The State Supreme Court in California recently put a stop on a building project meant to offer a new, suburban community outside of Los Angeles.
The reason?
The development isn't green enough. Yes, urban sprawl drives climate change, the justices ruled.
So while community developers, home builders and the judiciary work this out, it looks like homeowners may feel the brunt.
By one survey, the latest decision could cause prices to increase by 12% due to lack of supply.
This opinion piece in Reason sums the issue up:
The California Supreme Court's decision late last month to reject a nearly 6,000-page environmental report for a proposed development north of Los Angeles will not only delay or possibly kill a new suburban community. It will make it much more difficult for developers anywhere in California to build large-scale housing projects.
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Opponents can always make a fair argument that any proposed project warms the planet (or harms a stickleback or some other fish or species), so every project potentially can drag on through years of legal challenges. The obvious result: fewer housing projects of all sorts will be built, and those that are built will have additional costs. Many developers won't even bother proposing such projects. People opposed to growth might be happy with that outcome, but those cheering probably already own their piece of the California dream.
