory Programs Must Comply with CEQA's Policies and Substantive Standards

A certified regulatory program, which is exempt from some of CEQA's requirements, must still comply with CEQA's core policies and standards, which include considering feasible alternatives and cumulative impacts and recirculating environmental review documents in certain circumstances, the court of appeal held in Pesticide Action Network North America v.

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Court Rejects Claim That Clinic Protests Might Cause Significant Environmental Impacts

A court of appeal has ruled that opponents of a new Planned Parenthood clinic did not establish a fair argument that anti-clinic protests might cause significant environmental effects. Therefore, the City of South San Francisco did not err in finding the clinic project exempt from CEQA. Respect Life South San Francisco v. City of South San Francisco, 15 Cal. App.

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Petitioner’s Failure to Comply With Discovery Regarding its Standing to Sue Results in Dismissal of CEQA Case

A CEQA case challenging the City of Wildomar's approval of a Wal-Mart retail complex has been dismissed because the petitioner refused to comply with discovery requests regarding its standing to sue. Creed-21 v. City of Wildomar, 4th Dist. Court of Appeal Case No.E066367 (pub.