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In the past when California State Attorney General Jerry Brown has gone after development, it has been an act of challenging an individual project for its impact on the environment. With the action against the City of Pleasanton, where the state is pitted against a popular, voter-approved initiative about growth, Brown is looking to set an example that has state-wide implications.

His message: if reducing automobile miles traveled in commuting can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, then the state is going to go after housing policies that do not accommodate residential growth in proportion to its job growth. And  that means that cities and counties throughout the state will be expected to uphold state law, and stop what the trial court calls “illusory zoning”, instead providing plans for rezoning that include specific density rights—the next step toward real, not abstract, development.

Paul Campos, General Counsel for the BIA (Building Industry Association) of the Bay Area, discusses the fallout of the trial court decision in today’s podcast.

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It seems, in looking more closely at the struggle between the state of California and its cities and counties, that a tension has always existed between state law, which requires that cities plan for and make land available for future housing needs, and the cities’ actions as the direct land use authorities. Since the state had “the power of the purse”, as Paul Campos calls it, it could reward complying cities with infrastructure projects, such as schools, roads and water.

Now that California’s carrot-and-stick reward system has fallen victim to the economy, the state trial court is moving ahead to ask that Pleasanton demonstrate that it can accommodate its share of future growth in the area by zoning land with appropriate densities to meet its allocation. Pleasanton doesn’t need to issue one more building permit, or guarantee that these homes will ever be built—this is all about planning for the future, not building for it.

Paul Campos, the Building Industry Association’s General Counsel, talks to The Real Story today about the inherent conflict between the state and its cities, and how permits and building will trail behind planned growth projections for years to come.

If you’re selling your home this spring, green upgrades may translate into value. Avid Ratings Co, which studies homebuyer preferences, claims that energy efficiency is high on the “must have” list. Based on a study unveiled at the recent Builders Show in Las Vegas, here are the “green” features buyers value most:

• • Energy-efficient appliances
• • High-efficiency insulation
• • High window efficiency

Because we live in California, The Real Story would add to the list low-flow showerheads and toilets. Water conservation is an increasingly important issue throughout the State.

By reducing dependence on the grid, solar electric systems can also add to resale value. In fact, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that home values rise an average of $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills.

Be sure potential buyers know about these features, as many are hidden. Here are some suggestions:

• • Leave Energy-Star decals in place. Consumers recognize these immediately.
• • Make sure your real estate professional knows about the features and can discuss their benefits—and highlight them on the MLS listings.
• • People in the Bay Area are often tech savvy and want specifics as to savings. Before and after energy bills are a good to share. If you’ve had an energy audit, be sure this information is available.
• • Prepare a flyer touting your home’s green features—or have little signs made to explain the benefits for those touring your home.

Resources:
www.marketwatch.com
www.prepareyourhouseforsale.com

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With all of the headlines about the California State Court invalidating a city-approved measure to cap housing growth, The Real Story called on Paul Campos, General Counsel to the Building Industry Association (BIA) of the Bay Area (formerly the Homebuilders Association) to provide the back story and explain what this could mean to city growth all over the state.

Even though the state’s Department of Housing and Commercial Development has had in place since 1996 a ruling that says that all California cities must accommodate their “fair share” of housing growth, many cities have adopted their own growth control measures. The trigger for this case is that last year, for the first time, Pleasanton could no longer demonstrate that it had land in reserve for future building to allow for some “fair share” number of theoretical homes to be built in the future. The growth that the state expects Pleasanton to take on now exceeds the city’s self-imposed housing cap of 29,000 units.

When the state gets into local issues, particularly growth issues, emotions run high. Paul talks today about the tension between planning and forecasting at the state and city levels, and how the numbers for each area’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation are derived—in spite of a downturn in jobs and housing.

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Lucky for the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association that Gabriel Metcalf is still a young man. . . he has his eyes on projects that will take years and years—and in some cases, years more—to complete. But he is excited that the plans for Treasure Island and the Transbay Terminal are moving along so well, and is watching the incremental changes along mid-Market Street as renovations are taking place. He is a big fan of the Exploratorium’s planned move to the northern waterfront area.  For more details on that development, go to  www.exploratorium.edu/embarcadero/plan/faq.html.

What isn’t working in his mind? The State of California is becoming more ungovernable, more polarized and less concerned about doing something about global warming than talking about it. In his words, “the scale of the problem is so much bigger than the scale of the solution.” In today’s podcast, he talks about the biggest challenges he sees facing San Francisco and the state. Great food for thought.

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Today the conversation is about public transportation, and Gabriel Metcalf has some updates on the state of services existing and in the planning. As the Executive Director of SPUR, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Development, Gabriel is involved in plans for improvements to MUNI and points out that the system carries huge numbers of people every day, in a city that is one of the most-public transit reliant in the country.

He also notes that the long-discussed Caltrain connection to San Francisco’s downtown by way of the Transbay Terminal is looking more positive—and when completed, will allow commuters to travel from San Jose to San Francisco in about half an hour.