San Mateo

New Housing Law Quickly Enacted in Bay Area
A four-month-old California housing law that applies only to 100% affordable housing near transit has dramatically changed a housing proposal in an affluent Peninsula city, though it is too soon to say if the additional two-stories will be approved.

Are Charter Cities Subject to California's Housing Laws?
After a San Mateo County Superior Court judge ruled that charter cities are exempt from the Housing Accountability Act, aka the anti-NIMBY law, the state stepped in to support the appellant, a YIMBY group that launched a "Sue the Suburbs" campaign.

Lawsuits: Not Just for Development Opponents Anymore
Details of the "Sue the Suburbs" movement wielding a new legal tool to counteract the traditionally obstructionist methods of land use regulation in California.

Bay Area City Could Extend Development Restrictions Beyond Their Expiration Date
A signature-gathering campaign has expressed a desire to extend height and density limits in San Mateo.

New Housing Law Empowers Renters Group to Sue Cities that Deny New Construction
The California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund, unlike other renters groups, sees increased housing production as key to bringing down rents. It is enforcing the Housing Accountability Act in cities that arbitrarily deny new construction.

A Call for Prevailing Wages as a Housing Solution
An op-ed written by city officials from two South Bay Area cities argues that reform of land use regulations won't be enough to solve California's housing crisis.

Rent and Eviction Controls on the November Ballot in Six Bay Area Cities
Voters in six Bay Area cities in four Bay Area counties will determine the outcome of eight ballot measures on rent and eviction control. Two of the cities will have city council-sponsored measures competing against voter initiatives.

On the Bay Area's Peninsula: A Reborn Tenants' Rights Movement
A resurgent tenants' rights movement has found a home south of the traditional progressive capital of the Bay Area.

Nation's Newest Bike Share Perhaps the Smallest
What better day to launch a new bike share program than on Bike-to-Work Day? in the Bay Area, that day was May 12. The City of San Mateo launched Bay Bikes, with 50 bicycles at 11 stations. Now the region has two programs, the other being regional.
Wastewater Treatment Plant to Produce Fuel for City Vehicles
With transportation the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in California, San Mateo will be the first city to reduce emissions by using biogas produced at its wastewater treatment plant for use in city vehicles.
Possible Competition for Bay Area Bike Share
With Bay Area Bike Share serving nearby Redwood City in San Mateo County, it might seem odd that the city of San Mateo would look elsewhere for starting a bike share program. However, the city of almost 103,000 did not want a "hub-based" model.
Parking App Heads to the Suburbs
Does your town have sensors embedded in the pavement of parking stalls that signal when one becomes available? D.C. and N.Y.C. do - and now Streetline's parking app will allow motorists in San Mateo, pop. 97K and San Carlos, pop. 28K to find parking.
Suburb To City: No More Congestion Pricing, Please
San Mateo County officials have a bone to pick with their bigger neighbor (in population, not area) to the north, San Francisco: don't charge us to drive there. Unlike drivers from East and North Bay counties, no bridge tolls separate the counties.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research