Biography

Anna Shimko, chair of the Real Estate and Land Use Practice Group, focuses her practice on all areas of land use and environmental law, representing both public agencies and private landowners and developers in administrative and court proceedings. Ms. Shimko has particular expertise in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). She works closely with project proponents, public agencies and environmental consultants on preparing and defending negative declarations and environmental impact reports (EIRs), including for complex projects such as water rights transfers, desalination plants and alterations to nuclear plants. Ms. Shimko helps private clients through all stages of the land use approval process, obtaining entitlements to build or expand large shopping centers, stand-alone retail stores, mixed-use projects, hospitals, hotels, residential developments and quarries, among others. She also assists cities, counties, special districts and state agencies in regulating land and development, negotiating development agreements, and updating general plans, specific plans and zoning codes. Ms. Shimko represents clients in matters involving redevelopment, development agreements, the Subdivision Map Act, annexation, historic resources, the Coastal Act, air quality regulations, water supply, climate change regulations, transportation planning, eminent domain, inverse condemnation and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Ms. Shimko litigates land use and CEQA matters for public and private clients and serves as an expert witness throughout California in cases involving land use issues.

Representative Experience

Private Developers:

• Represented a well-known Bay Area computer animation studio in securing development agreement and zoning for a four-phase headquarters project.
• Defended in court the EIR and entitlements for a 20,000-acre residential development and open space preserve in the Carmel Valley.
• Represented one of California’s largest grocery store chains and a large nationwide home improvement store in numerous projects throughout the state to build new stores or expand existing venues.
• Represented residential developer in obtaining local and coastal permits, including through several lawsuits and global settlement of Coastal Act, wetland, subdivision, traffic and inverse condemnation issues.
• Assisted prominent football team in drafting ballot measure and seeking permits for new stadium and shopping mall.
• Worked with a Bay Area developer on an EIR, development agreement and permits for a mixed-use, phased redevelopment of commercial uses on port lands.
• Represented a national hotel chain in its renovation of a high-end San Francisco hotel.

Public Agencies:

• Represented a Bay Area city in preparing an EIR for a waterfront development master plan.
• Negotiated and defended in court a development agreement and gaming ordinance for a card room facility at a Bay Area live horse racing venue.
• Assisted a San Francisco university with preparing EIRs (and defending associated litigation) for its acquisition of a local hospital and development of a biomedical research facility.
• Represented a Bay Area city with a specific plan and EIR for mixed-use development of a local valley.
• Worked with consulting firms to advise a California commission in environmental review for the sale of fossil-fueled and hydroelectric power plants and siting new transmission lines throughout the state, for replacement facilities at nuclear power plants, and for desalination plant to supply water to Monterey Peninsula.
• Assisted a water agency with an EIR for a water supply, transfer and storage program.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Since 2003, Ms. Shimko has been a member of the Advisory Council and Board of Directors for the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. Since 1992, she has been a member of the CEQA Reform Task Force of the California Building Industry Association/California Business Properties Association.

Ms Shimko has been selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer, an annual listing conducted by Law & Politics, since 2004.

Ms. Shimko served on the Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Citizens Advisory Board from 2001-2004 and on the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Commission from 1996-2000.

Presentations and Publications

Ms. Shimko is a frequent lecturer on land use topics and has published several articles on CEQA and development law. A sampling of her presentations include:

• Speaker, “Current Issues in Land Use Regulation and Development,” California Environmental Quality Act Update Cases Late 2011 to Present, September 2012.
• Speaker, “Aetna Springs Resort,” California Building Industry Association Select Conference on Industry Litigation, April 2012.
• Speaker, “Hydraulic Fracturing: Permitting and Environmental Reviews,” The Seminar Group, November 2011.
• Speaker, “Americans with Disabilities Act Primer,” 2011 for insurance company.
• Speaker, “Cumulative Impacts,” Climate Change, Cumulative Impacts and Compliance: 6th Annual National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) CLE International Conference, January 2010.
• Speaker, “Coming Soon to Your State or Federal Government: the Climate Change Regulation Experience in California,” ICSC U.S. Shopping Center Law Conference, October 2009.
• Speaker, “The Benefits of Development Agreements,” League of California Cities Planners Institute, March 2009.
• Speaker, “Land Use in Northern California,” Law Seminars International, March 2009
• Speaker, “AB 32 Session Climate Change: Science, Law & Policy,” California Business Properties Association, Fall 2008.
• Speaker, “The Changing Climate of California Real Property Law,” California Continuing Education of the Bar, Fall 2008.
• Speaker, “Green Building Conference,” CLE International, February 2008.
• Speaker, “The Challenges of Urban Development: Trends and Legal Issues for Real Property Practitioners,” California Continuing Education of the Bar, Fall 2007.
• Speaker, “Land Use Regulation and Development,” California Continuing Education of the Bar, Fall 2006.
• Speaker, “Regulatory Takings Conference,” CLE International, 2003.
• Speaker, “2002 Spring CEQA Workshop Series,” Association of Environmental Professionals, 2002.
• Speaker, “Regulatory Takings Conference,” CLE International, 2002.
• Speaker, “CEQA: What Is It and How Does It Impact Telecommunications Projects?,” Federal Communications Bar Association, Northern Chapter, 2002.
• Speaker, “Environmental Impact Reports for Redevelopment Plans,” Legal Issues Symposium, California Redevelopment Association, 2001.
• Speaker, “2001 Spring CEQA Workshop Series,” Association of Environmental Professionals, 2001.