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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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Forest Service Properly Analyzed Potential Impacts of Forest Restoration Project on Pine Marten and Fisher Populations

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the U.S. Forest Service could validly rely on proxy approaches in determining whether a forest restoration project would adversely impact pine marten and fisher populations in the project area.

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Charter City Exempt from General Plan Consistency Requirement

A charter city is exempt from the statutory requirement that its specific plans and zoning ordinances be consistent with its general plan absent an express, unequivocal statement of intent in the city charter to adopt the consistency requirement.

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Failure to Identify Preferred Alternative Dooms EIR

A draft EIR that studies five very different project alternatives without identifying a preferred alternative violates CEQA by failing to provide the public with a stable project to review, the court of appeal held in

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Court May Seek Clarification from Agency Regarding Issue in Pending Litigation

The Sixth District Court of Appeal held that a trial court in a mandamus action had the inherent power to remand to the Board of Supervisors for clarification regarding an ambiguous general plan consistency finding.

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Ninth Circuit Court Paves the Way for Regulation of Stormwater Discharges Under RCRA

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that the anti-duplication provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) do not apply in the absence of a stormwater discharge permit issued under the Clean Water Act.

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State Authorizes Rental Inclusionary Housing Requirements

One of the 15 housing-related bills signed recently by Governor Brown could have especially significant implications for market-rate, residential rental projects in many jurisdictions, as the new legislation, AB 1505, will authorize cities and counties to adopt inclusionary housing requirements for rental units. AB 1505 takes effect January 1, 2018. Nearly a decade ago, the Court of Appeal

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Governor Signs Housing Legislation, Including Streamlining Bill

Governor Brown has signed 15 bills designed to address the State's severe shortage of affordable housing. Among its other effects, the legislation will (1) generate funds for affordable housing developments; (2) require cities and counties, as they approve new development, to maintain a supply of adequate housing sites for all levels of income; (3) tighten several provisions i

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Legislature Seeks To Prevent Local Voters From Enacting Many Types of Pro-Development Initiatives

The California Legislature just sent another "stop me before I vote again" bill to the Governor. Assembly Bill 890 proposes to limit severely the scope of voter-sponsored, pro-development land use initiatives. The Governor has until October 15th to

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College District's Approval of Agreement to Buy Land Did Not Trigger CEQA

A community college district's approval of an agreement to buy land for possible use as a new campus did not trigger CEQA review where the agreement required an EIR before the sale could be consummated and the District h

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City Cannot Compel State University to Collect and Remit City Taxes

UPDATE: The California Supreme Court has granted

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CEQA Not Preempted by Federal Rail Transportation Law for Projects Carried Out by State Agencies

The California Supreme Court has issued its decision in Friends of the Eel River v.

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Federal Courts Lack Jurisdiction to Hear Challenges to EPA Objections to State Water Pollution Discharge Permits

Federal courts of appeal do not have original jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act to hear a challenge to EPA's objection to a state's draft water pollution discharge permit, the Ninth Circuit held in Southern California Alliance of Publicly Owned Treatment Works v. EPA, 853 F.3d 1076 (9th Cir.

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NEPA Violations Did Not Undermine Validity of EIS for Nuclear Missile Maintenance Facility

The Ninth Circuit rejected challenges to the Navy's plans to construct a new nuclear missile maintenance facility.

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Air District Permit May Be Challenged Under CEQA

In an unsurprising decision, a court of appeal held that CEQA claims may be asserted against an air quality management district. Friends of Outlet Creek v.

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Property Owner Who Proceeds With Development Under a Permit Cannot Challenge Land-Use Conditions Attached to the Permit

The California Supreme Court has ruled that a landowner who accepts the benefits of a permit by constructing the project forfeits the right to challenge land-use conditions imposed on the project. Lynch v. California Coastal Commission (Calif. Supreme Court, No.