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.
The California Coastal Commission formally certified the County of Los Angeles’s updated habitat impact mitigation fee for the Santa Monica Mountains at their August 9th, 2024 meeting. The updated fee had previously been adopted by the County Board of Supervisors in April. The fee update is based on technical work completed by EPS in partnership with Jodi McGraw Consulting. The habitat mitigation fee is charged to new development projects in the Santa Monica Mountains that impact certain sensitive ecological resource areas and is used to compensate for these impacts through the acquisition and preservation of habitat land elsewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains. The County’s previous habitat mitigation fee had been set by the Coastal Commission in 2014, and the County engaged the EPS team to calculate a fee amount that was better aligned with current and local costs for habitat acquisition and management. EPS has a long-time practice area in open space economics and has provided economic and financial analysis for habitat conservation plans and habitat mitigation fee programs throughout the State and County. EPS appreciates the opportunity to support the County of Los Angeles in furthering its habitat preservation and conservation goals.
EPS played a key role in three successful planning efforts selected for recognition in the 2024 APA California Awards Program. These include (1) Award of Excellence in Transportation Planning for the San Jose DT Transportation Plan, (2) Comprehensive Planning for the Napa General Plan Update, and (3) Hard Won Victories Award for the Downtown Watsonville Specific Plan.
This recognition highlights EPS’s expertise in public finance, economic development, and market analysis and how these practice areas offer insightful solutions to address the challenges and opportunities of urban development. The awards are also a testament to the dedication of our staff, including Jason Moody, Ryan Martinez, and Ben Sigman as well as the clients and partners who continue to support and trust our work.
