Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
257.4 sec. 001 - An Interdisciplinary Approach to Land Development and Investment (Spring 2025)
Instructor: Evan Schwimmer
Instructor: Linda Klein
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
M 6:30 PM - 9:29 PM
Location: Law 170
From January 27, 2025
To April 29, 2025
Course End: April 29, 2025
Class Number: 32854
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 10
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 11
As of: 02/15 11:55 PM
This interdisciplinary course is intended for business, law, planning, and public policy students interested in taking a deeper dive into the real estate development and land use process, with a specific focus on California development.
This course provides a pragmatic overview of the critical considerations within each phase of the real estate development process, including site acquisition and diligence; land and site planning; environmental review; and strategies for obtaining necessary entitlements and land use approvals.
During this course, students will explore the key roles that various stakeholders play within the real estate development process, including in the private sector (landowners, real estate developers, investors, and financial partners), public sector (elected officials, city staff, and government regulators), and community (neighbors, Native American tribes, special interest groups, and labor unions). The primary focus of this course is practice rather than theory. Students will learn to evaluate business risks inherent to real estate development and the key legal and policy issues critical to the real estate development, land entitlement, and deal making processes. Students will benefit from hearing real-world perspectives from some of the Bay Area’s leading experts in land use and development, who will provide guest lectures throughout the semester.
Students are not expected to have significant prior real estate experience prior to taking this course, although some prior real estate coursework or professional experience is beneficial. All students who are eager to engage with the material and supplemental resources such as instructor office hours will be able to succeed. A component of final grades will be based on regular attendance and active participation during weekly classes.
Whether you seek a career as an attorney, developer, urban planner, financier, or policymaker, this course will challenge your assumptions and broaden your perspectives regarding the built environment.
This course contributes to the requirements for the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Real Estate offered through the graduate programs at the Haas School of Business, Berkeley School of Law, and the College of Environmental Design (including MRED+D).
INSTRUCTOR BIOS
LINDA KLEIN is a land use attorney with the firm of Cox, Castle & Nicholson, LLP, providing advice and counsel on a wide range of real estate development issues with a focus on coordination of environmental review under CEQA and obtaining development entitlements through public hearings and other administrative proceedings, as well as related litigation. Linda’s practice spans a wide range of industrial, commercial, residential, and nonprofit development including warehouses, corporate campuses, large master planned projects, affordable and mixed-income housing, schools, and hospitals. She dedicates much of her practice to housing development, and regularly speaks and writes on changes in the regulatory landscape impacting housing production in California. Linda is recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers and by Best Lawyers in the Land Use/Zoning category.
Linda earned her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law and immediately after law school clerked for Judge Ikuta of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Linda holds a Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Arts in Art and Art History from Rice University. Prior to law school, Linda practiced and taught architecture at the university level. Linda is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, serving on the San Francisco Housing the Bay Committee, and Bay Area Council, where she co-chairs the Project Endorsement Subcommittee.
EVAN SCHWIMMER is a real estate investment and development executive with over 20 years of experience working across a variety of roles in the commercial real estate industry. Evan has acquired, managed and delivered over 9 million square feet of life science, office, hospitality and other projects in various regions in the United States valued at more than $7 billion. Evan is currently Chief Executive Officer of Plumforge Partners, a real estate investment, development and advisory platform focused on building the physical infrastructure for the advanced food manufacturing industry. Prior to launching Plumforge, Evan served as Managing Director for Longfellow Real Estate Partners’ San Francisco Bay Area office where he was responsible for strategic growth and operations including oversight of acquisitions, development, property management, design and construction, asset management and leasing in Northern California. Prior to Longfellow, Evan managed the San Francisco office of The John Buck Company with responsibilities for West Coast investment and development in office and residential valued at over $1.8 billion.
Evan holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and a MBA from the University of California, Berkeley with a Certificate in Real Estate. Prior to attending graduate school, Evan served as a Combat Engineer officer in the US Army while stationed in the United State and overseas. Evan is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) serving on the ULI NEXT Committee, NAIOP with service to the Membership Committee, and the Berkeley Real Estate Alumni Association (BREAA) as President Emeritus and a member of the BREAA Advisory Board.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Submit teaching evaluations for this course between 14-APR-25 and 29-APR-25
Exam Notes: (P) Final paper
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Business Law
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Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Required Books are in blue
- California Land Use & Planning Law 39th edition
Cecily Talbert Barclay and Matthew S. Gray
ISBN: 9781938166325
e-Book Available: Yes
Price: To Be Determined