Education
J.D., USC Gould School of Law
Advanced to Candidacy, Ph.D. , Urban and Regional Planning, University of Southern California
M.A., University of California, Los Angeles
A.B., with general honors, University of Chicago
Bar Admissions
California
Memberships
NAIOP, Inland Empire Chapter President (2015), Legislative Affairs Committee
Lusk Center for Real Estate, University of Southern California, member of Executive Committee
Urban Land Institute (ULI)
John helps clients procure the federal, state, regional, and local government approvals they need to develop their real estate projects. He has successfully led legal due diligence and entitlement teams in nearly 200 jurisdictions and before federal, state, and regional agencies for industrial, residential, mixed-use, retail, office, entertainment, self-storage, cannabis cultivation, and other projects throughout California.
John takes a practical approach to help his clients meet their business objectives, efficiently solve environmental and land use challenges, and advance their projects with minimal delays. Equally important, he ensures that their permits are legally defensible to reduce the risk of lawsuits, in particular those based on challenges from environmental groups and others claiming that projects do not meet California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements.
John has successfully secured and defended entitlements for complex projects throughout the state, including serving as lead entitlement counsel for the OCV!be project in Anaheim, a $4 billion, 95-acre mixed-use district featuring entertainment, hospitality, residential, and commercial uses. For a national developer, he oversaw land use entitlement and environmental permitting due diligence and entitlements for its extensive assets throughout Southern California. Similarly, he successfully guided more than 150 projects in Southern and Central California through the entitlement process for the country’s third largest home builder.
A former litigator, John regularly advises clients on litigation as a means for achieving their objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner. He also helps them devise strategies to defend lawsuits—for example when a labor union uses CEQA as a negotiation tactic—and proactively pursue legal action when necessary to rein in an over-reaching government agency.
John represents public REITs, industrial clients, private and public home builders and apartment developers, and other land developers in securing and defending land use and environmental permits across the state. He has provided entitlement due diligence and counseling for industrial and logistics projects totaling over 65 million square feet, helped home-building clients acquire more than 30,000 residential lots, and was involved in the two largest multiple species habitat plan sales to the Regional Conservation Authority in Riverside County.
John is a member of the Board of Directors of Great Ajax Corp., a NYSE-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) and served as the 2015 president of the NAIOP Inland Empire Chapter. John taught real estate law for 15 years in the University of Southern California’s MBA and Master of Real Estate Development programs and at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
John takes a practical approach to help his clients meet their business objectives, efficiently solve environmental and land use challenges, and advance their projects with minimal delays. Equally important, he ensures that their permits are legally defensible to reduce the risk of lawsuits, in particular those based on challenges from environmental groups and others claiming that projects do not meet California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements.
John has successfully secured and defended entitlements for complex projects throughout the state, including serving as lead entitlement counsel for the OCV!be project in Anaheim, a $4 billion, 95-acre mixed-use district featuring entertainment, hospitality, residential, and commercial uses. For a national developer, he oversaw land use entitlement and environmental permitting due diligence and entitlements for its extensive assets throughout Southern California. Similarly, he successfully guided more than 150 projects in Southern and Central California through the entitlement process for the country’s third largest home builder.
A former litigator, John regularly advises clients on litigation as a means for achieving their objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner. He also helps them devise strategies to defend lawsuits—for example when a labor union uses CEQA as a negotiation tactic—and proactively pursue legal action when necessary to rein in an over-reaching government agency.
John represents public REITs, industrial clients, private and public home builders and apartment developers, and other land developers in securing and defending land use and environmental permits across the state. He has provided entitlement due diligence and counseling for industrial and logistics projects totaling over 65 million square feet, helped home-building clients acquire more than 30,000 residential lots, and was involved in the two largest multiple species habitat plan sales to the Regional Conservation Authority in Riverside County.
John is a member of the Board of Directors of Great Ajax Corp., a NYSE-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) and served as the 2015 president of the NAIOP Inland Empire Chapter. John taught real estate law for 15 years in the University of Southern California’s MBA and Master of Real Estate Development programs and at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
Adelanto | Hesperia | Pomona |
Aliso Viejo | Highland | Poway |
Anaheim | Holister | Rancho Cucamonga |
Apple Valley | Huntington Beach | Rancho Mirage |
Arcadia | Huntington Park | Rancho Palos Verdes |
Atascadero | Imperial County | Rancho Santa Margarita |
Azusa | Indio | Redlands |
Bakersfield | Industry | Redondo Beach |
Baldwin Park | Inglewood | Rialto |
Banning | Irvine | Riverside, City of |
Beaumont | Irwindale | Riverside County |
Bell | Jurupa Valley | Rocklin |
Beverly Hills | Kern County | Rolling Hills Estates |
Blythe | La Habra | Sacramento, City of |
Brawley | La Habra Heights | San Bernardino, City of |
Brea | La Quinta | San Bernardino County |
Brentwood | Laguna Beach | San Clemente |
Buena Park | Laguna Niguel | San Diego, City of |
Burbank | Lake Elsinore | San Diego County |
Calexico | Lake Forest | San Dimas |
Calimesa | Lakewood | San Francisco, City and County |
Camarillo | Lancaster | San Jacinto |
Canyon Lake | Lathrop | San Jose |
Carlsbad | Lemoore | San Juan Capistrano |
Carpinteria | Loma Linda | San Luis Obispo, City of |
Carson | Lompoc | San Luis Obispo County |
Cathedral City | Long Beach | San Marcos |
Chino | Los Angeles, City of | Santa Ana |
Chino Hills | Los Angeles County | Santa Barbara County |
Chula Vista | Lynwood | Santa Clara |
Claremont | Madera County | Santa Clarita |
Clayton | Malibu | Santa Cruz, City of |
Clovis | Manhattan Beach | Santa Monica |
Colton | Manteca | Santee |
Commerce | March JPA | Seal Beach |
Compton | Menifee | Shafter |
Corona | Milpitas | Sierra Vista, AZ |
Costa Mesa | Mission Viejo | Signal Hill |
Covina | Monrovia | Simi Valley |
Cudahy | Monterey Park | South Gate |
Culver City | Moorpark | Summit County, UT |
Dana Point | Moraga | Temecula |
Delano | Moreno Valley | Thousand Oaks |
Desert Hot Springs | Morgan Hill | Torrance |
Diamond Bar | Mountain View | Tracy |
Downey | Murrieta | Tucson, AZ |
Eastvale | Newark | Tustin |
El Centro | Newport Beach | Upland |
El Monte | Norco | Valencia |
El Segundo | Norwalk | Ventura, City of |
Encinitas | Oakland | Ventura County |
Escondido | Oceanside | Vernon |
Fillmore | Ontario | Victorville |
Fontana | Orange, City of | Visalia |
Fremont | Orange County | Vista |
Fresno, City of | Orinda | West Covina |
Fresno County | Oxnard | West Hollywood |
Garden Grove | Palm Desert | West Sacramento |
Gilroy | Palm Springs | Westlake Village |
Glendale | Palmdale | Westminster |
Glendora | Palos Verdes Estates | Whittier |
Goleta | Park City, UT | Yucaipa |
Grand Terrace | Pasadena | |
Hawthorne | Paso Robles | |
Hayward | Perris | |
Hemet | Phoenix, AZ | |
Henderson, NV | Pico Rivera |
AB 98 And The Impacts On Logistics Facilities
Webinar
10.10.24
Chapman University
Orange, CA
4.17.24
Entitlement and Environmental Due Diligence: How to Mitigate Risk and Maximize Certainty
NAIOP I.CON West 2024
Long Beach, CA
3.12.24
2024 Real Estate Development Law Update
Newport Beach, California
3.06.24
2023 Real Estate Development Law Update
Newport Beach, California
3.14.23
Westin Long Beach
Long Beach, California
3.08.23
2022 NAIOP SoCal OC Real Estate Challenge
NAIOP SoCal
4.28.22
A Comprehensive Approach to the Labor Challenge
I.CON West
Westin Long Beach
Long Beach, California
3.23.22
Allen Matkins 2022 Real Estate Development Law Update
Virtual Event
2.17.22
Not Your Grandfather’s Warehouse: Solving the Complex Challenges of Today’s Industrial Market
I.CON West
Westin Long Beach
Long Beach, California
8.31.21
Allen Matkins Real Estate Development Law Update
Virtual Event
2.02.21
How Will The SB 330 Housing Bill and Other Recent Action in Sacramento Impact Your Real Property?
Irvine, California
2.06.20
Allen Matkins Real Estate Development Law Update
Newport Beach, California
2.04.20
22nd Annual 2019 USC vs UCLA Real Estate Challenge
Los Angeles, California
11.21.19
3rd Annual NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Summit
Riverside, California
9.19.19
USC Lusk Center for Real Estate Orange County Executive Forum
Newport Beach, California
6.26.19
Real Estate Development Law Update
Newport Beach, California
2.13.19
The Future of SoCal Industrial
Los Angeles, California
11.28.18
Real Estate Development Law Update
Irvine, California
3.01.18
Entitlements - What You Need to Know
Moreno Valley, California
2.21.18
Orange County, California
10.26.17
Orange County, California
10.18.17
I.CON ’17 Trends and Forecasts
Long Beach, California
6.08.17
Ontario, California
5.24.17
Real Estate Development Law Update
Irvine, California
3.09.17
Real Estate Development Law Update
Irvine, California
3.04.16
Newport Beach, California
7.22.15
I.CON '15: The Industrial Conference
Long Beach, California
6.10.15
Inland Empire Regional Group Breakfast
Ontario, California
4.24.15
Ontario, California
1.28.14
USC Lusk Center for Real Estate 2014 Orange County Board Meeting
Newport Coast, California
1.28.14
Bisnow's SoCal Industrial Summit
Los Angeles, California
11.14.13
The Land Play, Where are we in the Cycle?
Ontario, California
10.30.13
Real Estate 360 in 60: The Changing Face of Space
Webinar
3.14.13
Real Estate Development Law Update
Irvine, California
2.27.13
CA Redevelopment Agencies - One Year Later
Newport Beach, California
2.25.13
Bisnow So Cal Industrial Summit & State of the Ports
Los Angeles, California
11.28.12
Inland Empire, California
9.12.12
Irvine, California
8.16.12
San Francisco, California
6.28.12
Real Estate on the Rebound: Southern California's New Landscape
Newport Beach, California
6.21.12
Bisnow Los Angeles 2nd Annual Multifamily Summit
Los Angeles, California
4.26.12
Real Estate Development Law Update
Irvine, California
2.15.12
Bisnow Orange County Multifamily Summit
Garden Grove, California
12.13.11
New or Make Do? Talking Development and Value Add
Los Angeles, California
10.20.11
Bisnow Los Angeles Multifamily Summit
Los Angeles, California
2.17.11
Allen Matkins Real Estate Development Law Update
Irvine, California
2.16.11
Breaking Ground – Where the Action is
Los Angeles, California
10.21.10
Multifamily Affordable Housing Briefing - Orange County
Irvine, California
1.26.10
Multifamily Affordable Housing Briefing - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
1.21.10
Banking on a Specialty: Opportunities in Affordable, Senior and Student Housing Markets
Los Angeles, California
10.08.09
Alternative Use and Repositioning Strategies: Changing The Project To Something Completely Different
Los Angeles, California
9.15.09
Entitled Land & Residential Development: Is The Bottom Near?
9.15.09
Whittlesey Doyle - Due Diligence and Entitlements Processing Strategies and Issues
Webinar
4.28.09
10.02.08
Inland Empire, California
9.01.08
The Greening of Industrial Real Estate
Webinar
7.01.08
6.16.08
Orange County, California
6.01.08
11.29.07
Assessing and Managing Entitlement Risks: Big Picture Strategies During Due Diligence
1.01.05
12.01.03
Warehouse Law May Duplicate Local Regulations
California Planning & Development Report
Press Mention
10.21.24
New Calif. Law Limits Warehouse Builds, Experts Say
John C. Condas in Law360
Press Mention
9.30.24
AB 98 Will Have Dramatic Effects On Development Of Future Logistics Facilities
9.19.24
64 Allen Matkins Lawyers Recognized in Best Lawyers in America®
Press Release
8.15.24
Press Release
8.17.23
Increased Regulatory Pressures, Anti-Warehouse Moratoria Pose Headwinds for Industrial
John C. Condas in GlobeSt.com
Press Mention
12.07.22
Press Release
8.19.22
Top 7 Takeaways from the Allen Matkins 2022 Real Estate Development Law Update
3.08.22
Press Release
11.04.21
Multi-Family Market Optimism Prevails Despite Pandemic-Related Disruptions
7.21.21
Entitlement Activity Whispers of Recovery in California's Multifamily Market
John C. Condas in GlobeSt.com
Press Mention
6.03.21
Top 6 Takeaways from the Real Estate Development Law Update
3.05.21
2.10.21
New Draft Rule Imposes Compliance Obligations Regarding Indirect Source Emissions
May 1 Deadline for Technical Comments
4.24.20
California CRE Upturn Coming in 2022, According to Survey
Allen Matkins/UCLA Anderson Forecast California CRE Survey
7.31.19
Industrial Market Stays Hot in California
Allen Matkins/UCLA Anderson Forecast California CRE Survey
7.31.19
Regulatory Forecast for California Industrial Real Estate Market: Unsettled
5.06.19
No Time For A Correction: Regional Industrial Outlook Remains Strong, Experts Say
John C. Condas in Bisnow Los Angeles
Press Mention
11.29.18
CRE Leaders Share Inland Empire Insights
John C. Condas in Connect Media
Press Mention
11.08.17
A Market on Fire: Development Opportunities & Challenges
John C. Condas in Connect Media
Press Mention
10.25.17
7.20.17
Allen Matkins’ Condas Explains the Impact of CEQA
John C. Condas in Connect Media
Press Mention
10.14.16
Development, Demand, and Process Shifts
John C. Condas in Connect Media
Press Mention
10.14.16
Weighing The Appetite For Industrial
John C. Condas in Real Estate Bisnow Los Angeles
Press Mention
9.15.16
Real Estate Development Law Update
3.04.16
Drought, A Major Issue for Developers
John C. Condas in Globe St
Press Mention
6.18.15
Despite regulations, US industrial real estate growth continues apace
John C. Condas in The Journal of Commerce
Press Mention
6.12.15
John C. Condas in The Press Enterprise
Press Mention
1.09.15
Cities Tighten Up on Multifamily Development
12.17.14
Cities Tighten Up on Multifamily Development
John C. Condas in GlobeSt
Press Mention
12.17.14
Location, Land Costs Drive I.E. Industrial
John C. Condas in GlobeSt
Press Mention
1.08.14
Video Recap of Bisnow's SoCal Industrial Summit
John C. Condas served as moderator
Press Mention
11.21.13
60 Allen Matkins Attorneys Named Among Super Lawyers 2013 and Rising Stars 2013
Press Release
7.11.13
Clean Air Debate Delays Projects in Inland Empire
John C. Condas in The Journal of Commerce
Press Mention
4.15.13
Real Estate 360 in 60: The Changing Face of Space
3.19.13
Going Paperless Informs Space Use
John C. Condas, Neil N. Gluck and Anton N. Natsis in GlobeSt
Press Mention
3.18.13
Video Recap of Bisnow's SoCal Industrial Summit & State of the Ports
John C. Condas served as moderator
Press Mention
12.04.12
61 Allen Matkins Attorneys Named Among Super Lawyers 2012 and Rising Stars 2012
More Than 40 Percent of Firm's Partners Make the List
Press Release
7.19.12
As RDAs Vanish, There's Opportunity Amid the Rubble
By John C. Condas, co-author, in Real Estate Forum
Article
5.01.12
John C. Condas in Real Estate Bisnow Los Angeles
Press Mention
4.10.12
By John C. Condas in MA Now Real Estate
Article
3.12.12
John C. Condas in Bisnow
Press Mention
12.15.11
60 Allen Matkins Attorneys Named Among Super Lawyers 2011 and Rising Stars 2011
Press Release
7.27.11
Down Economy Gives Developers the Upper Hand in Entitlements
5.18.11
John Condas in Real Estate Bisnow
Press Mention
2.15.11
63 Allen Matkins Attorneys Named Among Super Lawyers 2010 and Rising Stars 2010
Press Release
7.19.10
More Carrot, Less Stick: New Legal Developments Could Improve
By John C. Condas in Daily Journal
2.22.10
More Carrot, Less Stick: New Legal Developments Could Improve
By John C. Condas in the Daily Journal
Article
2.22.10
57 Allen Matkins Attorneys Named Among Super Lawyers 2009 and Rising Stars 2009
Press Release
7.14.09
LEED for Neighborhood Development: How Green is Your Neighborhood?
5.19.09
SCAQMD Proposes New Rule on NOx Emissions
Information in this alert directly affects developers.
2.18.09
John Condas of Allen Matkins Appointed to Board of NAIOP Inland Empire
Press Release
1.22.09
Saving Entitlements When Projects Stall
John Condas in the California Real Estate Journal
Press Mention
12.22.08
John C. Condas in the California Real Estate Journal
Press Mention
12.08.08
New Green Plan Could Increase Cost of New Greenfield Housing
Information in this alert directly affects all developers -- especially those with housing projects in greenfield areas.
11.27.08
44 Allen Matkins Attorneys Named Among Super Lawyers 2008 and Rising Stars 2008
Press Release
8.13.08
California is First in Nation to Adopt "Green" Building Code
7.21.08
John C. Condas Joins the Orange County Office of Allen Matkins
Press Release
3.26.08
News & Insights
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