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Santa Clara County Land Use & Development Overview



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SPUR, the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, brings the community together to discuss solutions to the problems our cities face.

California Local Pin Marker Local Land Use & Development Digest

Palo Alto Considers Housing on Downtown Parking Lot

01/10/2025

Read on to learn more about the different proposals to bring affordable housing to a downtown parking lot on Lytton Avenue.

LA Fires Could Drastically Drive Up Insurance Premiums — And Test California’s New Market Rules

01/09/2025

The state’s plan to fix the insurance crisis had barely rolled out when the Los Angeles fires began. Can the market recover and stabilize?

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Starts Ban on RV Street Parking

San Jose has begun temporarily banning RVs in designated areas across the city this week.
Under a $3.3 million pilot program, Oversized and Lived-In Vehicle Enforcement (OLIVE), the city has chosen 30 temporary tow-away zones to clear RVs for street …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Agritourism Threatened by Development

Santa Clara County officials remain out of compliance with state housing laws, which could put their agricultural tourism efforts in a race against developments proposing to pave over the Valley of Heart's Delight remaining farmland — with or without their …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Homeless Camps Spark Safety Issues for Railroad Workers

Homeless residents living along train tracks pose an unsafe and dangerous problem for railroad workers across California cities, including San Jose.
Recent videos shared by a San Jose-based railroad enthusiast show workers and riders passing by homeless camps close to …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Silicon Valley Commercial Vacancy Rates Pass 20%

Silicon Valley companies are adjusting their needs for in-person work spaces as employees refuse to go back to the office.
Commercial vacancy rates continue to climb, even though development is making a comeback, according to a December report from Joint …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
New Palo Alto Rules Would Curb Parklet Extensions

Facing criticism from downtown merchants, Palo Alto is preparing to drop a policy that allows restaurants to extend their dining areas into adjacent properties, even without consent from neighbors.
The change, which the City Council will consider at its Jan. …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Mountain View Looks to Trim Down Cost of $210M Public Safety Building

Mountain View is taking steps to close a massive funding shortfall for a new public safety building after the cost shot up to $210 million, an amount that far exceeds what the city budgeted for it.
In a 6-0-1 vote, …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
2024 in Review: Little Saigon Had a Roller-Coaster Year

A courtroom battle over an alleged ‘Godfather.’ A City Hall protest against one San Jose mayoral staffer. A fight for control of a Vietnamese cultural garden. The takedown of a renowned charity organization.
A common thread connected all these stories …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Developer Proposes 104 Homes in North Gilroy

A Morgan Hill-based developer has submitted plans for a 104-unit housing project on an 18.3-acre parcel in unincorporated Gilroy.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Allows Housing Development in Business Districts

The dynamic in three San Jose neighborhoods is about to shift, with a greater focus on residential development.
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to change the neighborhood business districts of Japantown, Willow Glen and 13th Street to allow for …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Still Lacks State Approval on Housing Plans

Santa Clara County is nearly two years behind on receiving state approval for its housing plans, allowing developers to push projects forward in unwanted ways.
County officials submitted their fourth draft of the housing element on Nov. 1 and expect …

Featured

Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.
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