Frank Petrilli - Coblentz Law

Details

P 415.268.0503

F 415.989.1663

fpetrilli@coblentzlaw.com

Education

J.D.

University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (2009)
B.A., with highest honors,

University of California, Santa Cruz

Practices

Real Estate

Industries

Technology

Frank Petrilli is a trusted advisor to his clients on all matters related to land use and obtaining entitlements, with a focus on infill projects in the Mid-Peninsula, Silicon Valley, and Santa Cruz areas. He helps build entitlement strategies and teams from the ground up, while providing thoughtful, strategic advice based on his political instincts, technical expertise, emotional intelligence, and intuitive understanding of how local government works in practice. Frank takes a pragmatic and collaborative approach to serving his clients, taking into account the political and practical considerations that face new development in order to achieve the outcomes that matter most for his clients. Frank is skilled at resolving problems at all stages in the development process from early planning through entitlement and construction, including negotiating agreements with local agencies and regulatory agencies, and land use litigation.

Frank also focuses on housing policy and guest lectures on land use at UC Berkeley School of Law.

Frank serves on the Board of Directors for the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA), and is a former board member of the Bay Area Council. He is a member of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) and the Urban Land Institute.

Frank earned his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law with a specialization in Philosophy of Law. He earned his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

While Frank routinely works with clients in connection with all manner of commercial, residential, mixed-use, and hospitality projects both large and small, some notable projects include:

Facebook’s (now Meta) expansion of its Menlo Park headquarters, which included approximately 1 million square feet of office buildings designed by Frank Gehry and involved negotiating several Community Benefits Agreements focusing on affordable housing and community development with various non-governmental organizations. Frank also continues to advise Meta in connection with its housing policy initiative.
Kylli’s Burlingame Point Project in Burlingame, involving an approximately 767,000 square foot campus with complicated issues involving BCDC and the State Lands Commission.
Bohannon’s Menlo Gateway Project, involving a 1 million square foot office campus project in Menlo Park designed by Heller Manus.
Longfellow Real Estate Partners in connection with various life science projects in the Bay Area.
Ensemble Investments in connection with various multifamily and hotel projects in Santa Clara, Menlo Park, South San Francisco, and Santa Cruz.
Springline, a mixed-use project in downtown Menlo Park.
Representing Intuit and LinkedIn in connection with various projects in Mountain View.

Frank is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the Land Use and Zoning Law category. In 2020, Frank was named among the “Top 40 Under 40” attorneys in California by the Daily Journal. Since 2017, he has been a Legal 500 recommended and Super Lawyers top rated Land Use & Zoning attorney. In 2021 and 2022, Legal 500 listed Frank as a “Leading Lawyer,” noting that clients describe Frank as “easy and enjoyable to work with,” and always able to “find solutions to difficult problems.”

Frank has contributed to various publications such as Fortune and Law360 where he shares insights on land use and urban issues. He also guest lectures on land use and real estate law at the UC Berkeley School of Law.

News

News - August 15, 2024

Fred Alvarez and Jeff Bernstein Awarded Lawyers of the Year, 32 Coblentz Attorneys Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America 2025

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News - June 12, 2023

Coblentz Land Use Practice and Two Partners Receive Top Recognitions by The Legal 500 United States 2023

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News - June 8, 2022

Coblentz Land Use Practice and Three Partners Receive Top Recognitions by The Legal 500 United States 2022

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