BIA|Bay Area members are encouraged to attend a Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission half-day agricultural and open space preservation policy workshop set for July 8, 2015.  A BIA|Bay Area representative is among the 15 speakers chosen to participate in a series of panel discussions intended to help LAFCO commissioners develop an agricultural and open space preservation policy.  Full Story 

Contra Costa Water District's connection fees rise 3 percent for treated water and 9 percent for untreated water under the agency's preliminary draft Facilities Reserve Charge (FRC) analysis released in late June 2015.  CCWD uses the FRC analysis as the basis of the one-time fee it charges new development to buy into existing and fund future facilities necessary to provide water service. Full Story 

Berkeley planning staff is requesting City Council guidance during a workshop set for July 14, 2015, to discuss affordable housing mitigation fee program revisions based on the results of the city's 2015 nexus study update. Staff concludes that the fee could be increased from the current $20,000 per unit to $34,000 for apartments and $75,000 for condominiums and still provide the developer a "reasonable rate of return," according to the staff report.  Full Story 

A formal ordinance establishing a $17 per square foot affordable housing impact fee is set to go before the Sunnyvale City Council on July 14, 2015. The council voted in March 2015 to impose the fee on all new market rate rental housing and directed staff to prepare an ordinance for both residential and nonresidential development. Full Story