SB 684 requires California cities to ministerially approve small residential subdivisions of ten units or fewer on qualifying urban lots. Signed on October 11, 2023, and effective July 1, 2024, the law removes discretionary review, public hearings, and CEQA analysis for projects that meet its objective criteria. Senate Bill 1123, effective July 1, 2025, expanded… Read more »
AB 2097 bars most California public agencies from imposing minimum parking requirements on development within a half mile of a major transit stop. Codified at Government Code Section 65863.2, the statute took effect January 1, 2023, and it overrides local zoning ordinances, including those adopted by charter cities. However, the law’s practical application involves far… Read more »
The Core Permitting Crossroads: Choice vs. Compliance For real estate developers, commercial builders, and residential property owners in California, project timelines and budgets hinge on a single legal question: Is your project application discretionary or ministerial? This distinction dictates whether your development follows a direct, checklist-style approval or faces months to years of public hearings,… Read more »
A single vote by a local planning commission can instantly alter the utility, financial value, and development horizon of a piece of real estate. For California property owners, developers, commercial enterprises, and neighboring residents, these municipal bodies dictate the fate of building permits, zoning modifications, conditional use authorizations, and subdivision tract designs. Because planning commissions… Read more »
