Land Use

Our work includes:

• General plans, specific plans and zoning approvals
• Entitlement applications and state and local agency hearings
• CEQA and NEPA compliance
• Housing development streamlining
• Infrastructure financing and permitting
• Coastal Act compliance
• Due diligence
• Affordable housing and density bonuses
• Eminent domain and condemnation
• Endangered Species Act compliance and permitting
• Inverse condemnation
• Brownfields redevelopment
• Transportation projects and transit-oriented development
• Water quality
• Wetland permitting

“…A+ work on land use entitlements for complicated and controversial projects under challenging jurisdictions. Their lawyering is a big value-add in meeting my organization's real estate development goals.”—Client testimonial, Best Law Firms®

Full-service strategy and planning: from day one to project realization

Manatt advises clients from the earliest stages of a project. We provide site evaluation, entitlement feasibility and policy risk assessments that inform go/no-go decisions and maximize long-term optionality. Our team understands how regulatory, political and community pressures converge—and how to plan accordingly.

We stay involved throughout the life of a project, integrating permitting, advocacy and litigation risk mitigation into a single, forward-looking strategy. Because our team includes seasoned litigators from the start, we help clients protect their entitlements from legal challenge—and avoid court whenever possible.

Our team builds long-term partnerships with clients to position them for sustained success—guiding not just today’s project but the ones that follow.

High-stakes, high-scrutiny: zoning, permitting and regulatory compliance

Our clients don’t just bring us routine work. They come to us when projects face unique regulatory, legal or political hurdles—whether driven by public opposition, layered agency oversight or shifting policy frameworks. We work across jurisdictions and industries, balancing business goals with public concerns, legal requirements and long-term compliance.

We bring deep experience in sectors where land use decisions have long-term institutional, operational and reputational impacts, including:

• Homebuilding – Helping homebuilding clients in positioning their development projects to take maximum advantage of streamlining legislation.

• Retail – Helping underutilized retail centers and commercial properties revitalize and redevelop into mixed-use hubs.

• Education – Advising universities and academic institutions on projects with long planning horizons and campus-wide impacts.

• Energy – Helping oil and gas clients adapt to and anticipate regulations, including negotiating settlement agreements that preserve access while addressing evolving standards.

• Technology – Supporting development of data centers and infrastructure by navigating land use, environmental and permitting requirements.

• Waste Management – Providing competitive advantage through land use positioning, strategic site selection and regulatory navigation.

• Resource and Mineral Mining – Assisting in the complex permitting and regulatory compliance of aggregate mines and quarries.

• Heavy Industrial – Assisting heavily regulated facilities in obtaining land use permits by navigating complex regulatory landscapes and ensuring compliance with environmental standards.