The response to the wildfires has really called the bluff of California leadership. What do we do when we actually want to get housing rebuilt after the fire? Suspend environmental reviews and coastal permits, end discretionary reviews, massively expedite permitting.... - ThreadSky

mnolangray.bsky.social • 46 days ago

The response to the wildfires has really called the bluff of California leadership. What do we do when we actually want to get housing rebuilt after the fire? Suspend environmental reviews and coastal permits, end discretionary reviews, massively expedite permitting....

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mnolangray.bsky.social•46 days ago

What have we done in response to an oft-decried California housing crisis that has displaced millions, or left them spending half of their income on rent or living on the streets? Almost none of these things, except in certain fringe circumstances. Do we have a housing crisis or not?

kdbnicol.bsky.social•45 days ago

Are we going to get more housing simply by letting the housing industry go, because private enterprise is just so good at building communities that work for people? 😱🫣🧐🤨
Or are we going to do something truly different and rebuild with reforms that mean better housing and ecodistricts?
#CommunityLed

datadrivenfp.bsky.social•45 days ago

What we have is 'letting it go' with so many restrictions nothing can be built.
Result-
Housing shortages
Sky high costs
Long commutes
Lotsa traffic
Dangerous to walk or bike
Losing lower income population

Soon, only multimillionaires and people who bought long ago will be able to live here.

kdbnicol.bsky.social•44 days ago

This is what has happened to every Canadian community where anyone wants to live.
The planning rules have been written and are being manipulated to protect current single family homes, and to insure the earnings of the sprawl industry, building more single family homes. Smaller cities then fall prey

datadrivenfp.bsky.social•44 days ago

The fruits of being developed so much later and less densely than Europe.

natecheadle.bsky.social•46 days ago

I think you said this well on the abundance podcast that it does seem like there is a subset of the legislature that wants to make sure none of the housing bills work too well.

kzhill.bsky.social•46 days ago

I was with you until you said coastal reviews. What’s your issue? As a sea level rise planner, I don’t think we should send people from fires to floods. Do you?

thejeffbyrnes.com•46 days ago

The CA Coastal Commission has a long history of blocking multi family homes along the CA coast (and not right in the water, just nearby) for pretty terrible reasons that often boil down to “protect existing homeowners views”.

kzhill.bsky.social•45 days ago

I hear you- but consider this. Modeling by USGS and my own work have shown that groundwater will rise within about 3 miles of the coast, impacting infrastructure and buildings. If coastal agencies are using that issue to block conventional housing designs, I can see why and support that.

thejeffbyrnes.com•45 days ago

That’s not, so far as I’ve seen, why they’re blocking things.

Also, homes already exist in these places & are not at all adapted to climate change. If we’re concerned about sea level rise impacts like that, we can make them part of rebuilding areas while also adding more homes.

thejeffbyrnes.com•45 days ago

So yes, there are reasonable concerns! But they’re not actually being reasonable, they’re just maintaining the status quo 😬

obcycler.bsky.social•46 days ago

💯 this is the coastal zone in San Diego where building heights are limited to 30 ft. Much of it is miles away from the coast and other flood risks.

thejeffbyrnes.com•46 days ago

Yup, that! Thanks for the much better illustration of why it’s messed up.

sqncs.bsky.social•45 days ago

LA in particular faces very little risk from even a 1.4m sea level rise outside of Malibu Beach, lower parts of Venice around the canals and some areas near the Port

https://dornsife.usc.edu/uscseagrant/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2023/11/Climate_CityofLA_VulnerabilityStudy_SummaryReport.pdf

sqncs.bsky.social•45 days ago

Most of the california coast is fine except maybe coastal cliffs

https://ss2.climatecentral.org/#9/33.8441/-118.1466?show=satellite&projections=0-K14_RCP85-SLR&level=0&unit=feet&pois=hide

mnolangray.bsky.social•45 days ago

Housing developments in existing urban areas that are not within projected sea level rise or any of the 10 environmental exclusion areas we write into every housing bill should not automatically be subjected to months/years of additional discretionary review.

michaeltucsonaz.bsky.social•45 days ago

California Coastal Commission has jurisdiction over a much larger area than is threatened by sea level rise. In Santa Monica, CCC adds a very complex review including how an apartment building will affect ocean views, not public/building safety.

michaeltucsonaz.bsky.social•45 days ago

In SaMo, CCC regulates for 0.5 mile (4th St) up to 0.7 mile (Lincoln Blvd) inland. The city is on a cliff behind PCH.

CCC has a role, but I think they should stick to flood risk, habitats, and public beach access. Let cities handle infill redevelopment/densification.

https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=2f53c9852c4b43b58c842238b8615fec

archibaldcrane.bsky.social•45 days ago

In this case the "reviews" have been done, here's sea level rise risk is in a vulnerable area (Marina Del Rey) vs the Pacific Palisades/PCH coast

ralk7.bsky.social•45 days ago

Those images show only a 3 foot rise. Some climate models are projecting much higher ocean levels, potentially soon.

And the images don’t seem to account for unusual ocean surge events, like earthquake tsunamis or “100 yr storms” (& worse) that can hit at any time, even repeatedly.

skippile.bsky.social•46 days ago

It's notable how the typical groups that come out against any reform of CEQA, local permitting, and the Coastal Act for new housing are not complaining about how damaging these suspensions will be to the environment.

datadrivenfp.bsky.social•45 days ago

But NOT allow greater density or height!
And you need 2 parking places per unit!
You can rebuild ONLY what was there.

Complex laws are themselves a barrier to new development. They require extensive legal research, which has significant costs.

No multifamily buildings in R1 In Los Angeles!!

rosszb.bsky.social•45 days ago

And ironically I wish it was in these very areas where I wish we were more mindful of what is rebuilt due to factual and destructive environmental risk.

megatrope.bsky.social•45 days ago

Why would they need to redo those reviews that have already been done?

ralk7.bsky.social•46 days ago

And nobody should rebuild destroyed houses on any ocean coast anywhere in the world.

Climate change experts predict the oceans will rise SEVERAL FEET in coming years, and sooner than they used to predict.

ralk7.bsky.social•46 days ago

Burning cars & tires can release hundreds of kinds of permanent toxic heavy metals (& other elements) like lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, manganese, antimony, boron, strontium, etc.

Dangerous new chemical compounds get created too … like dioxins, furans, and a host of halogenated hydrocarbons.

ralk7.bsky.social•46 days ago

Urban fires create & spread many kinds of toxic residues that persist for years in soil & run off to accumulate in creeks, ponds & other waterways.

This Hawaiian page describes their toxicity concerns & actions after the huge Lahaina urban fire.

https://www.kaainamomona.org/post/soot-and-burnt-structures-left-behind-in-lāhainā-are-extremely-toxic

ralk7.bsky.social•46 days ago

Fire damaged property owners should never get blanket exemptions from environmental rules.

Toxic fire contamination problems REQUIRE expert testing, expert clean-up & SAFE disposal. PLEASE don’t let ignorant people cut corners & make dangerously toxic mistakes!

ralk7.bsky.social•46 days ago

I spent 30 years fighting for the cleanup of one of the most toxic rivers in the world, that spread toxicity over an entire Great Lake & poisoned a 4-state region.

Toxicity clean-up at the source is MUCH safer & cheaper than a clean-up & health damage after careless broad spreading of toxins.

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