Douglas E. Wance is a Shareholder and former chair of Buchalter’s Land Use Practice Group. Mr. Wance has built a cross-disciplinary practice involving land use and entitlements, water resources, environmental compliance, natural resources and public law through the representation of both public agencies and private businesses throughout California. He has handled all aspects of these substantive areas, from advising clients regarding the applicability of the law, to guiding clients through a permitting or entitlement process, or defending clients subject to enforcement actions. Mr. Wance successfully represented businesses and public agencies in sophisticated financial, real estate, water resource, environmental compliance, and land development matters in court and before administrative agencies.

Mr. Wance’s land use and entitlement background includes representation of residential developers, public entities, major industrial facilities, and other commercial businesses in all phases of project development before local and state agencies, city councils, and county board of supervisors. He has assisted clients in obtaining development and environmental permits and project approvals for power plants, schools, mixed use, and industrial development projects.

Mr. Wance has provided advice and counsel to clients on many transactional and litigation matters concerning land development and regulation, from due diligence, land acquisition, eminent domain and financing to securing entitlements, leasing, CC&Rs, compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and state and federal regulatory permitting (wetlands, species, coastal issues).  He regularly deals with local general plans and other land use ordinances and resolutions, subdivision requirements, clean water, water rights, resources and quality issues, land and construction financing, environmental due diligence (including hazardous waste and materials), air quality, Polanco Redevelopment act, annexation and change of sphere of influence, development agreements, and infrastructure fees. In the past, he has dealt specifically with school siting issues within Los Angeles and Orange County concerning many aspects of the siting of schools as well as the Escutia-Wildman process (SB162/AB387), and represented a public agency in the land use, environmental compliance, and eminent domain issues for several multi-million dollar public projects within Los Angeles County. Finally, he has participated in administrative proceedings and litigation in the successful defense of permits and CEQA approvals in trial and appellate courts.

Mr. Wance’s water resource, rights and quality practice evolved from his land use and environmental practice for public agencies where he served as special or general counsel, for private clients with residential, commercial and industrial development or agricultural concerns. He has extensive background in water law and policy and has done work throughout the United States on surface and groundwater rights and supply issues, natural resource and environmental water concerns. Mr. Wance has spoken throughout the state on water rights and supply issues. He regularly engages in administrative proceedings and litigation of water resource, rights and supply issues on behalf of both public and private clients.

Mr. Wance’s environmental litigation, compliance, and permitting background includes representation of solid waste disposal facilities, electrical power plants, oil refineries, and manufacturing facilities in environmental permitting and compliance matters. He has provided regulatory compliance counseling, spill reporting, due diligence reviews, permitting, variances, appeals and enforcement action resolutions for clients with hazardous substance, air and water resource and quality concerns. He has also represented his clients’ interests before U.S. EPA, the State Water Resources Control Board, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. Finally, he has participated in litigation to defend clients against alleged violation of state and federal environmental laws. Mr. Wance has provided extensive environmental, land use and water resource due diligence reviews for several multi-million and billion dollar, high profile acquisitions of facilities and properties throughout California

Bar Admissions

• California
• Hawaii

Education

• Boston College Law School
• University of Southern California

• Curtailments Ordered in the Delta Watershed

  By Douglas E. Wance, Vanessa LeFort |August 2021

• Emergency Regulations Allow Curtailments in the Delta Watershed

  By Douglas E. Wance |August 2021

Additional Articles

• Curtailments Ordered in the Delta Watershed
• Emergency Regulations Allow Curtailments in the Delta Watershed
• Stormwater Permitting: July 1, 2015 Registration Deadline Approaches for Industrial Facilities
• California’s Water Woes: A Deeper Look at the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
• What the Drought Emergency Declaration Means for Your Business
• California’s Water Anxiety Prompts Landmark Groundwater Legislation