Benjamin Saltsman

Practice Areas

Ben's practice centers on the intersection of government and land use, with an emphasis on successfully obtaining land use entitlements for major real estate development projects throughout California, and advising institutional investors and lenders on development-related matters.

Capitalizing on his combined two decades of experience working in local government (including more than 10 years as a senior land use and environmental advisor to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors) and at Gibson Dunn, Ben helps clients navigate the complex interaction of local and state land use laws, politics / public policy, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and other environmental laws, including California greenhouse gas offset/mitigation protocols. He regularly advises clients on comprehensive development strategy involving the subdivision map act, historic preservation standards and ordinances, and California’s rapidly evolving legislative framework. He has a proven track-record negotiating and implementing statutory Development Agreements, Specific Plans, reciprocal easement agreements, and other transactional documents with public agencies in order to facilitate timely project development on economically favorable terms.

He has successfully worked with clients to achieve approvals on a wide-range of projects, including the development of two airline terminals at Los Angeles International Airport, the transformation of former shopping centers into mixed-use communities, Class A office projects, mixed-use and multi-family developments, large master planned communities, creative office campuses, industrial properties, hotels, cultural centers, the construction of public-private partnership projects, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and the Intuit Dome (the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers).

Utilizing this real-world experience, Ben counsels investors, lenders, and developers in diligence efforts relating to the acquisition of, and investment in, high-priority development projects.

Personal

University of California, Los Angeles, B.A.; University of Southern California, Master of Urban Planning; Loyola Law School, JD