EPS provides rigorous analysis and insightful solutions to address complex challenges in real estate development, land use policy, and local government finance. We are motivated by the role our work can play in shaping places where people live and we strive to create high-quality urban environments that advance the principles of diversity, resiliency, and shared prosperity.
EPS offers a wealth of experience, robust technical expertise, and the ability to offer insightful solutions to address the challenges and opportunities of urban development.
EPS helped the City of Piedmont prepare the recently released Request for Developer Qualifications (RFQ) to finance and build housing on City-owned land located in the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan (MCSP). The RFQ is a key step toward implementing both the Specific Plan, approved in late 2025 with EPS assistance, and the City’s sixth Cycle Housing Element.
The MCSP area is situated in the northeast edge of Piedmont, a relatively small and affluent community in Alameda County, approximately 10 miles east of San Francisco. About five (5) of the overall 23-acre Moraga Canyon site may be developed for at least 132, but not more than 199, mixed-income housing units. Because at least 40 percent of the units must be restricted to households earning 60 percent of Area Medium Income (AMI) and below, the City is seeking an exemption from the Surplus Land Act. The City will enter into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with the selected development team and ultimately execute a Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) for a land sale or long-term ground lease of appropriate parcels.
Building on EPS’s recently completed research into the Financial Impacts of Construction Defect Liability on Housing Development in California, Vice President Thomas Gonzales moderated a webinar panel last month on the topic of construction defect law reform.
Defect liability has been identified as a major barrier to condominium construction in California, and the event, hosted by Lambda Alpha International (LAI), focused on how Assembly Bill 1903 could address those barriers. The panelists discussed how legal reforms could potentially improve outcomes for developers, the insurance industry, and homeowners by getting developers to repair building defects rather than incentivizing expensive litigation activity and settlements—which have increasingly led to insurers, contractors, consultants, and developers alike walking away from condominium projects in favor of other types of building.
Thomas led the conversation with a panel of experts that included Tim Hutter of Allen Matkins, Nick Cammarota of the California Building Industry Association (CBIA), Meea Kang of the Council of Infill Builders, and Stephen Harrell of Insurance Specialty Group.
A recording of the webinar is available on LAI’s website: https://lai.org/event/ab1903/
