Experience

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  • Geothermal

PCB Cleanup to Facilitate Sale and Residential Redevelopment

Advised client with respect to implementation of TSCA-compliant PCB remediation at former plant site, to facilitate sale and residential redevelopment of property.

Land Use

Represented quarry owner in obtaining unanimous EIR certification, approval of reclamation plan and renewal of mining permit by County Supervisors, and favorably resolving nuisance claims relating to same in California.

Far Niente Family of Wineries & Vineyards

Represented Napa Valley luxury wine producer Far Niente Family of Wineries & Vineyards in its acquisition of the Provenance Vineyards real estate in Rutherford, Calif. from Treasury Wine Estates. Far Niente purchased the property as the new home for its Bella Union brand. Farella also advised Far Niente on the concurrent sale of the Provenance brand and inventory to Lodi, Calif.'s Thomas Allen Vineyard & Wines.

San Francisco Flower Mart Development Project

Represented the master tenant of the San Francisco Flower Mart in renegotiating its agreements with Kilroy Realty Corp., including a long-term master lease to permanently relocate the Flower Mart to 16th and Mississippi Streets in the San Francisco Potrero Hill neighborhood. The firm continues to assist the San Francisco Flower Mart with the redevelopment of the property. Over the past six years, the firm represented the owner of the site in obtaining entitlements for 395 housing units, industrial leasing and design matters.

Grgich Hills Cellars

Obtained a use permit and variance from Napa County to allow this premium winery to convert an existing residence on an adjacent property into a new hospitality center for the existing winery.  The new facilities will accommodate up to 150 visitors per day for private events such as dinners and wine-education programs.

Piers 1½, 3, and 5, San Francisco

Represented San Francisco Waterfront Partners in its acquisition, entitlement, financing, leasing and management of Piers 1½, 3 & 5, an historic waterfront property in San Francisco, California.  The revitalized Piers 1½, 3 and 5 on San Francisco's historic waterfront have been named among the 17 finalists nationwide for the Urban Land Institute's annual 2010 Award for Excellence, which were selected from a list of 170 entries from all over the Americas.

Fisher Vineyards

On behalf of our client, Fisher Vineyards, we prevailed upon the City of Calistoga to abandon an attempt to bring certain vineyard land from the unincorporated County into the City's sphere of influence, thus preventing the City from annexing that land into the city and preserving the viability of the land for agricultural purposes.

Point Molate Tribal Resort and Casino

Represent Upstream Point Molate LLC, the developer of a billion-dollar Indian tribal resort development in the City of Richmond proposing to include hotels, casinos, performance facilities, a shopping center, residential development and tribal facilities on a former Naval Fuel Depot situated along San Francisco Bay. The Final Environmental Impact Report was certified by the City of Richmond in 2011.

San Francisco Ferry Building

Represented the developer in development agreement, ground lease and entitlements for the San Francisco Ferry Building, an $80 million federal historic tax credit renovation project under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).  We negotiated a complicated transaction with the Port of San Francisco, including a ground lease and development agreement, and obtained myriad entitlements for the project from the City of San Francisco, the State Lands Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service.  We also negotiated several complicated lease buyouts and handled a proposed condemnation proceeding.

The Geysers, Lake and Sonoma Counties

Representing Calpine Corporation in connection with environmental, permitting and land use issues associated with its 725-megawatt Geysers geothermal facilities including federal lease and license renewals under NEPA, and County land use/permitting proceedings under CEQA in Lake and Sonoma Counties. We also developed environmental and emergency response actions relating to wildfires. 

428 Alice Street / Jack London Square, Oakland

Obtained land use permits, including certification of an EIR, for the demolition of a contributory historic building and the construction of a mid-rise residential building in Oakland's Jack London Square neighborhood.  When opponents filed a lawsuit challenging the city's approvals, we successfully moved for summary judgment and obtained a dismissal of the case within months of its commencement.

74 New Montgomery Associates Condo Project

Assisted client with construction, mezzanine debt and inter-creditor negotiations for turnaround residential condo conversion project.

Rincon Park Restaurants, San Francisco

Represented the developer in a Port of San Francisco project, Rincon Park Restaurants, subject to public trust requirements.