May 2022

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows Tiburon, California, even if you’ve never stepped foot there. Yes, that Tiburon. Well, the beat goes on: the Agins litigation wasn’t the only time that the town and its residents combined forces to try and draw up the drawbridge and prevent the building of more homes in this very exclusive and chichi Marin County waterfront and hilltop community with commanding multi-million dollar views of San Francisco and the Bay. 

For the latest example, read the California Court of Appeal’s opinion in Tiburon Open Space Committee v. County of Marin, No. A159860 (May 12, 2022). It’s 110 pages, but don’t let that discourage you (it’s not necessary to dig into the details, unless you are a true California Environmental Quality Act nerd). The facts alone are hair-raising. But on the other hand, the story may be an old story to…

Continue Reading “Something is very wrong with this picture.” Cal Ct App Calls Out CEQA (“fearsome weapon”), Tiburon’s “official hostility,” And “combined animus of two levels of local government”

Here’s one we’ve been meaning to post for a while. In Bd. of Comm’rs of Mill Creek Park Metro Dist. v. Less, No. 20MA0074 (Apr. 14, 2022), the Ohio Court of Appeals held that the Park District lacked the authority to condemn Less’s property for a bike path, which did not qualify under the authorizing statute as the “conservation of natural resources.”

The District adopted a resolution to build a bike path on an old railroad right of way, a portion of which had already been constructed, and a resolution to acquire a perpetual easement. Ohio statues require the condemnor to provide written notice to the owner 30 days before filing of an eminent domain case. Ohio law also limits the power of agencies such as the District to take to property for forest reserves, and “the conservation of natural resources.”

The owners objected to the taking, asserting that…

Continue Reading Rational Basis, My Butt! Taking For Bike Trail Isn’t For “Conservation of Natural Resources”

Screenshot 2022-05-02 at 11-51-57 Display event - 2022 Hawaii Land Use Law Conference (LIVE)

It’s back! After a hiatus on the in-person program, the bi-annual Hawaii Land Use Conference is back in-person (see here for a sample of one of our prior presentations at this conference).

May 25 and 26, 2022, downtown Honolulu.

The full agenda and speaker list has not yet been published, but here’s a summary of the program:

Sponsored by the Hawaii State Bar Association and the Real Property and Financial Services Section. Coordinated by David Callies and Benjamin Kudo, his 2-day conference is a must attend for any attorney or professional whose practice involves land use and development. Distinguished land-use practitioners, scholars, planners, and regulators from Hawaii and the Mainland will discuss timely and relevant issues, including:

• Takings 

• Transit Oriented Development (TOD) 

• Seawalls and Shoreline Access 

• Climate Change 

• Affordable/Workforce Housing 

• Ethical Considerations for Real Property Practitioners and Other Professionals

We’ll be speaking during…

Continue Reading Hawaii Land Use Law Conference, May 25-26, 2022, Honolulu – Join Us!