Susan K Hori

Practice Areas

Manatt Land Use Partner Susan Hori focuses her practice on obtaining land use development entitlements for landowners and developers, including local land use approvals, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, and state and federal regulatory agency permits for real estate development projects. The hallmark of Susan’s practice is her track record of success in navigating the complex process of multiagency permits and approvals. Her clients include landowners, financial institutions, developers and builders in the residential, retail, hotel/resort, and commercial and industrial development sectors/industries.

Susan has represented clients on issues involving CEQA, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the California Coastal Act, Section 404 permitting under the Clean Water Act, National Historic Preservation Act compliance and Endangered Species Act permitting, including work on habitat conservation plans.

Professional Memberships

In 2021, Susan was selected to chair the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Orange County-Inland Empire District Council, after serving on its Advisory Board for the past seven years. The ULI is a nonprofit education and research institute that seeks to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide.

Additional memberships:

Admitted to practice in California and Washington, D.C.

Member, Board of Directors, Orange County Business Council, and Co-Chair, Workforce Housing Committee

Member, Chief Executive Roundtable, University of California, Irvine

Member, Board of Directors, Arts Orange County

Member, Board of Directors, Orange County Forum

Member, Water UCI Leadership Board, University of California, Irvine

Member, Dean’s Advisory Board, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, University of California, Irvine

Conference Co-Coordinator, UCLA Extension, Land Use Law and Planning Conference, 1998–2018

Executive Committee Member and Legislation Co-Chair, State Bar of California, Environmental Law Section, 1997–2000; Executive Committee Advisor, 2000–06; Member, Legislation Committee, 2000–06

Executive Committee Member, State Bar of California, Real Property Section, 1987–92

Publications

Co-author, “California’s ‘Housing Crisis Act of 2019’—Will it Streamline Housing Development and Provide More Certainty?,” Apartment News, Apartment Association of Orange County, January 2020, pp. 24-26.

Co-author, “Is California’s Housing Crisis Act of 2019 the Answer or State Overreach?,” Daily Journal, December 31, 2019.

Interviewed, “2020 Preview: Executive Round Table,” Orange County Business Journal, December 23, 2019.

Mentioned, “Calif. High Court Hears CEQA Row Over Coastal Project,” Law 360, January 4, 2017.

Mentioned, “Land Developer Sues Calif. Coastal Commission for $490M,” Law360, November 8, 2016.

“Land Use Entitlement Issues in Mixed-Use and Infill Development,” Orange County Business Journal, August 15, 2005.

"Water Quality and Land Use,” Wet Growth: Should Water Law Control Land Use? Environmental Law Institute, 2005.

“Due Diligence in Major Real Estate Acquisitions: Land Use Issue,” 5 Land Use and Environment Forum 24, 1996.

“No Net Loss: The Challenge of Protecting Wetlands and Agency Approaches to Mitigation,” 1 Land Use Forum 241, 1992.

“The Future of the Endangered Species Act,” 1 Land Use Forum 39, 1991.