We work on all kinds of development projects throughout California, including residential, commercial, retail, office and industrial projects. We also work on linear projects, such as telecommunications and energy transmission lines, and transportation and transit projects, such as railway and roadway projects. We assist our clients with the full array of land use law: due diligence, local agency entitlement processing and state and federal permitting.
Due Diligence
Accurate and thorough land use due diligence is a critical first step in any development project. Monchamp Meldrum LLP provides clients with a road map to navigate the land use and environmental risks associated with a proposed development and outlines the entitlement approval process for potential development sites throughout California.
Land Use Entitlements and Agreements
Monchamp Meldrum LLP provides advice on compliance with the land use and environmental regulatory process. For many projects, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is the driver of the local entitlement process. We are experts at understanding the various pathways for complying with CEQA and the many technical and legal issues that must be analyzed under the statute as well as a host of other environmental laws and regulations. We work on National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental documents and have advised on many joint CEQA/NEPA documents. We advise our clients on all local agency permits – plan and zoning amendments, subdivision maps, use permits, etc. We also draft and negotiate development agreements and agreements with other local agencies, including schools, water and sewer agencies, park districts, and fire departments.
State and Federal Permitting
We help our clients obtain permits from a host of state and federal agencies. Amanda has extensive experience with permitting related to impacts to waters, wetlands and habitat from the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the federal NEPA review process, as well as state agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Regional Water Quality Control Boards. For remediation projects, we also assist with obtaining permits and approvals from the Department of Toxic Substance Control, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and Local Certified Unified Program Agencies. Joey previously worked at the California Coastal Commission and Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and we have experience in obtaining permitting from both agencies.
Compliance During Construction
Once a project is approved and construction is underway, we help track and provide advice on compliance with conditions of approval, permits, development agreements obligations, and mitigation measures. We also help our clients obtain modifications to these requirements if unexpected issues or circumstances arise during construction.