Land Use

Harrison, Temblador, Hungerford & Guernsey's land use and environmental law practice focuses on all aspects of urban, industrial, commercial and residential land development. Our expertise spans from project planning through the entitlements stage, and includes litigation to defend our clients' entitlements. Firm clients include local, regional, and national developers and homebuilders, real estate investment entities, energy developers and mine operators. Our expertise extends beyond the purely legal – we can provide the strategic advice necessary to navigate complex projects through regulatory, political, or stakeholder obstacles, and have secured approval for large, complex projects in the face of significant opposition.

Our expertise includes the following:

  • CEQA strategy and litigation
  • NEPA strategy and litigation
  • Subdivisions, parcel mapping and master plans
  • Land use entitlement for residential development of single family, multi family and high rise development, both greenfield and infill
  • Land use entitlement of commercial centers
  • Land use entitlement of office campus developments
  • Development of Class-A high rises
  • Development of complex urban mixed-use development
  • Project entitlement of industrial projects, including mining and construction materials processing facilities
  • Project entitlement of public health facilities and senior facilities
  • Project entitlement of solar facilities
  • Land use litigation in defense of project entitlements
  • Drafting and litigation of land use initiatives and referenda
  • Drafting and negotiating Development Agreements
  • City and District annexations

A representative summary of matters the Firm has handled is included below. For matters of public record, we would be happy to provide more detail upon request.

  • Defending scores of CEQA actions attacking project entitlements
  • Enforced historic development agreement for a 700 acre master planned community, including subsequent state and federal wetlands permitting (Shasta County)
  • Entitled market rate, senior and affordable multi family developments across California
  • Obtained regulatory permits for tribal land-into- trust gaming development (Sacramento County)
  • Obtained land use and CEQA entitlements for university student housing project (Sacramento County)
  • Litigated challenge to water capacity charges under California’s Mitigation Fee Act
  • Represented local jurisdiction is dispute concerning issuance of building permits
  • Represented industrial company in challenging transportation mitigations imposed on a building permit
  • Obtained a temporary hot plant permit in transportation right of way in connection with major freeway project
  • Obtained encroachment permits onto highway for new development
  • Established vested rights to historic industrial mixed-use site
  • Defended CEQA lawsuits over habitat mitigations
  • Permitting industrial center including asphaltic concrete operation
  • Defended vested rights for existing asphaltic concrete hot plant to continue operating
  • Obtained annexations to cities and service districts
  • Permitting reuse of mining operations as fill and inert debris sites
  • Drafted and negotiated leases with state agencies
  • Permitted air quality industrial modifications for existing cement plant
  • Permitted residential reuse of former aggregate quarry in metropolitan area
  • Permitted regional radio station tower and defense of subsequent CEQA litigation
  • Entitled charter middle and high schools
  • Developed long term development strategy for major land portfolio in California’s central valley
  • Conducted zoning analysis for asphaltic concrete plant location
  • Entitled infill subdivisions