Land Use and Zoning Practice

Gladstone & Associates has extensive experience representing developers and property owners in all phases of the land use process, including purchasing and selling properties, environmental evaluations, administrative hearings, permit disputes, government and public relations, and land use litigation.

Much of Gladstone & Associates' success in these matters is due to its awareness of ongoing development opportunities and political constraints and its ability to create dialogue with community and government leaders to identify and address key community issues.

The firm has assisted clients in obtaining permits for residential, commercial, institutional, retail and industrial projects, ranging in size from single family residences to moderately-sized urban infill projects to major multi-unit residential projects, office buildings, hotels and retail developments.

The firm's attorneys are in frequent communication with government officials and possess in-depth knowledge of the workings of local government. They regularly appear before planning commissions, city councils, redevelopment agencies, boards of supervisors, and building department officials.

The firm frequently oversees the preparation of environmental impact reports (EIR's) and negative declarations to ensure their legal adequacy.

The firm's land use and zoning practice includes:

• Evaluating the development potential of property.
• Obtaining development entitlements such as conditional use permits, variances and subdivision map approvals.
• Drafting and lobbying for legislation to expand development opportunities.
• Representing clients in building and planning code enforcement proceedings.
• Representing owners of historically significant structures in obtaining demolition and alteration permits.

Land Use Environmental Law Entitlements Practice

Examples

• We represented a developer in entitlements for a 194 unit condominium building in San Francisco's Mission District and another in entitlements.
• Along with co-counsel David Cincotta Esq., we obtained entitlements for a new 268,000 s.f. SF office building on Market Street.
• We represented TopVision Development Company in the successful approval of a 463 unit residential building in San Francisco's Executive Park.
• We represented the City's largest chain of small hotels, Joie de Vivre Co, in its joint development with the Emerald Fund of a 200-room waterfront hotel, Hotel Vitale, in front of the San Francisco Ferry Building on land ground-leased from San Francisco's Municipal Railway (along with co-counsel Steven Vettel, Esq.)
• We represented owners of warehouse properties in their conversion to office multi-media facilities.
• We represented the former owner of the Mission Armory in his planned development of 167 new units of housing within its walls (no longer proposed).
• We represented a large San Francisco hotel company in the conversion of a tourist hotel to condominiums.
• We represented one of the City's larger non-profit housing developers in acquiring the land and obtaining entitlements for the construction of 55 units of low and moderate income housing at the corner of Mission and Ceasar Chavez Streets.
• We represented a large San Francisco hotel company in extending its rights to continue an expiring use of a 57-unit hotel in San Francisco’s Marina District.
• We represented several developers of large new live/work (loft) projects in the South of Market and other industrial areas of San Francisco.
• We represented Forest City Development and General Atlantic Properties in their capacity as owners of Bayside Village Apartments, a residential project of 862 units, in ongoing operational matters, including complying with affordable housing guidelines.
• We assisted Federal Development Corporation in preparing its entry into a competition for a $1 Billion San Francisco’s mixed use development on San Francisco's Seawall Lot 337.