Margo N. Bradish

A Strategic Counselor In Securing Land Use Approvals

Margo is best known for her practical and strategic approach to the land use approval process.  She counsels clients on structuring entitlement strategies that not only satisfy legal requirements, but also maximize client objectives and opportunities to develop political support, neutralize opposition, and minimize the risk of challenge.  With over 30 years of experience in jurisdictions spanning the Bay Area, Margo guides developers, corporate users, lenders, and non-profits from due diligence and entitlement strategy development through successful project approval. She assists clients in securing entitlements for transit-oriented and urban infill projects, corporate campuses (including technology and biotechnology), office and industrial parks, data centers, residential and mixed-use projects, retail and lifestyle centers, senior housing, military base reuse projects, schools, and an array of other projects.

A Trusted Advisor For California Developers

Margo is one of Northern California’s leading entitlements lawyers. Clients trust Margo for practical, experienced counsel on the full gamut of development laws, including general and specific plans, zoning, use permits, design review, subdivisions, development agreements, vested rights, fees and exactions, housing law (including Housing Accountability Act, Density Bonus Law, Builder’s Remedy, Housing Element Law, Permit Streamlining Act, Accessory Dwelling Unit Law, SB 330, AB 2011/AB 2243, and SB 35/SB 423), the Surplus Land Act, cultural resources (including SB 18 and AB 52), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Land Use Advice For Real Estate Acquisitions And Dispositions

Margo advises clients on the land use aspects of acquisitions and dispositions.  She has extensive experience advising both buyers/tenants and sellers/landlords in real estate transactions that are contingent on the receipt of land use entitlements.  Margo also conducts land use due diligence for real estate acquisitions and dispositions and portfolio transactions.

Corporate Campus/Office/Research and Development/Life Science

• 2 million-square-foot office/research and development campus at Heritage Fields (Corporate User, Irvine)
• 1.5 million-square-foot life science campus in the East Side Innovation District (Developer, San Carlos)
• 180,000-square-foot life science and office building in the Mission Bay South Redevelopment Area (Developer, San Francisco)
• 100,000-square-foot addition to existing life science building in the Mission Bay South Redevelopment Area (Non-profit, San Francisco)
• 270,000-square-foot office building in Western SOMA (Developer, San Francisco)
• 675,000-square-foot life science campus in the East of 101 Area (Developer, South San Francisco)
• 200,000-square-foot office/R&D building and 15,000-square-foot amenity center added to a life science campus in the Gateway Specific Plan area (Developer, South San Francisco)
• 540,000-square-foot life science building in the East of 101 Area (Developer, South San Francisco)
• 3 million-square-foot worldwide headquarters campus in the former North San Jose Area Development Policy area (Corporate User, San Jose)
• 1 million-square-foot office/research and development campus in the former North San Jose Area Development Policy area (Corporate User, San Jose)
• 2.3 million-square-foot office campus in Alviso (Corporate User, San Jose)
• 350,000-square-foot office building in Skyport development (Developer, San Jose)
• 2 million-square-foot corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities expansion in the Lawrence Station Area Plan (Corporate User, Sunnyvale)
• 172,400-square-foot building added to a corporate technology headquarters (Corporate User, Sunnyvale)

Industrial

• 208,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing and assembly facility in North San Jose (Developer, San Jose)
• 250,000-square-foot warehouse, office, and food distribution facility in Alviso (Non-Profit User, San Jose)
• Waste management systems company headquarters, transfer station, and composting facility (Corporate User, Santa Clara County)

Mixed-Use

• Military base reuse project consisting of approximately 1,000 residential units, a 285,000-square-foot shopping center, and waterfront industrial uses at the former Alameda Naval Air Station and Fleet Industrial Supply Center (Developer, Alameda)
• Military base reuse project consisting of approximately 12,000 residential units and 6 million square feet of commercial uses at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station (Developer, Concord)
• Mixed-use, transit-oriented infill community consisting of over 2,000 dwelling units and approximately 1.5 million square feet of office/research and development space in the Warm Springs Innovation District (Developer, Fremont)
• Mixed-use project consisting of up to a 1.6 million-square-foot headquarters expansion, 200,000 square feet of retail, a hotel, and 1,730 rental housing units in the Bayfront area (Corporate User, Menlo Park)
• Mixed-use Urban Village Signature Project consisting of 400 residential units (including single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, and accessory dwelling units), 60,000 square feet of commercial space, a hotel, and a 185-unit assisted living facility (Developer, San Jose)
• Mixed-use project consisting of 2 million square feet of research and office uses, conference facilities, student/faculty housing, short-term lodging, and retail/amenity uses at NASA Research Park (Joint Venture between University and Developer, Santa Clara County)
• Mixed-use project consisting of up to 1,485 dwelling units, 150,000 square feet of retail, 50,000 square feet of office and industrial space, 250 hotel rooms, and a 75-room youth hostel on a portion of the former Fort Ord Army base (Developer, Seaside)

Residential and Senior Housing

• 478-unit for-sale residential project at the former Alameda Naval Air Station (Developer, Alameda)
• 600-unit apartment project near downtown BART station (Developer, Fremont)
• 400-unit age-restricted senior housing project (Developer, Fremont)
• 334-unit residential project consisting of 216 market-rate for-sale townhouses and 118 affordable multi-family rental units (Developer, Fremont)
• 253-unit residential project consisting of 143 townhomes and 110 lower-income units (Developer, Livermore)
• 33-unit for-sale residential project (Developer, Los Altos)
• 155-unit for-sale townhome project (Developer Los Gatos)
• 68-unit for-sale townhome project (Developer, Los Gatos)
• 155 units of for-sale housing (Developer, Mountain View)
• 463 units of for-sale and rental housing in the East Whisman Precise Plan area (Developer, Mountain View)
• 27-unit single-family residential project (Developer, Pleasanton)
• 3,000-unit residential project in the Southport Framework Plan area (Developer, West Sacramento)
• 155-unit single-family residential project (Developer, San Bruno)
• 427-unit residential project in the Transit Corridors Plan Area (Developer, San Bruno)
• 190-unit high-rise condominium tower in the Yerba Buena neighborhood (Developer, San Francisco)
• Downtown residential project, including 600 market-rate condominiums and townhomes, 85 affordable assisted living units, 30,000 square feet of retail, and a 10,000-square-foot community amenity space (Developer, San Jose)
• 334-unit residential project consisting of 42 for-sale townhomes and 292 rental apartments (Developer, San Jose)
• 40-bed memory care facility and renovation of a state-of-the-art 105-bed assisted-living (RCFE) facility (Developer, San Mateo)
• 198-unit residential project consisting of 128 townhomes and 67 single-family homes in Bishop Ranch (Developer, San Ramon)
• 408-unit residential project consisting of 297 multi-family units and 111 for-sale townhouses (Developer, Santa Clara and San Jose)
• 422-unit for-sale townhome project (Developer, Walnut Creek)

Retail

• Repositioning and expansion of a 935,000-square-foot lifestyle center and 300-room hotel within a master-planned mixed-use development (Developer, Oxnard)
• Expansion of Neiman Marcus flagship store in Union Square (Retailer, San Francisco)
• 365,000-square-foot retail center near San Jose International Airport (Developer, San Jose)

Honors & Recognitions

Bisnow NorCal “Women Leading Real Estate” Honoree, 2023

Best Lawyers, Land Use & Zoning Law, and Real Estate Law, 2015–2025

San Francisco Business Times’ Northern California Real Estate Women of Influence, 2015, 2017 - "Hall of Fame"

Northern California Super Lawyers, 2012–2024

Northern California Super Lawyers Women's Edition, 2014-2023

Professional Affiliations

Berkeley Real Estate Alumni (BREAA) Advisory Board

NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, Board of Directors, Founding Member and Chair Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability (“IDEA”) Committee (Former)

Urban Land Institute (ULI), San Francisco District Council Executive Board (Emeritus)

San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR), Board of Directors and Urban Leaders Council (Former)

Lambda Alpha International (LAI), Golden Gate Chapter Board of Directors (Former)

Juror, Cal-Stanford Golden Shovel Real Estate Challenge, Juror, 2007–2009 and 2015, 2016; Jury Chair, 2009, 2016

Bar Association of San Francisco

Community Affiliations 

College of William & Mary, Parent & Family Council 2023-2025

Marin Catholic High School, Parent Advisory Board, 2017-2020

San Domenico School, Master Plan Committee, 2010-2017