Martin N. Burton, Attorney

Martin N. Burton is a partner in Gilchrist & Rutter. His practice focuses on land use and real estate transactions, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), zoning and entitlement.

Mr. Burton is a former executive with Unocal Corporation, where he managed that company's $700-million real estate portfolio. He has an extensive background in CEQA and has represented both private and public agency clients in some of the region's most significant land use projects, inluding Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Alameda Corridor and the LAX Master Plan.

Mr. Burton received his J.D. degree in 1985 from Yale Law School. He earned his B.A. magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in 1981 from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Representative Experience

OC Shopping Center Project:  Expedited the complete modernizing and rebuilding of a 400,000 sq. ft. retail shopping center in a prominent Orange County beach city.  Acting on his advice, the client processed the entire development through nondiscretionary actions, saving at least a year and several hundred thousand dollars while quickly bringing an upgraded mix of services and greater safety to the city.

Community Day School:  Blocked the establishment of a Community Day School (anticipated to be populated with students having a history of violence) which was proposed to be constructed adjacent to an elementary school for developmentally disabled students in a rural farm community in central California. 

LAX Modernization Project:  Advised the City of Los Angeles on NEPA and CEQA requirements in key Responses to Comments on its EIS/EIR for the most massive modernization project ever proposed for LAX.

Santa Ana USD:  Represented the Santa Ana Unified School District in a 2-year battle to force the City of Tustin to include the District in its reuse plan for of the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station.  Ultimately obtained a settlement worth over $100 million.

Ambassador College:  As special counsel to the City of Pasadena, advised on all aspects related to the preparation of the EIR for a 2000-unit residential and mixed-use project.

Alameda Corridor:  Successfully negotiated the largest utility line relocation of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Project involving pipelines of the Metropolitan Water District.

Unocal Real Estate:  As Manager of Real Estate, managed 1,400 service station properties and thousands of miles of pipeline rights-of-way throughout California and the West.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall:  Supervised the preparation of the EIR on behalf of Los Angeles County for this project, including a 55-story office building, 400-room hotel, retail shops and the Concert Hall itself.