July 2009

A San Francisco environmental group is stepping up its opposition to a planned 4,500-home development on Oakley farmland next to aging levees on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

An environmental group has sued again to block Oakley’s plan to allow up to 5,600 houses and apartments in an area that is below sea level.

The group Greenbelt Alliance filed papers opposing the 4,500 home development six feet below sea level in Oakley.

The five-year review of the Housing Element of the Milpitas Master Plan, a requirement of the state planning laws, is underway.

Lisa Vorderbrueggen A protracted battle for planning control over land in the Pittsburg hills ended Wednesday in a narrow victory for the city. The Local Agency Formation Commission, a countywide board that governs when and where cities and service districts grow, passed on a 4-3 vote a 2,258-acre expansion of the city’s planning area and

Peter Calthorpe’s opinion piece (“Battle for the bay,” Insight, June 14) regarding Cargill/DMB’s proposed development on Redwood City’s salt ponds omits several key points. He calls this a “smart-growth community,” but the recently released Greenbelt Alliance “Smart Spots for Growth” map doesn’t include these Cargill salt ponds as a place for smart growth. Additionally, Redwood

Global warming is changing far more than just the climate. It’s altering the way environmentalists view development. For years, city dwellers who consider themselves to be eco-conscious have used environmental laws and arcane zoning rules to block new home construction, especially apartments and condominiums.