Schmitz & Associates, Inc. provides a broad range of land development consulting, permit
expediting and forward planning services.
Our mission is to advocate for our clients and get their projects approved efficiently by utilizing our combined 30+ years of land use planning, legal, policy, lobbying, environmental and architectural skills and expertise.
Spotlight
When prospective real estate purchasers need answers before closing escrow, they turn to Schmitz & Associates. When property owners and developers need help navigating the complex permit processes and securing approvals for their development projects, they turn to Schmitz & Associates. For the past 20 years, Schmitz & Associates has successfully delivered land development consulting, project management and permit processing services throughout Central and Southern California.
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News Stories Schmitz & Associates Offers Assistance to Those Impacted by the Mid-November Wildfires
We at Schmitz &
Associates wish to extend our deepest sympathies to those of you who
lost your homes and businesses in the recent Tea, Sayre and Triangle
Complex wildfires. Whether you are in Montecito, Sylmar, Yorba Linda,
or Diamond Bar, we want to let you know that when you are ready to
rebuild, we are ready to assist you in navigating the various
entitlement processes and securing the requisite permits to rebuild
quickly. As we have done in the past years, we are once again offering
five hours of our consulting services gratis to help fire victims during
this difficult time. Please feel free to contact us to arrange a
complimentary initial consultation.
Schmitz & Associates Secures Coastal Development Permit Approval for Challenging Topanga Property
On August 7,
2008, the California Coastal Commission approved Coastal
Development Permit No. 4-07-126, requested by Ian Mitchell, for
construction of a single-family residence (SFR) located at 869
Old Topanga Canyon Road, Los Angeles County. The development of
the property site is highly constrained by numerous oak trees,
and stream and steep slope setbacks. Despite CCC staff’s
recommendation to only allow a significantly reduced SFR size
and development area, Schmitz & Associates was ultimately
successful in securing the Commission’s approval of the
applicant’s proposed project—construction of a two-story, 30 ft.
high, 3,776 sq.ft. residence, 65’x15’ bridge, septic system,
retaining walls, 510 cy of total grading, removal of one mature
Coast Live Oak Tree and encroachment into the protected root
zones of eleven other Coast Live Oaks Trees.
Los Angeles County Currently Updating the Antelope Valley Area Plan
With a target
adoption time period of the Fall of 2009, the Los Angeles County
Department of Regional Planning has been working over the past
year to update the Antelope Valley Area Plan. Said Plan Update
outlines the specific goals and policies that will change how
future development and conservation will take place in the
Antelope Valley. If you are a private property owner in the
Antelope Valley, we encourage you to stay informed as this Plan
Update will impact your development options once adopted.
Should you have any questions about the Plan Update, we invite
you to contact us.
For more information on the Antelope Valley Area Plan Update,
please view the proposal and upcoming meeting details at:
The California
Coastal Act mandates that all jurisdictions within the Coastal
Zone adopt a local coastal program (LCP) which establishes the
policies and implementation measures/development standards for
protecting coastal resources. The County of Los Angeles in 1986
adopted the Malibu Land Use Plan for the Santa Monica Mountains
Coastal Zone which has served as this area’s land use plan for
the past two decades. However, an implementation program was
never adopted. As such, the County prepared a draft LCP which
it made available to the public on July 17, 2006 and which was
ultimately approved by the Board of Supervisors on October 30,
2007. However, because the Board of Supervisors requested
specific modifications at its October 30, 2007 hearing, the
draft LCP has yet to receive final consent approval. Once this
occurs, the LCP will be presented to the California Coastal
Commission for its certification. Once certified, the LCP’s
policies and development standards will govern development of
land in the Coastal Zone region of unincorporated Los Angeles
County properties in the Santa Monica Mountains.
As presently crafted, the policies, resource delineations, and
implementation measures of the proposed LCP will result in severe
limitations on any future development of private property. We
encourage you to review the LCP proposal and the accompanying
resource maps. Should you have any questions about how this proposal
will impact your property, we invite you to contact us.
Los Angeles County Currently Updating Its General Plan
On September 3,
2008, the County released its draft General Plan update to the
public. Last updated almost three decades ago, this General Plan
update seeks to serve as a “foundation policy document” to shape
and guide land development in the County’s communities going forward.
For more information on Los Angeles County’s General Plan Update, please
visit the County’s website at:
