Alan Murphy
Alan provides clients with innovative solutions to legally complex and politically sensitive development challenges.
Emphasizing land use and development matters, including associated environmental review, Alan Murphy secures and defends land use entitlements and counsels clients in preparing development applications, throughout the approval process and in due diligence. Alan has significant experience with general plan and zoning interpretation and amendments, use permits, variances, development agreements, the Density Bonus Law, the Housing Accountability Act, SB 423 streamlining, other state housing legislation, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Alan represents developers, landowners, educational institutions, and other clients before city councils and boards of supervisors, planning commissions, and local decisionmakers. He has successfully helped clients secure entitlements to develop hundreds of new residential units in the San Francisco Bay Area, to redevelop property into three life sciences buildings totaling 595,000 square feet in Foster City, and to redevelop over 500,000 square feet of office and research and development space in Mountain View.
Alan has been recognized for his excellence in land use and environmental law. He has lectured at Stanford University on CEQA and accepted invitations to co-chair CLE International's last three conferences on California land use law in 2017, 2019, and 2024.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- Yale Law School, J.D., Editor, The Yale Law Journal, 2008
- Stanford University, B.A., Political Science, 2003
Bar and Court Admissions
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California
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Related Employment
- Bingham McCutchen LLP, San Francisco, CA, Associate, Land Use and Development Group, 2010-2011
- The City and County of San Francisco, CA, Office of the City Attorney, Legal Intern, Land Use and Environmental Protection Team, 2006
Clerkships
- Hon. Richard Clifton, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Impact
Professional Leadership
- Bay Area Council, Housing Committee
- Urban Land Institute
- SPUR - San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association
- California Association of Environmental Professionals
- Bar Association of San Francisco
Insights
News
Professional Experience
Experience
Residential Redevelopment
Representing a developer in preparing entitlement applications to redevelop San Francisco Bay Area property with nearly 800 dwelling units in reliance on the Density Bonus Law.
Residential Development
Representing a property owner in securing entitlements to develop multiple residential projects on the San Francisco Peninsula, totaling over 150 units, using the Density Bonus Law.
Residential Land Use Approvals
Represented a property owner in obtaining the necessary land use approvals to establish dwelling units in existing live/work buildings in the Central SoMa and Potrero Hill neighborhoods of San Francisco, California.
Life Sciences Complex Development
Represented a developer in securing entitlements and vested rights to redevelop property into three state-of-the-art life sciences buildings in Foster City, California, totaling 595,000 square feet of office, R&D and laboratory uses.
Technology Office Campus Redevelopment
Represented real estate investors and developers in analyzing reuse rights and securing entitlements to redevelop a vacant office campus in Mountain View, California, with over 500,000 square feet of premier office and R&D space for a leading technology company.
Mixed-Use Project Development
Represented a developer in completing the development of a partially-constructed multi-family residential and retail project purchased from the City of Hercules, California, and in forming a residential parking district to serve the project.
Defense of Air District Rulemaking
Assisted with defense of litigation challenging the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s rule amendments that regulate wood burning in beach fire rings on Orange County and Los Angeles County beaches.