http://www.adamchristian.us Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:23:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In Westchester County, New York, cocktail conversation no longer revolves around the frothy real estate market. That is sooo 2006. Instead, the issue du jour is taxes. Even though I now live several states away, old friends from high school will tearfully recount how their empty-nested parents have been pushed ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2011/06/27/new-yorks-proposition-13/ Why is Lincoln Boulevard so persistently grim and ugly? As a Venice resident, I contemplate this question with some frequency and sense of resignation. So it was refreshing to see USC urban planning students re-envision Lincoln Boulevard as a sustainable, vibrant hub of employment and activity, in a presentation given to the ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2011/06/05/lincoln-boulevard-extreme-makeover-edition/ Budget battles are upon us in Sacramento, and one of the concessions being demanded by the Republican minority is reform of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). On its face, this effort may be a cynical attempt to reduce the power of environmentalists. That said, no one can deny that CEQA ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2011/03/26/ceqa-reform/ The regulatory risk associated with new housing development makes it very expensive to build in Los Angeles. A combination of strict local zoning laws and the environmental review process under CEQA increases the average length of project delays and overall cost of doing business. Rather than simply throw more money at ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2011/03/25/bay-area-tod-investment-fund-a-model-for-los-angeles/ Congressman Xavier Becerra, who represents an interesting slice of urban Los Angeles, declared at a recent Urban Land Institute event that the region's 30/10 initiative to accelerate construction of key transit projects is "unlikely" to be adopted in full. The event was hosted at LA's Union Station on Friday, January ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2011/02/01/congressman-becerra-says-la-3010-transit-plan-unlikely-to-happen/ With the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) Board scheduled to consider tomorrow how it will spend the $3.312 billion in federal and state funds currently available for the project, all indicators point to a 66.4 mile segment in the Central Valley. This announcement has predictably added fuel to the ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2010/12/01/putting-cahsr-price-tag-in-perspective/ <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="900" height="390" id="umapper_embed"> <param name="FlashVars" value="kmlPath=http://umapper.s3.amazonaws.com/maps/kml/80866.kml"/> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/> <param name="movie" value="http://umapper.s3.amazonaws.com/templates/swf/embed.swf"/> <param name="quality" value="high"/> <embed src="http://umapper.s3.amazonaws.com/templates/swf/embed.swf" FlashVars="kmlPath=http://umapper.s3.amazonaws.com/maps/kml/80866.kml" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" width="900" height="390" name="umapper_embed" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"/> </object> Construction is underway on a series of new public restroom facilities along the bike path between the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach. [caption id="attachment_312" align="alignleft" ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2010/11/01/santa-monica-restores-dignity-to-bike-path-restrooms/ Last January, I partnered with the Center for Urban Infrastructure on a regional study of the economic benefits of the proposed California high-speed rail system. A sneak preview of my study has just been posted.  Among the highlighted findings: Short-Term Stimulus. During construction (2012-2017), the project will contribute an estimated regional ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2010/08/24/sneak-preview-new-report-on-so-california-high-speed-rail-benefits/ I never expected to use the words "mall," "civic-minded," and "context-sensitive" all in the same sentence, but here I am, attempting to encapsulate my overall positive thoughts on Santa Monica Place (SMP) - that sparking new palace of retail consumption by the sea. Since a professional architectural critic has already covered ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2010/08/24/santa-monica-place-the-mall-as-civic-space/ Could the Venice real estate market be rebounding? There is some new construction activity afoot at 512 E. Rose Ave, with mesh fencing recently installed around the perimeter of the property. Tractors have already begun clearing away the overgrown brush that had been accumulating. As readers may call, I profiled this ... http://www.adamchristian.us/2010/08/23/development-watch-512-e-rose-ave/