Kathleen A. Hill

• Assisted with due diligence and securing necessary entitlements, sign permits, and street improvement permits for a 245,000 square foot commercial shopping center in the coastal zone in the City of Long Beach.
• Assisted with due diligence and entitlement document preparation for a 645,095 gross square-foot mixed-use development with 390 multifamily units in the coastal zone in the City of Long Beach.
• Represented a developer in obtaining entitlements for 296,350 square feet of self-storage space throughout Los Angeles County.
• Represented a developer in securing a commercial corner conditional use permit for the construction and development of a 45,000 square foot commercial building in West Los Angeles.
• Negotiated with council district staff and the neighborhood council to obtain height and setback adjustments as well as deferral of street dedication and widening.
• Secured approval of a lot line adjustment and termination of a covenant and agreement to untie two parcels and facilitate the transfer of ownership. Obtained building electrical permits that were required so that the two existing buildings could operate independently. Negotiated with Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to relocate electrical equipment to a more cost-effective location.
• Representing a mining company to secure an encroachment permit from Caltrans to install big horn sheep warning signs on State Highway 18.
• Secured development plan approval to replace an aging baghouse at an 41,150 square foot industrial building in the City of Santa Fe Springs. Negotiated with senior staff to eliminate requirement to screen baghouse including a 70-foot-high stack.
• Secured approval for a conditional use permit to expand a private elementary/middle school in Playa Vista. Obtained the support of the neighborhood council and city councilmember to add a 24,000 square foot building to the campus for an early childhood center for 69 preschool-aged children and new gymnasium for K-8 grade students.
• Represented a developer in a joint public/private project to construct a 90-unit affordable and market-rate housing complex and juvenile impact project facility to be operated by the City of Los Angeles Police Department on a portion of a high school in South Los Angeles. Secured approval for a conditional use permit, a variance to reduce parking, and a height increase.
• Represented the owners of a health retreat in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County east of Malibu to secure a new conditional use permit to continue operating for 30 years.
• Negotiated with the Los Angeles County Fire Department to waive the requirement to widen an access road.

Kathleen Hill is a planning director who works closely with attorneys and clients on a range of land use planning matters, including development project pre-acquisition due diligence, securing project entitlements and building permits, and compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Since 2011, Kathleen has been a co-author of the firm’s Land Use Matters publication. She is also on the firm’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee.

Kathleen has more than 30 years of experience in planning, real estate development, and project management. Her public sector land use experience includes working as an associate planner for the City of Riverside and City of Perris. Kathleen has also worked as a planning consultant on residential and commercial projects, subdivision maps, zoning code amendments, specific plans, and general plan updates. She previously worked as a site development manager in the wireless telecommunications industry, where she acquired real estate suitable for development with wireless infrastructure, prepared and processed entitlement applications, and negotiated approvals with public agencies throughout California. She was responsible for managing a team of real estate, construction, and property management professionals.

Education

• University of Southern California (B.S., 1986)

Memberships