@dereksagehorn.bsky.social
Interested in figuring out how to build better housing, transit and cities. Construction lawyer for CAHSR; advocate for East Bay for Everyone. Oakland.
TIL that Zev Yaroslavsky teamed up with the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation to file a CEQA lawsuit challenging the institution of carpool lanes (“diamond lanes”) on the Santa Monica Freeway and won.
November 22, 2025 at 3:02 PM
TIL that Zev Yaroslavsky teamed up with the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation to file a CEQA lawsuit challenging the institution of carpool lanes (“diamond lanes”) on the Santa Monica Freeway and won.
Reading California’s Urban Strategy for California from Spring 1978 (Jerry Brown 1.0 administration).
Struck by this section on transportation funding:
h/t @cafedujord.bsky.social
Struck by this section on transportation funding:
h/t @cafedujord.bsky.social
November 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reading California’s Urban Strategy for California from Spring 1978 (Jerry Brown 1.0 administration).
Struck by this section on transportation funding:
h/t @cafedujord.bsky.social
Struck by this section on transportation funding:
h/t @cafedujord.bsky.social
On the flip side, you can save significant money by reducing durations through shortening construction phasing.
November 22, 2025 at 2:26 PM
On the flip side, you can save significant money by reducing durations through shortening construction phasing.
November 22, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I had it confused with this one.
November 22, 2025 at 5:35 AM
I had it confused with this one.
Woods was an early advocate of cost rentals in the US and through her work with the New Deal US Housing Authority.
This model was mostly abandoned through the Wagner bill of 1937.
search.worldcat.org/title/edith-...
This model was mostly abandoned through the Wagner bill of 1937.
search.worldcat.org/title/edith-...
November 21, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Woods was an early advocate of cost rentals in the US and through her work with the New Deal US Housing Authority.
This model was mostly abandoned through the Wagner bill of 1937.
search.worldcat.org/title/edith-...
This model was mostly abandoned through the Wagner bill of 1937.
search.worldcat.org/title/edith-...
It’s also interesting that Corte Madera priced the multifamily impact fee 2x that of single family construction despite the fact that single family homes are much riskier in terms of fire life safety.
www.marinij.com/2025/11/20/c...
www.marinij.com/2025/11/20/c...
November 21, 2025 at 2:10 PM
It’s also interesting that Corte Madera priced the multifamily impact fee 2x that of single family construction despite the fact that single family homes are much riskier in terms of fire life safety.
www.marinij.com/2025/11/20/c...
www.marinij.com/2025/11/20/c...
Corte Madera, Marin adopted fire protection impact fees via urgency ordinance ahead of new housing applications. Ordinance includes fee reductions for affordable homes.
The mayor expressed concerns re waiving impact fees for 100% affordable homes “housing we don’t necessarily want to encourage.”
The mayor expressed concerns re waiving impact fees for 100% affordable homes “housing we don’t necessarily want to encourage.”
November 21, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Corte Madera, Marin adopted fire protection impact fees via urgency ordinance ahead of new housing applications. Ordinance includes fee reductions for affordable homes.
The mayor expressed concerns re waiving impact fees for 100% affordable homes “housing we don’t necessarily want to encourage.”
The mayor expressed concerns re waiving impact fees for 100% affordable homes “housing we don’t necessarily want to encourage.”
“The new timetable assumes each bus will spend nearly 45% of its runtime idling at BART (or about 6.2 hours of a 14 hour shift).
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the timetable is being designed around the limitations of the aging [BEB] capacity.”
www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2025/11...
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the timetable is being designed around the limitations of the aging [BEB] capacity.”
www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2025/11...
November 20, 2025 at 4:44 AM
“The new timetable assumes each bus will spend nearly 45% of its runtime idling at BART (or about 6.2 hours of a 14 hour shift).
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the timetable is being designed around the limitations of the aging [BEB] capacity.”
www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2025/11...
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the timetable is being designed around the limitations of the aging [BEB] capacity.”
www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2025/11...
SPUR's 2021 paper "More for Less" on transit cost reform is really good.
It's too bad there hasn't been much movement to institutionalize business cases (aka cost/benefit analyses) through the project development phase and with late funding commitment since then.
www.spur.org/sites/defaul...
It's too bad there hasn't been much movement to institutionalize business cases (aka cost/benefit analyses) through the project development phase and with late funding commitment since then.
www.spur.org/sites/defaul...
November 20, 2025 at 1:04 AM
SPUR's 2021 paper "More for Less" on transit cost reform is really good.
It's too bad there hasn't been much movement to institutionalize business cases (aka cost/benefit analyses) through the project development phase and with late funding commitment since then.
www.spur.org/sites/defaul...
It's too bad there hasn't been much movement to institutionalize business cases (aka cost/benefit analyses) through the project development phase and with late funding commitment since then.
www.spur.org/sites/defaul...
"The speed of utility relocation is entirely subject to the utility owner's control."
cdn.sjjpa.com/wp-content/u...
cdn.sjjpa.com/wp-content/u...
November 18, 2025 at 5:14 PM
"The speed of utility relocation is entirely subject to the utility owner's control."
cdn.sjjpa.com/wp-content/u...
cdn.sjjpa.com/wp-content/u...
They also have a Santa Maria grill on site?!
November 17, 2025 at 5:08 AM
They also have a Santa Maria grill on site?!
Got a peak into the Tilden Steam Train roundhouse today.
November 17, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Got a peak into the Tilden Steam Train roundhouse today.
When you’ve been reliably modernizing your rail network for 100 years through programmatic investment, electrifying a single track foothill line with at-grade crossings is still a good investment apparently.
November 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM
When you’ve been reliably modernizing your rail network for 100 years through programmatic investment, electrifying a single track foothill line with at-grade crossings is still a good investment apparently.
14th Ave and E. 12th are mostly zoned CC-2 (115 DUs per acre) and 65' locally -- before any state density bonuses.
Anyone saying existing land use is a problem for Clinton/San Antonio hasn't looked at the zoning map or the planning code and is just vibing.
Anyone saying existing land use is a problem for Clinton/San Antonio hasn't looked at the zoning map or the planning code and is just vibing.
November 14, 2025 at 7:09 PM
14th Ave and E. 12th are mostly zoned CC-2 (115 DUs per acre) and 65' locally -- before any state density bonuses.
Anyone saying existing land use is a problem for Clinton/San Antonio hasn't looked at the zoning map or the planning code and is just vibing.
Anyone saying existing land use is a problem for Clinton/San Antonio hasn't looked at the zoning map or the planning code and is just vibing.
Growing pains for California Railroad Commission of 1879.
From William Deverell’s “Railroad Crossing: Californians and the Railroad 1850-1910.”
From William Deverell’s “Railroad Crossing: Californians and the Railroad 1850-1910.”
November 13, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Growing pains for California Railroad Commission of 1879.
From William Deverell’s “Railroad Crossing: Californians and the Railroad 1850-1910.”
From William Deverell’s “Railroad Crossing: Californians and the Railroad 1850-1910.”
The sheer optimism of this passage.
November 11, 2025 at 3:36 PM
The sheer optimism of this passage.
FTA's guidance on utility coordination ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.do...
www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.do...
November 11, 2025 at 3:32 PM
FTA's guidance on utility coordination ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.do...
www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.do...
This is the National Highway Construction Cost Index — not transit — but it’s a proxy for any concrete heavy transit project.
A project trying to finalize its capital stack over 5 years is going to get wrecked in this environment, especially if it hasn’t reached 30-60% design.
A project trying to finalize its capital stack over 5 years is going to get wrecked in this environment, especially if it hasn’t reached 30-60% design.
November 9, 2025 at 6:53 PM
This is the National Highway Construction Cost Index — not transit — but it’s a proxy for any concrete heavy transit project.
A project trying to finalize its capital stack over 5 years is going to get wrecked in this environment, especially if it hasn’t reached 30-60% design.
A project trying to finalize its capital stack over 5 years is going to get wrecked in this environment, especially if it hasn’t reached 30-60% design.
That’s right
November 8, 2025 at 4:15 PM
That’s right
Where a 5 year service and capital plans fit into long term and annual service planning.
November 7, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Where a 5 year service and capital plans fit into long term and annual service planning.
Utah Transit Authority's 5 Year Capital Plan makes a good argument for the benefits of multi-year framework agreements for transportation capital construction funding.
rideuta.legistar.com/MeetingDetai...
rideuta.legistar.com/MeetingDetai...
November 7, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Utah Transit Authority's 5 Year Capital Plan makes a good argument for the benefits of multi-year framework agreements for transportation capital construction funding.
rideuta.legistar.com/MeetingDetai...
rideuta.legistar.com/MeetingDetai...
From the October edition:
Observe how obliquely Reason discusses a 90% cost increase for a private, mixed-finance rail project.
Observe how obliquely Reason discusses a 90% cost increase for a private, mixed-finance rail project.
November 6, 2025 at 8:21 PM
From the October edition:
Observe how obliquely Reason discusses a 90% cost increase for a private, mixed-finance rail project.
Observe how obliquely Reason discusses a 90% cost increase for a private, mixed-finance rail project.