Chelsea MacLean

Practice Areas

Chelsea Maclean is a California attorney in Holland & Knight's West Coast Land Use and Environment Practice Group who counsels clients on all aspects of land use development.

Clients throughout California call on Ms. Maclean for assistance in obtaining all types of development approvals and permits. She assists clients from the early due diligence phase for the acquisition, disposition and leasing of property, and helps clients successfully navigate the entitlement process utilizing a variety of strategies to minimize legal, political and business risks, while also achieving entitlements in a more expedited and defensible fashion. Ms. Maclean is known for providing practical advice that results in "win-win" outcomes for developers, cities and communities.

Ms. Maclean counsels on all aspects of regulatory compliance under federal, state and local laws, with a particular concentration on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Planning Law, Subdivision Map Act, as well as housing laws such as the State Density Bonus Law, Housing Accountability Act (including "Builder's Remedy"), Housing Element Law, SB 330 for streamlined process, and SB 35, AB 2011 and AB 2162 for ministerial, CEQA-exempt processing.

In addition, Ms. Maclean has extensive experience on large, mixed-use projects that have integrated residential, along with research and development, retail, restaurants, parks and other community uses. Ms. Maclean has successfully achieved entitlements, as well as implemented entitlement approvals for separate end users.

Ms. Maclean's CEQA experience includes helping clients ensure defensible analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG), transportation, air quality, noise and other impact issues facing transit-oriented and urban infill development. She is also well versed in the implementation of CEQA tiering, streamlining and exemption mechanisms. Ms. Maclean also drafts and negotiates land use agreements to memorialize entitlement approvals, as well as transactional agreements to assist with the acquisition and disposition of property.

Ms. Maclean has served as co-chair on the San Francisco Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Programs Committee, which provides high-quality educational programs and opportunities for relationship building and career advancement among the real estate organization's Bay Area members, as well as on ULI's Executive Board. After participating in Holland & Knight's 2013 Rising Stars program, Ms. Maclean has acted as co-chair of the Women's Initiative in the San Francisco office, which organizes networking, mentoring and career advancement opportunities for women attorneys.

Professional Memberships

San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association

California State Bar Association, Environmental Section

American Bar Association

Urban Land Institute