United States: Construction & Planning

On June 2, 2026, the residents of Monterey Park, California, used their ballots to overwhelmingly oppose the prospect of a data center project ever being constructed in their city.

California Senate Bill 79 takes effect July 1, 2026, requiring cities to facilitate multifamily housing development near major transit stops through increased height and density standards.

California's housing reforms have given developers new leverage, but they have not eliminated the legal and economic barriers to building homes.

Idaho's 2026 fire season brings heightened wildfire risk due to below-normal snowpack, early melt, and drought conditions. Developers face a complex regulatory landscape where wildfire readiness affects site selection, building materials, emergency access, insurance availability, and long-term project feasibility. Understanding how to navigate fire district requirements, subdivision ordinances, and insurance constraints before breaking ground can determine whether a development project succeeds or stalls.

Los Angeles is implementing two ordinances to delay and modify California's SB 79 transit-oriented development law, which would automatically upzone properties near transit stops starting July 2026.

Leading construction and dispute resolution practitioners debate whether dispute boards remain effective tools for managing conflicts on mega projects exceeding USD 1 billion. The discussion examines structural challenges including governance limitations, procedural formalization, and the tension between dispute avoidance and resolution in today's most complex infrastructure environments.

Construction projects often involve verbal directives that deviate from plans and specifications, creating significant liability risks for subcontractors when defects emerge years later. Without written documentation of field instructions and approvals, subcontractors may find themselves defending claims for work they performed exactly as directed, facing disputes where memory and credibility become the only evidence.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is seeking stakeholder input on the upcoming renewal of its Stormwater Construction General Permit, which governs discharge from construction activities across the state. With the current permit set to expire in March 2028, TCEQ is engaging stakeholders early in the drafting process to gather feedback that could significantly impact design requirements, compliance obligations, and operational costs for construction projects disturbing one or more acres of land.

Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed reforms to New York's Environmental Quality Review Act aim to accelerate housing and infrastructure development through strict timelines and expanded exemptions. How will these changes, which closely mirror recent California amendments and federal NEPA reforms, balance the need for expedited construction with existing environmental and land use protections? The enacted budget provisions establish new exemptions for housing projects and infrastructure while preserving other r