Updates and Articles
SMW Advises Orinda With Senior Affordable Housing Development Process
The firm advises Orinda in its successful 2014 collaboration with the developer of a 67-unit, senior affordable apartment complex on the City's former library site.
Read MoreSMW Advises Alameda on Reuse of Naval Air Station
In 2014, advised by the firm, the City of Alameda approves a major project for reuse of the former Naval Air Station site (Alameda Point) as a mixed-use, transit-oriented community with affordable housing and hundreds of acres of parks and open space. The project is based on the firm's work since 1996 regarding site cleanup, environmental permitting, and historic resources.
Read MoreSMW Litigation Stops Massive Resort on Dyer Mountain
After years of litigation by the firm on behalf of the Mountain Meadows Conservancy, Sierra Watch and the Sierra Club, the developer of a large ski resort on Dyer Mountain in rural Lassen County abandons the project. The Lassen County Board of Supervisors then rescinds the project approvals. (Mountain Meadows Conservancy et al. v. Lassen County (2014).)
Read MoreLandmark Settlement Agreement Ends Decades of Dispute over Mono Basin Streams
Assisted by the firm, the Mono Lake Committee negotiates a settlement agreement requiring the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to restore habitat and fisheries in four tributaries to Mono Lake.
Read MoreSMW Secures Historic Land Sale to Fund Critical Public Transit
The firm leads the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) team in the 2013 sale of land for the Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in San Francisco, bringing in record revenues to fund development of the transit center.
Read MoreAudubon Society Leverages Project Implementation for Conservation Funding
Assisted by the firm, the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society negotiates a 2013 agreement with San Jose developers during project implementation that provides significant funding to permanently preserve burrowing owl habitat and conduct surveys to support regional conservation efforts.
Read MoreFirm Prevails In Commercial Lease Litigation on Alameda Waterfront
The firm successfully defends the City of Alameda's decision to not renew a commercial lease of its waterfront property, allowing the City to retain the largest ship repair facility in the Bay Area. (Alameda Gateway, Ltd. v. City of Alameda (2013).) On behalf of the City, the firm negotiates a new direct lease with the facility operator.
Read MoreHousehold Hazardous Waste Fee Upheld
The firm advises the Alameda County Waste Management Authority in its 2013 adoption of a fee to recover the costs of administering the Countywide Household Hazardous Waste program. The firm successfully defends the fee in subsequent litigation. (Crawley v. Alameda Cty. Waste Mgmt. Auth., 243 Cal. App. 4th 396, 196 Cal. Rptr. 3d 365 (2015).)
Read MoreCritical Wildlife Corridor Established
The firm advises Laguna Greenbelt in successful negotiations leading to the 2019 opening of the Orange County Great Park Wildlife Corridor in Irvine to connect the Cleveland National Forest to the coast.
Read MoreSMW Advises Orinda With Affordable Housing Administration
With the firm's assistance, the City of Orinda in 2013 develops a program for the purchase of below-market-rate homes that are part of a new residential subdivision in the City.
Read MoreSMW Advises on Adoption of State’s Delta Plan
Assisted by the firm, the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) adopts the state's Delta Plan in 2013 to further the coequal goals of a more reliable water supply for California and protecting and restoring the Delta ecosystem while preserving the Delta as a place, and adopts amendments in 2018. The firm defends the DSC's actions in successive sets of coordinated lawsuits. (Delta Stewardship Council Cases; North Coast Rivers...
Read MoreSMW Advises Cupertino on New Apple Campus
Assisted by the firm, the City of Cupertino in 2013 approves Apple Campus 2 (Apple Park), the first AB 900 project approved in California, involving the redevelopment of a 1960s business park site.
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