Cedar Street just came out victorious in a multi-year saga with the city of La Canada Flintridge, winning the first successful builder's remedy case in California Superior Court for its 80-unit mixed-use project at 600 Foothill Boulevard and setting a path for other developers to build. But the fight may have left its scars, in time, stress and now soured relationships with some officials.
Two months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators from both parties celebrated enacting landmark legislation to remove the California Environmental Quality Act as an impediment to new housing construction. Lopsided votes in the Legislature for Assembly Bill 130 and Newsom's immediate signature seemingly ended decades of debate over how the environmental law, signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan more than 50 years ago, was being used to delay or kill residential developments.
The new ordinance allows accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, to be up to 1,200 square feet and 25 feet tall, regardless of attachment type. Rooftop decks are permitted with additional height allowances for safety railings.