Agenda - Planning Commission - 03/03/2016

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January 10, 2016 (Volume 10 I Issue 1 Zoning Bulletin Zoning News from Around the Nation NATIONWIDE In November, Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Eco- nomic Advisers, said that "zoning regulations and other local barriers to hous- ing development allow a small number of individuals to capture the economic benefits of living in a community, thus limiting diversity and mobility." Fur- man noted that areas of the U.S. with high land -use restrictions have higher inequality. For that reason, "the White House is asking Congress to budget $300 million for local housing policy grants that can be used to incentivize localities to free up their land -use policies." Source: Deseret News; http://national.deseretnews.com CALIFORNIA The Long Beach City Council was considering passage of an ordinance al- lowing and regulating medical marijuana dispensaries. "The latest iteration" of the proposed ordinance "would limit the number of dispensaries in the city to nine, allowing dispensaries to locate in any zone except residential as long as they meet a list of seven buffer zone requirements -1,500 feet from any public or private high school, and 1,000 feet from all other schools, public pars, licensed child care facility on a commercial corridor, public libraries, any other dispensary and `human trafficking high crime corridors' identified by the Long Beach Police Department." The ordinance also would set out a "laundry list of minimum operation standards," including hours of operation and square foot limitations for cultivation. Source: Gazettes; www.gazettes.com WISCONSIN Draft legislation by Sen. Frank Lasee and Rep. Adam Jarchow would report- edly "lessen the regulation of man-made waterways, and make it easier for businesses or homeowners to get notifications from local governments about official actions that could affect their lands and buildings." One of the measures would "make wide-ranging changes in regulations in and around waterways." Among other things, it would "reduce government oversight over the operation of engineered waterways, such as ditches, and require state authorities to be more selective in setting aside top-quality water bodies for special protections." The other bill "deals with local government restrictions on property owners." Among other things, it would "lock into place local permit rules for a develop- ment proposal once a permit application has been filed at either the state or lo- cal level." Source: Journal Sentinel; www.jsonline.com 12 © 2016 Thomson Reuters