LOS ANGELES – Aug. 6, 2020 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP represented Shopoff Realty Investments (Shopoff) in securing final approvals to construct the San Gorgonio Crossing industrial project, a 1.8 million square foot logistics center located off Interstate 10 in the Cherry Valley area of Riverside County.
“We were pleased to represent Shopoff in connection with this significant project,” said Greenberg Traurig Shareholders Ellen Berkowitz and Brady R. McShane, who represented Shopoff in connection with the County entitlements. “The project is well-positioned to serve both the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, benefit the surrounding community, create jobs, and stimulate the local economy.”
In October 2017, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors certified an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and approved discretionary entitlements for the project. Two groups subsequently challenged the project in court, alleging that it failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and was inconsistent with the Riverside County General Plan.
The Superior Court heard the case in February 2019, and the judge ruled favorably for the project by upholding the project entitlements and certified EIR. Out of the 39 claims by the project's opposition, the judge required Shopoff to further evaluate only two limited issues, which pertained to the incorporation of solar panels and analysis of transportation energy use.
To properly address the two remaining project concerns, the County prepared a supplemental environmental impact report (SEIR), which included additional technical studies that maximized the use of solar panels and evaluated strategies for transportation energy use requirements. Based on the revised design, according to a press release by Shopoff, the buildings will offset 100% of their electric use with clean solar energy. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved certification of the SEIR in May 2020. On July 7, 2020, the Superior Court affirmed the County’s supplemental analysis and dismissed the case.
In addition to Berkowitz and McShane, Greenberg Traurig Shareholder Matt Gershman represented Shopoff and the County during the litigation.
About Greenberg Traurig's Real Estate Practice: The Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Practice is a cornerstone of the firm and recognized leader in the industry. The firm’s real estate attorneys deliver diversified and comprehensive counsel for property acquisition and investment, development, management and leasing, financing, restructuring, and disposition of all asset classes of real estate. The team draws upon the knowledge and experience of more than 400 real estate lawyers from around the world, serving clients from key markets in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The group’s clientele includes a broad range of property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, REITs, and private owners. The firm’s real estate team advises clients on a variety of matters across a broad spectrum of commercial, recreational, and residential real estate, including structured equity and debt and the hybrids.
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