Calif. Real Estate Legislation To Watch In The Second Half

Law360 (July 18, 2022) Affordable housing, zoning for new logistics projects and conversion of golf courses are among the legislative topics California real estate lawyers will have their eyes on in the second half of 2022. Lawyers are watching one bill that would require a large buffer of space between warehouses and certain other properties, while attorneys are also keeping their eyes on affordable housing. A.B. 2840, introduced in February by Assembly Member Robert Rivas, would require a 1,000-foot buffer between warehouses and so-called sensitive receptors, a group of properties that includes residences, schools and parks. The bill would only apply to San Bernardino and Riverside counties, both of which are in the Los Angeles area. "There's been quite a bit of activity at the local level, especially in the Inland Empire, about the proper buffer," said Jonathan Shardlow, a partner at Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP. Shardlow noted that developers may have to look to the high desert, like Desert Hot Springs or Bakersfield, for space for logistics projects if A.B. 2840 becomes law, given the lack of space closer to the coast.

In some areas now, developers are only required to have a 300-foot buffer, so the bill would more than triple the amount of space required around the perimeter of a new logistics property. "I don't think there are a lot of sites [that could accommodate the buffer]," Shardlow said. "What's likely going to happen is that this type of developer is going to push out farther east." Read More (subscription required)