Catherine Norian

Catherine Norian

Attorney
About

Katie Norian focuses on compliance with land use laws and regulations at the state and local levels, with particular emphasis on compliance with and litigation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Katie is highly experienced in counseling on entitlement strategies, the preparation of the environmental analyses required by CEQA, including environmental impact reports, mitigated negative declarations and related documents, and project processing before lead agencies, all focused on protecting her clients' project entitlements should they be challenged in post-approval litigation. She has substantial experience in all aspects of major land development, including in planning and implementing the steps necessary to guide individual projects and master planned communities from original design through entitlement.

She has extensive experience defending project entitlements against litigation challenges in trial and appellate courts. Her clients include both real estate developers and other private parties, as well as public agencies. She has also defended major property owners' rights under CEQA.

Areas of FocusReal Estate
Bar admissionsCalifornia

EXPERIENCE

  • Candlestick Point/Hunters Point Shipyard Phase II: The redevelopment of the Candlestick Point and Hunters Point Shipyard areas of southeastern San Francisco with residential, commercial, retail, research and development and mixed uses, and an area set aside for a new professional football stadium. Provided CEQA compliance advice and assistance in planning and permitting activities.  Successfully defended the project entitlements in CEQA litigation through a trial that upheld those entitlements, and a post-trial settlement prior to appeal
  • Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project: Representing the owners of the City National Bank Office Towers and Plaza located in downtown Los Angeles, challenged the EIR in state court under CEQA, and the EIS in federal court under NEPA, for this 1.9 mile subway project proposed by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
  • Lennar/Heritage Fields: A 4,600-acre master planned community located on the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine, California. Provided CEQA compliance advice in the preparation of supplemental environmental impact reports and other environmental documents, and assistance with project processing before the city of Irvine, resulting in project approvals. Successfully defended a CEQA lawsuit challenging a project approval, which settled following a successful demurrer
  • Entrada Office Building: A 12-story office project proposed by CRP Centinela, LP in Culver City, California. Provided CEQA compliance advice in the preparation of the project's environmental impact report, and successfully defended the project approvals, including a height exception, in litigation brought by neighbors, which resulted in an unpublished decision issued by the Second District Court of Appeal
  • The Newhall Land and Farming Company/West Creek and West Hills: A 960-acre master planned community in the Santa Clarita Valley in unincorporated Los Angeles County, including 2,500 residential units and 180,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving commercial uses, together with recreational facilities, open space, community facilities and a school
    • Entitlement: Provided CEQA compliance advice in the preparation of an addition to the environmental impact report and assistance with project processing before the County of Los Angeles, resulting in project approval
    • Litigation: Defended the CEQA lawsuit filed by environmental groups challenging the project approvals, achieving success before both the trial court and the Second District Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal issued a published opinion, Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment v. County of Los Angeles (2007) 157 Cal.App.4th 149, upholding the sufficiency of the project’s revised EIR - the first published California Court of Appeal decision to uphold a water resources (supplies/demand) section in an environmental impact report, and the first published decision following the California Supreme Court’s landmark Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth, Inc. v. City of Rancho Cordova (2007) 40 Cal.4th 412
  • The Newhall Land and Farming Company/River Village: A 700-acre master planned community in the City of Santa Clarita, California, including 1,000 residential units, a small commercial component, recreational facilities, open space, and community facilities
    • Entitlement: Provided CEQA compliance advice in the preparation of an extensive environmental impact report and assistance with project processing before the City, which resulted in project approval
    • Litigation: Defended the CEQA lawsuit filed by multiple parties to challenge project approvals, achieving success before both the trial court and the Second District Court of Appeal, which issued an unpublished opinion upholding the sufficiency of the environmental impact report's water resources (supplies/demand) section under Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth, Inc. v. City of Rancho Cordova (2007) as well as its biological resources section
  • The Newhall Land and Farming Company/Entrada: A 500-acre site in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, with 1,640 residential units, 750,000 square feet of commercial retail uses, parks and associated infrastructure. Provided CEQA compliance advice
  • The Newhall Land and Farming Company/Auto Mall: A 14-acre site in the City of Santa Clarita. Revised project entitlements to permit development of a portion of an auto mall, including CEQA compliance, and successfully defended the project approvals through trial and a settlement reached during appellate proceedings
  • Tejon Ranch Company/Tejon Industrial Complex East: An 11,000-acre industrial park in unincorporated southern Kern County, including 15 million square feet of commercial and industrial development
    • Entitlement: Provided CEQA compliance advice through the preparation of an addition to the environmental impact report, and assistance with project processing before the County of Kern, resulting in project approval
    • Litigation: Defended the CEQA lawsuit filed by multiple parties challenging the project approvals, ultimately achieving success before both the trial court and the Fifth District Court of Appeal, which issued an unpublished opinion upholding the sufficiency of the project’s revised environmental impact report

  • Ace Outdoor Advertising, LLC: Defended entitlements issued for a billboard project in West Hollywood against litigation filed under CEQA and the planning and zoning laws, ultimately achieving success before both the trial court and the Second District Court of Appeal, which issued an unpublished opinion upholding the project's entitlements
  • Centennial Founders, LLC/Centennial: A “new town” to be located in the western portion of the Antelope Valley in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, including 23,000 residential units and 15 million square feet of retail, office, commercial and industrial development, together with schools, service facilities, utilities and infrastructure on 11,600 acres. Provided CEQA compliance advice in the preparation of a draft environmental impact report
  • Vista Canyon Ranch, LLC/Vista Canyon Ranch: A 200-acre master planned community in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, including 1,200 residential units and 650,000 square feet of commercial/mixed use development. Provided CEQA compliance advice and assistance with the proposed annexation and development agreement
  • Marina Two Holding Partnership: Defended an approved residential project in the Marina del Rey area of unincorporated Los Angeles County through the trial court, resulting in settlements of several challenges favorable to the client, including one settlement reached (following a successful trial) while the case was on appeal before the Second District Court of Appeal
  • Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority: Represented the client in multiple litigation matters and provided CEQA compliance advice involving the client’s property in Malibu, California
Education
  • J.D., University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
  • B.A., Stanford University

Awards

Southern California Super Lawyers (2013-2019)

Bylines

"Previously Protected Communications May Become Part of CEQA Records," Land Use Law Report, September 2013

"Is Infill Development Always So Good and Greenfield Development Always So Bad? Or Is Good Planning the Key?" Los Angeles Daily Journal, February 2013

Memberships And Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
  • California State Bar
  • Building Industry Association of Southern California / Los Angeles-Ventura (2012 - 2014)

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