Arent Fox Bay Area Land News - May 4, 2017
News you can dig.
US/California/Bay Area News
SFGate
Caltrain gets $100 million in tentative federal budget deal
This week, hope of obtaining cash for the busy commuter system was renewed. A $100 million allocation for electrification of the line between San Francisco and San Jose was included in Congress’ tentative budget deal.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Business Times
Editorial: Squelching housing is not right v. left, it’s right v. wrong
In these partisan, polarized times, perhaps it’s encouraging that parts of the Bay Area’s left and right flanks have found something to agree on. Except that the point of consensus seems to be a mutual desire to hamstring housing development.
To read the full article, click here. [subscription required]
Mercury News
As California grows, Menlo Park and other Bay Area cities see population boom
East Bay cities such as Dublin, Brentwood and Hercules; Rio Vista in Solano County; and Gilroy in southernmost Santa Clara County were among the cities with the greatest growth in 2016.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Business Times
Forget the bubble: Is the Bay Area economy primed for a second wind?
After years of growth, some people are worried the current economic expansion must be losing steam, but signs point to the opposite.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Chronicle
Opinion: Should Sen. Dianne Feinstein retire?
If Feinstein runs for re-election next year, wins and serves the entire six years, she would complete her term at the age of 91. Feinstein has not revealed whether she will run for another term, but she has already held fundraisers. The question that growing numbers of supporters now discuss quietly is whether, despite her successes in the Senate, Feinstein should run yet again.
To read the full article, click here.
Mercury News
Bay Area home sales jump in March, prices near record high
The number of new and existing homes and condominiums sold in the nine-county region was 7,287 in March, up 51.5 percent from February and 4.4 percent over March 2016, according to CoreLogic.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Business Times
Two of San Francisco's largest landlords weigh in on why Seattle outshines San Francisco
Executives from two real estate investment trusts with major San Francisco holdings dished on why they are bullish on Seattle these days.
To read the full article, click here. [subscription required]
San Francisco News
San Francisco Business Times
Hotel industry, housing advocates weigh in on Airbnb's settlement with S.F.
Airbnb settled a lawsuit with the City of San Francisco that will require short-term rentals to list only properties registered with the city.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Chronicle
Court says landlord must pay SF $2.4 million for bad evictions
In a tentative ruling, Judge Angela Bradstreet said landlord Anne Kihagi and her associates had “purposefully destroyed their tenants’ quiet enjoyment and any sense of sanctuary through their long, continued and unrelenting campaign of harassment, reductions in services, and unlawful and fraudulent evictions.”
To read the full article, click here.
SocketSite
Impact of Giants’ Massive Mission Rock Development Revealed
At full build-out, the proposed development will now yield up to 1,600 units of housing; up to 1.6 million square feet of office, retail and commercial space; 3,100 parking spaces (including a new parking garage at the southern end of the project); and 8 acres of new or redeveloped public space/parks, including a redesigned China Basin Park at the northern edge of the site, with a great lawn, play area and new plaza.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Chronicle
SF planners back plan for affordable rental housing
Market rate developers would have to make 18 percent of rental units affordable to low- and moderate-income households under an ordinance the San Francisco Planning Commission approved Thursday night.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Examiner
Planning Commission weighs in on inclusionary housing debate
The commission recommended that the Board of Supervisors lower the percentage of affordable rental units required by developers of projects with at least 25 units from 25 percent to 18 percent, which is in line with the proposal from Breed and Safai.
To read the full article, click here.
SPUR Blog
Why Central SoMa Needs to Focus on Jobs, Even in a Housing Shortage
While we agree that Central SoMa is a great place to add lots of housing, we disagree with the suggestion that the plan has too many jobs. (In fact we think it could have allowed for both more jobs and more housing). For environmental and equity reasons, Central SoMa is exactly the type of place to go big on jobs, and we encourage the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors to move forward with adopting the plan.
To read the full article, click here.
Bay City Beacon
The Sierra Club Fights to Save...A Parking Garage?
The discussion to this point had largely been about how to block the project. Why the project should be blocked was explained by Chapter Representative Sue Vaughan, who stated that they had previously opposed the project for including too little affordable housing. The historic parking garage was a means to an end.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Chronicle
Hotels on the Embarcadero — not such a bad idea after all?
Other cities allow hotels and even housing along their waterfronts, including such alluring destinations as Vancouver, British Columbia, and Boston. The key is to have full public access to the shoreline, with walkways along the perimeter and small docks for water taxis at a scale far beyond anything in the Bay Area.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Examiner
SF plans to charge fee for colleges building student housing
There are nearly 800 units of student housing that will accommodate more than 2,000 beds slated for development in San Francisco as colleges and universities worry that students may be dissuaded from attending school in a city with limited affordable homes.
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Chronicle
Time to rename Justin Herman Plaza
Tom Fleming, editor of the Sun-Reporter, an African American newspaper, summed up Herman’s sorry legacy this way: “Negroes and the other victims of a low income (fate) generally regard him as the arch villain in the black depopulation of the city.” So why was this man honored by having his name attached to the Embarcadero plaza that is the gateway to San Francisco?
To read the full article, click here.
San Francisco Business Times
Related California revamps luxury apartment tower amid San Francisco housing boom
Related California gave the Paramount, a luxury apartment tower, a facelift to compete with thousands of posh new apartments coming on the market in San Francisco.
To read the full article, click here. [subscription required]
San Francisco Chronicle
Changes could be in store Portsmouth Square, SF’s oldest plaza
“Portsmouth Square is Chinatown’s living room, and I’m delighted to see them partnering with Rec and Park to prioritize equity, access and cultural preservation throughout this design process,” said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, whose district includes Chinatown.
To read the full article, click here.
SFGate
S.F. Ethics Commission facing complaint against itself
The complaint cited Ethics Commissioners Peter Keane, Quentin Kopp, Paul Renne and Daina Chiu for acting on an item that wasn’t on their agenda last week when they voted to send a letter to city planner Christine Johnson, asking her to recuse herself from a controversial affordable housing battle at the Planning Commission.
To read the full article, click here.
South Bay News
Silicon Valley Business Journal
Developer quietly scoops up more parcels near Diridon Station project
The properties are adjacent to the proposed office towers along Santa Clara Street, which will have about a million square feet of space and retail along the bottom floor. The project also includes hundreds of apartment units.
To read the full article, click here. [subscription required]
Silicon Valley Business Journal
What landlords need to know about San Jose’s new 'just cause' ordinance
Two new ordinances aim to help shift the balance of power between landlords and tenants and increase housing stability. But landlords and developers say the rules will have unintended consequences.
To read the full article, click here. [subscription required]
Silicon Valley Business Journal
Sneak peek: Cisco wraps up multimillion-dollar South Bay campus revamp
San Jose-based Cisco has been pumping millions of dollars into its sprawling campus to draw and retain talent.
To read the full article, click here. [subscription required]
Peninsula News
Palo Alto Online
In East Palo Alto, plans emerge to build 'up'
Four major construction projects in East Palo Alto could transform the cityscape in the next couple of years, with two of them pushing skyward in the mode of nearby cities Mountain View and Redwood City.
To read the full article, click here.
The Almanac
Affordable housing: County wrestles with spending choices
As the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors looks at spending more on affordable housing, it has run into complications on how this will reduce spending on other priorities.
To read the full article, click here.
Mountain View Voice
Minimal parking for North Bayshore
Making some hefty assumptions about a carless city of tomorrow, the Mountain View City Council on Tuesday laid down an optimistic vision for a future North Bayshore neighborhood, anticipating a suite of new technologies would lighten parking and road demands.
To read the full article, click here.
The Almanac
Thursday: Menlo Park meeting on bike-pedestrian rail crossing
The city of Menlo Park invites the public to a community meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 4, to discuss a proposed pedestrian and bike crossing – either under or over the tracks – at Middle Avenue in Menlo Park.
To read the full article, click here.
The Almanac
Menlo Park council supports Facebook-funded police unit
Facebook proposes to fund the new unit of five officers and a sergeant over five years, with the possibility of a two-year extension should the expected increase in city revenues from development in the area fall short.
To read the full article, click here.
Palo Alto Online
Plan to rebuild Hotel Parmani gains traction
A plan to demolish the aged Hotel Parmani on El Camino Real and construct a roomier, more prominent hotel gained momentum Monday night, when the City Council signaled its willingness to make a zone change to accommodate the transformation.
To read the full article, click here.
Palo Alto Online
Palo Alto may drop plan for transportation tax
Despite widespread recognition that traffic congestion continues to be a pressing priority, Palo Alto is considering backing away from a long-discussed plan to create a business tax that would pay for transportation improvements.
To read the full article, click here.
East Bay News
San Francisco Business Times
600 apartments planned in East Bay suburb despite housing backlash
Three separate housing projects would add nearly 600 units to San Ramon's Crow Canyon district, densifying the East Bay suburb even as some residents seek to block more housing.
To read the full article, click here. [subscription required]
San Francisco Business Times
Hong Kong investor under contract to buy Oakland landmark Marriott hotel for record price
The 494-room hotel was last sold in 2015 to a joint venture between a Walnut Creek-based realty firm and New York's private equity investment company Apollo Global Management.
To read the full article, click here. [subscription required]