Residents urge city council to expedite permitting for hurricane-related repairs and rebuilding.

Santa Barbara introduces streamlined ADU program and updated permitting with new user guides.

Council prepares cannabis event permit proposals for upcoming major Los Angeles events.

At a Jan. 15 hearing, Samantha Sheehan of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns outlined how form-based codes and Tier 1A/1B maps under Act 181 can reduce permit appeals and streamline housing in designated downtowns, while acknowledging trade-offs for public process and off-site builders.

Staff proposed creating a Verde Valley preapproved housing plan library under SB 15 92 with design competitions to seed high‑quality ADU, single‑family, duplex and triplex plans; council discussed fee waivers, permit turnaround benefits and links to local land‑use code changes.

The committee adopted the first substitute and favorably recommended HB575, which pulls forward a scheduled gas tax drop (a 6¢, ~15% cut, estimated $41M impact) beginning in July and adds permitting and incentive changes intended to encourage midstream pipeline development and fuel storage; UDOT and DEQ testified on budgetary and permitting details.