Patricia E. Curtin

Over Curtin’s 30-year career as a land-use attorney, she has seen development patterns in the San Francisco Bay Area shift from large suburban subdivisions to more infill and redevelopment projects near downtown areas, with an increasing emphasis on projects that include affordable housing.

“There’s been an evolution in the whole land-use process, and I’m still standing,” she said with a laugh.

Working with both private companies and public agencies, Curtin advises clients on all aspects of land-use law, including zoning and planning regulations, development applications and the environmental review process.

Another recent trend she’s seen is the proliferation of corporate warehouse complexes in the East Bay area, such as the Contra Costa Logistics Center in Oakley. Working on behalf of NorthPoint Development, Curtin secured the approval of the 143-acre, five building project.

Amazon recently announced it will open a fulfillment center in the first building of the 2 million-square-foot complex, which is expected to provide nearly 2,000 jobs once the buildings are completed and fully occupied.

“I love the fact that we’re bringing jobs to a city that has minimal employment uses,” she said. “Instead of those folks traveling miles and hours to employment, they’ll have it in their backyard.”

On the public side, Curtin advised the City of Cupertino in processing the Vallco Town Center project, a massive mixed-use development that will include 400,000 square feet of retail and entertainment uses, 1.8 million square feet of office space and 2,400 residential units. The project was one of the first to rely on Senate Bill 35, which streamlines certain types of housing development in cities that are not meeting their state-mandated housing goals.

Although the project—which contains over 1,000 affordable housing units—sparked controversy among neighborhood groups, Curtin said she enjoys working toward a compromise between local governments and opposition groups.

Some of Curtin’s favorite projects, though, are the mental health facilities that provide services for a range of underserved populations, including homeless individuals, veterans and people with special needs. Working with private and pro bono clients, she has secured the necessary permits to open several mental health facilities in Northern California.

“Those are very difficult to do, because most people say they don’t want those people living next to them,” she said. “So those are satisfying.”

— Mark Armao