Elizabeth Strahlstrom is a shareholder in Miller Starr Regalia’s Walnut Creek office. Through litigating and counseling clients on environmental and land use matters, she provides seasoned forward-looking representation during the entitlement and environmental review process. She routinely represents clients pursuing retail, mixed-use, energy and redevelopment projects, to name a few.
With sixteen years land use entitlement experience, her expertise extends to all approvals that may be required for a project, including annexations, general plan amendments, specific plans, rezoning requests, use permits, development agreements, subdivisions, initiatives, referenda, infrastructure agreements, and resource mitigation agreements. She also works with purchasers, developers, investors, and lenders on comprehensive due diligence, starting with site selection, identifying potential land use issues, and developing a strategy for obtaining necessary entitlements. Elizabeth regularly represents clients before State and local administrative agencies, and in both trial and appellate courts.
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Elizabeth specializes in CEQA compliance and the preparation of legally defensible EIRs, as certain projects are routinely challenged in court under CEQA. Elizabeth is lead land use counsel for numerous big box retail projects throughout the California Central Valley. In this role, she leads and coordinates development teams including engineers, architects, environmental consultants, economists, and community affairs consultants. She develops trusted relationships with agency staff and decision makers, reducing the risk of project delay arising from last-minute surprises in the process. Her experience also include:
Oversaw EIR preparation for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s school project that required demolition of the historic Ambassador Hotel, and the defense of three CEQA challenges to the project.
Representation of a global energy company through the permitting process for an LNG facility approved in the Gulf of Mexico.
CEQA counsel for redevelopment permitting process for Camp Wawona in Yosemite National Park; successfully defended County approvals in subsequent CEQA litigation.
Permitting assistance for several waterfront PG&E power plants acquired by a national energy corporation in 2000.
Land use and CEQA work in Bay Area pipeline divestiture proceedings before CPUC.
Elizabeth served as pro bono counsel to the Marin Humane Society’s Orphans of the Storm Hurricane Katrina animal rescue operation, and continues to provide legal and other volunteer support to local animal welfare organizations. She also served as a member of the Citizen Advisory Board of the San Francisco Treasure Island Development Authority.
PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES/NEWS
Co-Author, “Emergency Legislation Extends Life of Tentative Maps for One Year and Creates Some Confusion,” Bingham.com (August 6, 2008)
Co-Presenter, League of California Cities South San Joaquin Planning Commissioner Academy, Hanford, CA (May 5, 2007)
PUBLISHED DECISIONS
Landgate v. Cal. Coastal Commission, 17 Cal.4th 1006 (1998)
Lechuza Villas West v. Cal. Coastal Commission, 60 Cal. App.4th 218 (1998)
Preservation Action Council v. City of San Jose, 141 Cal.App.4th 1336 (2006)
