Chadwick Heights
SB 330 housing development shaped by entitlement strategy and extreme geologic constraint
Project Type: Residential
Scope: SB 330 entitlement strategy, full-site master planning, multidisciplinary team coordination, speculative residential development
Location: Los Altos, CA
This 97 unit residential development, entitled under SB 330 and California’s Builder’s Remedy, shows how early design leadership and entitlement strategy can unlock land that would otherwise be written off. Set on a steep, environmentally sensitive 26 acre hillside with severe historic landslide conditions, the project required precise siting to avoid the specific geologic impacts that would undermine feasibility. Working within those constraints, the plan makes full use of state housing law to secure density, deliver a mix of market rate and affordable housing, and maintain a path to execution.
More than a legal exercise, the project depends on careful control of placement, grading, and development area. The geologic conditions are central to the story, and navigating them is what allows the project to pencil while remaining environmentally informed, technically credible, and development ready.
Full-Team Project Management
A large, multidisciplinary team—including legal counsel, biologists, civil and geotechnical engineers, and landscape architects—was coordinated from the outset to streamline timelines and deliver a unified entitlement package.
Affordable Housing as an Asset
The mix includes townhomes, stacked flats, and below-market-rate units—designed with the same care and quality across the board. This project shows how affordable housing can and should be held to a higher standard of design.
Density Without Compromise
The 220,000 square-foot build-out is distributed to preserve tree canopies, enhance privacy, and maintain a village-like scale—proving that high density and livability are not mutually exclusive.
Sensitive Site Design
The development responds to seasonal creeks, steep topography, and habitat protections for endangered species. Road alignments, building pads, and drainage systems were all developed to preserve as much of the natural ecology as possible.
