With stay-at-home orders in place, people are increasingly turning to online technology to meet virtually. For projects with a requirement to conduct public outreach or with a need to hold public board meetings or presentations, technologies like Zoom are critical. However, swift, widespread adoption of the technology also revealed vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the Zoom
After launching a successful drone surveying and mapping practice 3 years ago, Dudek’s Mapping and Surveying team faced a new challenge. “We were mobilizing and flying new sites at such a fast pace that the industry-standard drone data processing software platforms couldn’t scale to efficiently keep pace with our growing business,” said Mapping and Surveying
California passed 15 bills designed to address the state’s housing problems, including solutions to streamline housing approvals, enact inclusionary housing requirements for residential rental projects, and generate funds for affordable housing projects. Three bills–-SB 35, SB 540, and AB 73–-have the greatest effect on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process for housing projects. This
In 2017, California passed 15 bills designed to address the state’s housing problems, including solutions to streamline housing approvals, enact inclusionary housing requirements for residential rental projects, and generate funds for affordable housing projects. Three bills–SB 35, SB 540, and AB 73–have the greatest effect on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process for housing
In 2017, California passed 15 bills designed to address the state’s housing problems, including solutions to streamline housing approvals, enact inclusionary housing requirements for residential rental projects, and generate funds for affordable housing projects. Three bills—SB 35, SB 540, and AB 73—have the greatest effect on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process for housing
The environmental impact report (EIR) for the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) new world-class motor vehicle and emissions testing and research facility is one of the first projects to use zero-emissions thresholds for evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts in a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document. CARB established the zero-emission goal to be proactive in
Achieving California Coastal Commission (CCC) permit approval can be complicated, time consuming, and expensive. However, communication, clarity, and careful planning can expedite the permit process. Dudek offers 5 tips to ensuring efficient coastal development permit approvals. 1. Communicate promptly with the CCC. Once the project has been defined and the basic alternative analysis and any
In-lieu fee (ILF) programs present a desirable option to both project permittees and local resource conservation districts (RCD) for offsetting wetland impacts. An ILF program matches the permittee’s compensatory mitigation need with an RCD’s charter to be the on-the-ground leader for conservation efforts in their local community. In-Lieu Fee Program Advantages An ILF program can
Signs of economic recovery, slow as it may be, are emerging from construction bidding in the public sector. A May 2009 Dudek newsletter article on the recessionary impacts to public works bidding cited construction bids that were 20% to 50% below project budgets. At that time, private development had all but stopped, which resulted in
When archeologists discover a new cultural resources artifact at a construction site, the discovery often doesn’t cause a problem. “Problems usually crop up post-discovery as a result of slow or incomplete communication to stakeholders about the discovery,” said Micah Hale, RPA, who leads Dudek’s cultural resources practice. (Watch video) “There are stringent cultural resource laws
