Land Development

When San Diego was facing a historic drought in 1915, the city council turned to an unlikely character to solve their crisis: Charles Hatfield, a 40-year-old sewing machine salesman and “rainmaker.” 

“What followed in January and early February of 1916 was a downpour — 30 inches of rain by some estimates. Mission Valley flooded. The San Diego River jumped its banks. Farms, homes, bridges and businesses were swept away. Estimates of the deaths range from a dozen to 50.”

A picturesque open space and park amid a busy urban neighborhood. A place of discovery and science for visitors and locals that has remained intact for more than a century. A landmark focused on the exploration of prehistoric times alongside the modern Miracle Mile. The world’s only paleontological excavation site in a major city. All reasons why SWCA is proud to be leading the comprehensive environmental analysis of the re-imagination of the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.

This case study takes a look at how SWCA is helping a Texas land owner and partner of Gin City Land Company create a wetland mitigation bank to bring back wetland habitat and maintain her family’s ties to the land.

Once a species is protected by the Endangered Species Act, activities that negatively impact those species could require authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. SWCA tracks threatened and endangered species issues closely and offers the following tips for staying ahead of the game.

The Willamette River waterfront in downtown Portland was once the site of WWI and WWII shipbuilding efforts. An effort began in 1987 to transform the industrial shoreline and “brownfield” into a livable landscape. Based on more than 15 years of comprehensive analysis and a concerted effort to safeguard the public and the environment, the redevelopment project has been one of the most extensive privately funded, voluntary cleanups undertaken on the Willamette River.