Strategic Counsel for Preservation and Adaptive Reuse
Sheppard’s Historic Preservation team advises on compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the National Historic Preservation Act and related state and local preservation laws.
We counsel clients on nominations for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, as well as nominations for state and local historic designations, compliance with the various Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, Section 106 review, and approvals under local landmark and cultural heritage ordinances to alter historic resources.
Our lawyers work closely with agencies such as State Historic Preservation Offices, the California State Historical Resources Commission, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Keeper of the National Register, and state and local preservation commissions and organizations like the Los Angeles Conservancy, Save Our Heritage Organisation in San Diego, San Francisco Heritage and the New York Landmarks Conservancy to facilitate project entitlements and approvals. We understand that historic resource issues often present political as well as legal challenges, and we help clients navigate those dynamics as well. When a resource has wrongly been designated as historic, we have the knowledge and experience to challenge and overturn those designations.