Mr. Mulry represents the City on a myriad of large and small land use projects impacting the City’s built environment.  Many of these projects have an affordable housing component that require an in-depth expertise in land use planning and State Housing laws, or require complex financing tools such as Community Facilities Districts (CFDs), Geologic Hazard Abatement Districts (GHADs), Development Agreements, Disposition and Development Agreements, or other creative mechanisms to ensure project success and productive public-private partnership.

Mr. Mulry also advises the City Council and Administration on land use legislation affecting the lives of Oakland residents, including those involving Specific Plan adoptions, Accessory Dwelling Unit State law compliance, SB-9 compliance, Condominium Conversions, Seismic Retrofits of soft story buildings to preserve existing housing, the preservation of Live-Work and artist units in the City, and the encouragement of Transit-Oriented Development and affordable housing, and local implementation of State Housing Law compliance.

Mr. Mulry also advised the City in response to the pandemic, by advising on the City’s Flex Streets program for outdoor retail and dining, drafting City Administrator orders responding to the pandemic’s impact on processing of development projects, and advising the Planning Commission on remote meeting laws and procedure.

Prior to joining the Oakland City Attorney’s Office, Mr. Mulry spent 12 years obtaining positive land use results for hundreds of public and private sector clients, whether representing developers, municipalities,  a nonprofit land trust, or citizen groups.  During this time, he represented clients on state land use laws including, the Subdivision Map Act, CEQA, the Brown Act, Planning and Zoning laws, the Housing Accountability Act, the Mitigation Fee Act, the Streets and Highways Code, negotiation and execution of Conservation Easements, and local General Plans and Municipal Codes.

Mr. Mulry is also active in several land use organizations throughout the state and country, including the League of California Cities, the International Municipal Lawyers Association, and the Urban Land Institute.  He has edited the chapters in two land use treatises, “Local Land Use Liability” and “Land Use Planning in California – An Essential Reference.”  Mr. Mulry continues to remain active in the land use academic community, participating in speaking engagements, specifically on housing-related topics and complex development project strategies.

When Mr. Mulry is not practicing land use, he enjoys getting away to the mountains for skiing or hiking, attending live music events, or spending time with family.