SMW Advises Orinda Throughout Wilder Development Process
The Art & Garden Center opens at the Wilder playfields in Orinda in 2016 — a substantial community amenity resulting from a Development Agreement negotiated by the firm following its successful defense of a takings case brought by the developer against the City.
SMW 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, […]
Historic Settlement Saves Open Space in Solano County
In response to litigation challenging an estate subdivision in rural Solano County, in 2012 a developer sells the 1,500-acre “Rockville Trails” property to the Solano Land Trust, preserving some of the most precious open space in the County. (Green Valley Landowners Assn. v. Solano County.)
Quarry Transformed into Park
The firm advises the City of Saratoga in acquiring a former quarry to be redeveloped as a park subject to a conservation easement and in subsequent park planning and operations. The park opens in 2015 and in 2020 the City opens a trail providing access to Sanborn County Park and, from there, to open space […]
Largest Brownfields Renewal Project in San Francisco Approved at Hunters Point
On behalf of the former San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, the firm negotiates land exchange agreements with the state that will enable the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Candlestick Point to be developed with 300 acres of new parks and more than 12,000 housing units, over 30% of them affordable. The firm drafted the state […]
San Mateo County Coastal Open Space Protected
The firm advises on a master parks plan for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s annexation of the entire San Mateo Coast in 2004. It then successfully defends the annexation in court. (Citizens for Responsible Open Space v. San Mateo County LAFCO, 159 Cal.App.4th 717 (2008).)
Sale of Point Molate Requires CEQA Review
The firm wins a case challenging the City of Richmond’s proposed sale of over 200 acres of waterfront property for the development of a large casino and resort hotel. (East Bay Regional Park District v. City of Richmond (2007).) The firm continues to work with the East Bay Regional Park District to successfully prevent the […]
Saratoga Completes New Trail Designated Part of Historic De Anza Trail
In 2007 the firm advises the City of Saratoga in environmental review and obtaining rights-of-way for an urban trail that was subsequently designated as part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail in 2017. Photo: Image by NAME from SOURCE
New Bike Trail Created with SMW’s Assistance
With the firm’s help, the City of Pacifica in 2006 resolves neighboring landowners’ objections and closes San Pedro Terrace Road to automobile traffic — the first step toward creating an off-highway bike path linking Pacifica to points south.
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.