PLANNING
Buildaberg is involved in all aspects of planning on behalf of our clients, including the processing of:
​
-
Variances
-
Conditional Use Permits
-
Lot Line Adjustments
-
Parcel Rezones
-
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Initial Studies
-
Negative Declarations and Mitigated Negative Declarations (IS/ND/MND)
-
Williamson Act contracts, and compliance
-
3-acre Timber Conversions and Code Enforcement remediation and compliance
-
Due Diligence
-
Technical Documents
CEQA Studies
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires that all CA state and local government agencies consider the environmental consequences of projects over which they have discretionary authority before acting on those projects.
California Code of Regulations Title 14 § 15000 et seq.,
An Initial Study is a public document used by the decision-making lead agency to determine whether a project may have a significant impact on the environment. If the agency finds that the proposed project may have a significant impact on the environment, but that these impacts will be reduced to a less than significant level through revisions to the project and/or implementation of specific mitigation measures, a Mitigated Negative Declaration shall be prepared.
Buildaberg conducts Initial Studies and writes Mitigated Negative Declarations to help speed up the public review process for our client’s project proposals. Our reports are public information and seek to describe the proposed project, the existing environmental setting at the project site, and potential environmental impacts of construction and operation of the proposed project.
They are intended to inform the public and decision-makers of the proposed project's potential environmental impacts and to document the lead agency's compliance with CEQA and the State CEQA Guidelines.
Conditional Use Permit
Our project goal is simple; to write applications that make approval at the state & local levels the easy choice.
There are a number of different project types that often require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in order for a project to become entitled and for construction to begin.
A key goal of long-standing land use rules is for nearby land uses to be compatible with each other. One way counties and cities do this is by limiting the types of uses that are allowed by right under their zoning code. In order for projects that do not meet more limited requirements of uses by right, is for them to gain approval through a public review process.
As such, there are a number of different project types that often require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in order for a project to become entitled and for construction to begin.
We help client’s prepare and submit CUP applications, as well as speak at public hearings on a client’s behalf, to gain approval from Design review committees, Planning Commissions, and County Board of Supervisors or City Councils. These decision making bodies, and the public at large, rely on our analysis and findings to make their decision about approving a project.
We use a wide variety of in-house tools, including parking and traffic models, to prove our analysis and project proposals meet the conditions set forth in zoning code and planning guidelines, typically found in specific or general plans. Our project goal is simple; to write applications that make approval the easy choice.
Due Diligence
We often help remote or out of the area real-estate investors, retirees, and business clients conduct due diligence investigations to make sure their real estate purchase does not contain any hidden obstacles that might prevent them from developing their property before they purchase. Our in-house developed Property Assessment Tool has helped save clients hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential losses by avoiding properties that do not meet their needs or that are advertised with incomplete information.
​
We offer full agency coordination, boots on the ground evaluations with policy analysis to ensure any real estate advertisements are accurate.
Technical Documents
Much of our work for Conditional Use Permits, Licensing and CEQA require reliable technical documents to base their analysis and/or finding upon.
Our team writes a wide range of technical documents, including:
​
-
Weighmaster Protocol
-
Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP)
-
Site Management Plan
-
Soil and Erosion Control Plan
-
Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
-
3 acre conversion
-
Emergency Action and Response Plan
-
Air Quality Management & Odor Control Plan
-
Transportation Plan
-
Master Manufacturing Protocol
-
Waste Management Plan
Our team’s multidisciplinary background ensures all of our technical documents are accurate, reliable and stand up to the rigors of public and agency review and evaluation.
Licensing & Entitlements
Land entitlement is the legal process of obtaining approval for your development plans. In other words, entitlement can make or break your project. Simply put, entitlements are a legal agreement between you and the governing municipality to allow for the development of a certain building type.
Once a project has received an entitlement, such as a rezone, variance or CUP, we can then develop Operating Procedures and/or required technical documents, such as an HMBP, to meet licensing requirements and to comply with Environmental Health requirements that meet local and state regulations before operating a cannabis extraction company.
Land entitlements are the backbone of all land development. From a legal standpoint, it is the process of acquiring approval for the rights to develop property for specific uses.
Examples of Entitlement: Zoning and zoning variances. These generally apply to building heights, amount of parking spaces, and setbacks.
Community and Pro-Bono Projects
Buildaberg is active in the Trinity community.
Here are some of our latest Community and Pro-Bono Projects:
​
