Scott Birkey
Partner
Scott Birkey is a partner in the San Francisco office of Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP and a member of the firm’s Land Use and Natural Resources practice group. He specializes in land use and natural resources entitlement, compliance, and litigation matters for residential and commercial developers and public agencies throughout the state of California.
Mr. Birkey’s land use practice includes obtaining all forms of land use entitlements, including development agreements, vesting and tentative maps, annexations, general plan amendments, rezoning, site development permits, and other land use approvals for urban infill, large-scale master-planned development, residential and commercial mixed-used development, and renewable energy projects.
Education
- University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall), JD 2000
- University of Idaho, Environmental Science MS, 1997
- Southwest Texas State University, BA 1994
Other Notable Publications and Speaking Engagements
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
- A Brave New World for Land Use Regulation in the Delta and Along the San Francisco Bay Shoreline, California Land Use Law and Policy Reporter (Mar. 2010)
- It’s Not Just About Water, and It’s Not Just About the Delta: Land Use Regulation and the New Water Bills, California Land Use Law and Policy Reporter (Dec. 2009)
- Minor Revisions, Major Implications: The Recent Amendments to the Endangered Species Act Section 7 Regulations, California Land Use Law and Policy Reporter (Mar. 2009)
- Floating A New Boat on the Jurisdictional Waters - Army Corps of Engineers and EPA Issue Rapanos Guidance, California Land Use Law and Policy Reporter (Aug./Sept. 2007)
RECENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
- Rapanos Redux? The Federal and State Wetland Implications of Sackett v. EPA, 2012 California Water Law & Policy Conference, San Francisco, CA (April 2012)
- Natural Resources Topics: Incidental Take Authorization and the Public Trust Doctrine, California County Counsels’ Association Land Use Section, Palm Springs, CA (April 2012)
- The State’s Proposed Wetlands Policy: The Fits and Starts of a New Regulatory Regime, 2011 California Water Law & Policy Conference, San Francisco, CA (June 2011)
- Resources Update: Wetlands and Endangered Species, California County Counsels’ Association Land Use Section, San Diego, CA (May 2011)
- The New Water Legislation and Land Use Issues, Impacts on Urban Water Management Plans, 2010 California Water Law & Policy Conference, San Francisco, CA (Apr. 2010)
- The Supplemental EIS - When to Prepare It; Scope and Substance; Standard of Review, Third Annual NEPA Conference, San Francisco, CA (Mar. 2007)
Professional Affiliations
- State Bar of California
- State Bar of California, Environmental Legislation Committee, Member
- California Land Use Law and Policy Reporter, Editor
- Association of California Water Agencies, Member
- Bay Planning Coalition, Member
COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS:
- Ecology Law Research Institute, Inc., President
