Land Use & Entitlements
We provide a full range of services in land use law, ranging from environmental review to entitlement support to drafting of zoning, subdivision, and other land use ordinances. Our practice is particularly focused on land use issues related to housing and redevelopment. We have prepared numerous inclusionary and density bonus ordinances for public agency clients, reviewed housing elements and defended them in court, and drafted documents to implement adopted programs, including development agreements, deed restrictions for homebuyers, and covenants for affordable rental housing.
Many of our attorneys have degrees in city planning or related fields or have experience working in local planning agencies. We have made numerous presentations to and written papers for organizations such as the American Planning Association, League of California Cities, and Housing California on a broad range of land use issues, including streamlining environmental review, climate change, housing elements, and density bonus law. We are active in those organizations, and attorneys in the firm have assisted in drafting land use legislation.
Related Attorneys
Barbara E. Kautz
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Attorney
Barbara E. Kautz practices in the areas of land use (especially housing-related land use), CEQA compliance, real estate, economic development, fair housing, and affordable housing. She has assisted public agency clients in a wide variety of matters including compliance with planning and zoning law, real estate transactions, redevelopment dissolution issues, loan and homebuyer documents for affordable housing, CEQA disputes, and compliance with the Fair Housing Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act. She represents nonprofit and for-profit developers regarding land use entitlements and real estate transactions.
Before becoming an attorney, Ms. Kautz worked for 30 years as a planner, planning director, community development director and assistant city manager, concluding her career as Community Development Director and Assistant City Manager for the City of San Mateo. During that period she served on the Board of Directors for the League of California Cities and on the Board of Directors for the American Planning Association, California Chapter.
Ms. Kautz is a frequent speaker at conferences, including those sponsored by the League of California Cities, American Planning Association, Housing California, and Nonprofit Housing Association for Northern California. She is the co-author of Local Government Financing Powers and Sources of Funding in the ABA Legal Guide to Affordable Housing(2005, update 2011) and author of In Defense of Inclusionary Zoning: Successfully Creating Affordable Housing, 36 U.S.F. Law Review 971 (2002).
Education
- A.B., Stanford University, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
- Masters in City Planning, University of California, Berkeley, Mellon Fellow
- J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law, summa cum laude, Articles Editor, USF Law Review
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- Fellow, American Institute of Certified Planners
- Municipal Law Handbook Committee, League of California Cities
- Urban Land Institute
- Association of Environmental Professionals
Published Appellate Opinions
- Latino Unidos del Valle de Napa y Solano v. County of Napa (2013) 217 Cal.App.4th 1160
- Haro v. City of Solana Beach (2011) 195 Cal.App.4th 542
- Trinity Park L.P. v. City of Sunnyvale (2011) 193 Cal.App.4th 1014
- St. Vincent’s School for Boys v. City of San Rafael (2008) 161 Cal.App.4th 989
Colleen Wisel
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Attorney
Colleen Wisel practices in the areas of affordable housing, real estate investments, syndication, and community economic development. She represents public agencies and developers in the development, syndication and management of low and moderate-income housing and related programs. Her practice involves representing clients in all phases of affordable housing development, including purchase and sale transactions, affordable housing finance and assisting the firm’s public agency clients in implementing a wide variety of community economic development programs.
Education
- B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz
- J.D., University of California, Irvine
- Staff Editor, UC Irvine Law Review
- Dean’s Award: Procedural Analysis, Lawyering Skills
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
Dolores Bastian Dalton
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Attorney
Dolores Bastian Dalton has more than twenty years’ experience litigating and mediating commercial, public entity and nonprofit issues on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal trial courts, and on appeal. She has specialized expertise in summary judgment and appellate work. Ms. Dalton has been certified by the State Bar of California as a specialist in appellate law.
Ms. Dalton is also a trained mediator and a member of the mediation panels for the California Court of Appeal for the Third and Sixth Districts. She has successfully mediated numerous complex civil disputes.
Ms. Dalton is an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, where she teaches Practical Litigation Skills. She has also taught in the University of California Berkeley’s Fall Program for Freshmen.
Ms. Dalton is the former chair of the City of Albany Planning Commission. From 2009 to 2011, she was a member of California Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner’s A.D. 14 “Women of the Year” committee. She is also one of the founders and the former president of the Albany Music Fund, a nonprofit corporation formed to preserve the music program in the City of Albany’s public schools. She volunteers for Sonoma County’s Lawyers in the Library program.
Education
- B.A., Philosophy, University of California at Berkeley
- J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law
- Comments Editor of the Law Review.
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- Member, The Mediation Society
- Member, State Bar of California Litigation Section
- Member, Sonoma County Bar Association
- Member, The Berkeley Piano Club
Erin Lapeyrolerie
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Attorney
Erin Lapeyrolerie’s practice emphasizes affordable housing, land use, cooperative corporations, and real estate transactions. She represents numerous public agencies and nonprofit housing developers on subjects such as affordable housing requirements, real property transfers, land use entitlements, and compliance with federal and state fair housing laws. She further assists public agencies in complying with planning and land use laws, including new state housing laws. Ms. Lapeyrolerie advises housing cooperative corporations on compliance with the Davis-Stirling Act, the Corporations Code, and other laws and regulations impacting cooperatives.
Education
- B.A., New College of Florida – The Honors College of Florida
- M.C.P., University of California, Berkeley
- J.D., University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- Real Property, Trust and Estates Liaison, American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division
- Vice Chair of Hotels, Resorts, and Tourism, American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust and Estates Section
- Member, American Bar Association, Forum on Affordable Housing & Community Development Law
Estrella Lucero
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Attorney
Ms. Lucero practices in affordable housing development, land use regulation, and real estate transactions.
She represents developers and public agencies in all aspects of the real estate development process including the negotiation and drafting of loan documents, regulatory agreements, purchase and sale agreements, ground leases, and development agreements. Ms. Lucero has experience obtaining environmental review and land use approvals for real estate developments and utilizing federal, state, and local financing programs.
Education
B.A., magna cum laude, Occidental College
J.D., Yale Law School. Yale Law Women Student Excellence Award; Stephen J. Massey Prize for Clinical Work.
Professional & Community/Volunteer Affiliations
State Bar of California
Gabrielle Janssens
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Attorney
Ms. Janssens’ practice focuses on assisting clients with land use matters, development of public property, and general municipal and governmental law. She advises both nonprofit housing developers and public agencies on subjects such as affordable housing requirements, accessory dwelling units, land use entitlements, and the California Environmental Quality Act. Ms. Janssens additionally has experience in all aspects of municipal law, such as the Brown Act, Public Records Act, and conflicts of interest. She has worked on many public-private transactions, including redevelopment projects and affordable housing development, and has drafted disposition and development agreements, purchase and sale agreements, development agreements, loan agreements, and regulatory agreements. In her capacity as an agency attorney, Ms. Janssens has provided legal advice to Planning Commissions, City Councils and Boards of Supervisors.
Education
- B.A., University of California, Berkeley
- J.D., UC Davis School of Law
Previous Employment
- Deputy City Attorney, City of Livermore
- Associate County Counsel, Alameda County
- Deputy County Counsel, Santa Barbara County
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- League of Cities, Municipal Handbook Chapter Chair
- Mediator Training, 28 hours, Ventura Center for Dispute Settlement, January 2014, WSET Level II certificate
Heather Gould
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Attorney
Heather Gould is a partner in the firm, practicing in the areas of affordable housing, community economic development and real estate finance. Ms. Gould represents developers in the development, financing and management of affordable housing projects. She also represents numerous public agencies on real estate, land use, and community economic development issues. She has drafted and negotiated disposition and development agreements, joint development agreements, construction contracts, leases, and related acquisition and financing documents for complex affordable housing projects and commercial and mixed-use developments. Ms. Gould has special expertise on fair housing and is the co-author of Between the Lines, a Question and Answer Guide on Issues in Supportive Housing, which was updated in 2010.
Education
- B.A., magna cum laude, Carleton College
- J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Previous Employment
- State of Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, Legal Assistant
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- Former board member, Oakland’s Citywide Community Land Trust
Jocelyn Portales
Contact Information
Attorney
Jocelyn Portales assists clients with a range of issues relating to real estate transactions. She practices in the areas of affordable housing, municipal law, land use, tax exempt entity law, and environmental law. Ms. Portales represents numerous public agencies and nonprofit housing developers in all aspects of affordable housing projects, including the development, financing, and management of affordable housing projects and programs.
Education
- B.A., University of California, San Diego
- J.D., University of La Verne, College of Law
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- Member, Beverly Hills Bar Association
- Member, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
- Board Member, University of California, San Diego, Alumni Board of Directors
Karen M. Tiedemann
Contact Information
Attorney
Karen Tiedemann practices in the areas of real estate transactions, affordable housing, nonprofit organization, and environmental law.
Ms. Tiedemann advises public agencies and nonprofit housing developers on affordable housing matters. She represents numerous agencies and nonprofit corporations on the development, financing and management of low- and moderate-income projects and programs. Her affordable housing work includes advising clients on compliance with fair housing laws. Ms. Tiedemann is a frequent speaker on relocation and fair housing issues. She is also a co-author of Between the Lines, a Question and Answer Guide on Fair Housing in Supportive Housing, which was updated in 2010.
Ms. Tiedemann represents numerous housing cooperatives, providing advice on compliance with Davis-Stirling, the limited equity cooperative law, HUD financing, Department of Real Estate regulations, and other laws and regulations impacting cooperatives. She has also formed numerous limited equity cooperatives. Ms. Tiedemann is a frequent speaker on the formation and management of cooperatives.
Ms. Tiedemann has negotiated and drafted transaction documents for complex developments involving multiple uses, including transactions that involved the acquisition of numerous properties and the relocation of business and residential tenants. She also advises clients on compliance with environmental laws, including shepherding developments through CEQA.
Additionally, as general or special counsel to several public agencies, Ms. Tiedemann provides advice on compliance with the Brown Act, the Fair Political Practices Act and Public Records Act, as well as general law questions.
Education
- A.B., University of California, Berkeley
- Masters in City Planning, University of California, Berkeley
- J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Order of the Coif honors
- Associate Editor, Ecology Law Quarterly
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- California Center for Cooperative Development, Board Member
Lynn Hutchins
Contact Information
Attorney
Lynn Hutchins has over 35 years of experience in the areas of community economic development, affordable housing, environmental law, and real estate finance. Ms. Hutchins represents developers and public agencies in the development, financing and management of low and moderate income housing and community development projects. Her experience includes all phases of the development process, including developer selection, formation of special-purpose entities, land use entitlements, acquisition and disposition of property, loan and equity investments closings, advice relating to hazardous materials, CEQA, NEPA and land use issues, and syndication of housing and community development projects.
She regularly counsels developers and public entities regarding the intricacies of affordable housing and community development program requirements. Ms. Hutchins has structured and negotiated numerous transactions with public agencies and housing and commercial developers involving disposition and development agreements, owner participation agreements, ground leases, loan and grant agreements and similar development and financing documents. She frequently advises and lectures on labor issues related to housing and community development projects.
Ms. Hutchins is a co-author of A Legal Guide to California Redevelopment (Third Edition).
Education
- B.A., Stanford University
- J.D., University of California, Davis, Order of the Coif honors
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- American Bar Association, Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law
- Member, Board of Governors, California Housing Consortium
M David Kroot
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Attorney
M David Kroot has more than 30 years of extensive experience in complex real estate transactions and affordable housing. He has represented developers, nonprofits and housing authorities on projects involving tax-exempt bond financing, HOME funds, public housing funds, Section 8 assistance, low-income housing tax credits, HOPE I and VI, and Mortgage Credit Certificates.
His practice includes nonprofit entity formation and tax exemption, housing finance and development, government-assisted housing programs, and tax-exempt financing. In addition, Mr. Kroot advises many nonprofit and public agencies on property development transactions involving multiple forms of development, including mixed-use developments.
Mr. Kroot acts as corporate counsel for nonprofit organizations regarding corporate governance, tax exemption issues, contracts, fair housing and employment issues. He has developed loan documents for homeownership programs financed by public agencies, provided advice regarding requirements for HOME and CDBG programs, and represented nonprofits in the use of various funding sources for housing.
Education
- B. A., University of Michigan
- J.D., University of Chicago Law School
Previous Employment
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Area Counsel, San Francisco, California, Attorney
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- American Bar Association, Forum on Affordable Housing & Community Development Law
M. Hickey
Contact Information
Attorney
Ms. Hickey supports several practice areas of Goldfarb & Lipman LLP, including affordable housing development, real estate transactions, property management, landlord-tenant law, community economic development and tax-exempt financing, entity formation, land use, state and municipal law, and serves as a secondary support to the firm’s litigation team. She represents public agencies, nonprofit entities, and both private and nonprofit affordable housing developers.
Education
- B.A., University of California, Berkeley
- J.D., University of California, Davis School of Law
Professional Volunteer and Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- Member, American Bar Association, Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law
- Member, Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA)
- Former Board Member/Secretary, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
Nazanin Salehi
Contact Information
Attorney
Ms. Salehi practices in the areas of real estate, affordable housing, and land use. Ms. Salehi represents clients in all phases of the development process including property acquisition, entitlement and administrative approvals, CEQA compliance, fair housing compliance, and negotiating real estate disputes.
Education
- B.A., University of California, Berkeley
- J.D., The George Washington University Law School
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
Rye P. Murphy
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Attorney
Rye Murphy is an associate in the firm’s litigation practice. He works with the firm’s private and public entity clients in state and federal litigation matters. While he regularly represents parties in large-scale matters, like challenges to municipal land use decisions, complex, multi-party litigation, and corporate disputes, Rye also has experience with jury trials and smaller-scale lawsuits, including unlawful detainers and personal injury actions. Rye takes a keen interest in civil procedure and while attending law school he interned at California’s Judicial Council and has published on the history of the class action.
Before entering law school, Rye studied Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the American University of Beirut.
Education
- B.A., University of Oregon
- J.D., University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
Thomas H. Webber
Contact Information
Attorney
Thomas Webber’s practice is focused on community economic development, real estate, affordable housing, nonprofit and municipal law.
Mr. Webber represents numerous public agencies and nonprofit developers on mixed-use and commercial projects. He has negotiated and drafted disposition and development agreements, loan documents, and ground leases for complex mixed-use developments, including finance documents for new markets tax credit transactions. Mr. Webber’s work in this area involves structuring complex development transactions involving public and private partnerships, advising clients on public and private financing structures and all aspects of development issues, including CEQA-related and real property security issues.
Mr. Webber represented the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles on various aspects in the development of Staples Center, the Marriott Convention Center Hotel, and the new Broad Museum. He represents the City of Santa Clara in development of the new stadium to be home to the San Francisco 49ers, providing advice on financing, construction and operation issues related to the stadium.
He also represents public agencies and nonprofit organizations on the development, financing and management of affordable housing and mixed-use projects and programs that utilize state assistance, including MHP and MHSA financing, and federal assistance, including, tax credits and CDBG, NSP and HOME financing.
Mr. Webber also works with a wide variety of nonprofit entities, including school districts, affordable housing developers, and other charitable organizations providing legal guidance regarding nonprofit operations and administration, tax issues, as well as matters related to property, real estate, and other corporate and organizational matters.
Education
- B.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- J.D., Golden Gate University School of Law
Previous Employment
- Assistant to the City Attorney, Office of City Attorney, City of Oakland
- Planner, Office of Economic Development and Employment, City of Oakland
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California
Thomas J. Levendosky
Contact Information
Attorney
Thomas Levendosky practices in the areas of real estate transactions, affordable housing, community economic development, tax credits and syndication. His practice involves representing clients in all phases of affordable housing development, including purchase and sale transactions, affordable housing finance and assisting the firm’s public agency clients in implementing a wide variety of community economic development programs.
Education
- B.A., Cum Laude, Fordham University
- J.D., University of California, Davis School of Law
Professional and Volunteer Affiliations
- State Bar of California