SMW Advises Merced County on University Community Plan
Photo Credit: Qymekkam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Assisted by the firm, Merced County in 2004 adopts the University Community Plan for the land uses and infrastructure necessary to support the new UC Merced campus.
Public-Private Partnership Preserves Public Access to Historic Gardens
In 2003 the firm assists the City of Saratoga in developing an innovative public-private partnership for the management of one of the oldest Japanese garden estates in the Western Hemisphere. The Hakone Gardens were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Protected: Lake Tahoe Development Moratorium Upheld
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Protected: SMW Defends the City of Lafayette in Complex Land Use Litigation
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Appellate Court Victory Protects Saratoga Residents From Community College’s Noisy Athletic Stadium
The firm wins an appellate court case for the City of Saratoga, requiring a school district’s athletic stadium to comply with the City’s zoning ordinance. (Saratoga v. West Valley-Mission Community College District (2002).)
Appellate Court Win Upholds Referendum of Pre-Zoning for Development
In an appellate court victory, the firm successfully defends a referendum of the City of Pleasanton’s pre-zoning of property for development and convinces the court that the referendum does not create inconsistencies with the City’s general plan. (Merritt v. City of Pleasanton, 89 Cal.App.4th 1032 (2001).)
SMW Protects Stanford Foothills
Thanks to advocacy by the firm and its client Committee for Green Foothills, Santa Clara County in 2000 adopts an “Academic Growth Boundary,” limiting Stanford University’s ability to expand into the foothills for 25 years.
SMW Drafts Ground-Breaking Ordinances Diverting Construction Debris from Landfill
In 1999, the firm drafts one of the country’s first model ordinances to divert construction and demolition debris from landfills. It later assists the Alameda County Waste Management Authority in drafting one of the first model green building ordinances in the state.
SMW Becomes Saratoga City Attorney
In 1999 the firm is designated as the City Attorney of Saratoga, located in the “Valley of the Heart’s Delight.”
Headwaters Forest Preserved
In 1999 the firm represents the State of California in negotiations over the purchase and protection of the Headwaters Forest in Humboldt County. The deal ends one of the most bitter environmental conflicts in California history.