Based in New York and California, Sheppard’s real estate, energy, land use & environmental team advises on a wide range of matters, including as-of-right and discretionary land use and zoning, discretionary environmental review, landmark projects, air rights transactions, and permitting. The team acts across residential, institutional, hospitality, commercial, and industrial development projects. San Diego-based Michael Leake and New York-based Scott Stern jointly lead the broader real estate practice. In San Francisco, Jennifer Rank manages entitlements for high-tech and multi-family residential developments, while Keith Garner is noted for natural resources permitting for energy generation and transmission projects. Jeffrey Forrest, based in San Diego, and Los Angeles’ Jack Rubens regularly handle entitlement approvals and California Environmental Quality Act litigation. In New York, Jodi Stein and Eva Schneider represent developers in securing discretionary land use approvals under the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.
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Key clients
- PMB, LLC
- Trammel Crow
- City of Thousand Oaks, City of Salinas
- Pacific Communities Builder, Inc.
- Buddhist-Town, LLC
- Lone Oak - Rancho, L.L.C.
- Arevon Energy, Inc.
- Prometheus Real Estate Group
- TSG Entertainment Holdco (a joint venture between Thor Equities, Global Gaming Solutions, Saratoga Casino, and Legends)
- Turnbridge Equities
- ABBA Voyage
- TF Cornerstone
- Scale Lending (c/o Slate Property Group)
- SPG (Slate Property Group) Capital Partners
Work highlights
Represented PMB in winning unanimous approval from the San Diego City Council to develop the El Camino Real Assisted Living project in Carmel Valley despite objections from neighbors and a conservancy group. The new facility will include a three-story, 105,568-square-foot building with 87 assisted living units and 18 memory care units adjacent to Gonzales Canyon and the restored San Dieguito River Park wetlands.
Obtained approval for developer Trammel Crow for a 389-unit apartment project on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz, California. The project will span 4.15 acres and merge 21 lots across Ocean Street, Hubbard Street, and May Avenue.
Representing two city clients in connection with four projects to convert motels to permanent supportive housing. This includes three projects in Salinas and one in Thousand Oaks, California, all of which were being developed by Shangri-La Industries (SLI) with tens of millions of dollars in grant funding from the Project Homekey program administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), as well as city funding.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Michael Leake; Scott Stern
Other key lawyers
Jennifer Rank; Keith Garner; Jeffrey Forrest; Jack Rubens; Jodi Stein; Eva Schneider