Land Use
Shaping California through practical and proactive land use law.
The business of land use considers numerous environmental, social, and economic conditions, yet it is also one of relationships. The Elkins Kalt team has spent years cultivating connections with development professionals, elected officials, community members, and staff inside municipalities and other public agencies across California – critical relationships to help our client projects gain entitlements and approvals necessary for development.
Matched by our connections is our credibility, and we have the experience and knowledge required to navigate complex zoning and land use regulations and gain the local, state and federal permits required to develop real property. We cover the full spectrum of activities involved in the planning and development of land, including general and specific plans, subdivisions, “due diligence” reviews, negotiating and drafting agreements, coordinating with other project consultants, and securing conditional use permits, variances, Coastal Development Permits, and other discretionary approvals. Our team has obtained zoning changes and entitlements for residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use projects, and testified as an expert witness on zoning matters. We also represent our clients before planning commissions, councils and boards, and other decision-making bodies.
The Elkins Kalt team also has a proven track record in defending clients against legal challenges to their development plans. Under the guidance of John Bowman, one of California’s most well-respected California Environmental Quality Act litigators, Elkins Kalt has amassed a proven track record in defending clients from often project-stifling CEQA challenges, offering proactive recommendations to avoid and, if necessary, successfully defend against such litigation.
Our Land Use team regularly works in concert with our Environmental practice to ensure the projects are in compliance with the maze of stringent state and federal regulations, and we regularly tap into our bench of corporate, real estate, and tax professionals. We take special pride in our ability to shepherd projects through the complex approval process to get them entitled, permitted, and developed.
