Michelle Rudd

Experience

Michelle Rudd is a partner whose practice focuses on helping clients get their projects off the drawing board and on the ground. Her work focuses on community development issues related to condemnation and eminent domain and land use permitting and is listed in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Condemnation and Eminent Domain and Land Use & Zoning Law. Michelle works with municipal agencies, private utilities and property owners in achieving resolution in a variety of condemnation actions. She is also experienced in land use law including permitting, responses to notices of land use violations and zone and comprehensive plan changes as well as property tax issues.

Michelle is licensed In Oregon, Washington and California. Prior to becoming an attorney, she worked as a civil engineer and obtained a Master's degree in City and Regional Planning. Michelle is the firm's lead partner for Diversity and Inclusion.

Representative Work

Examples of Condemnation Work

• Represented redevelopment agencies, municipalities and transit agencies in acquisitions of property for public projects.
• Represented utility in acquisition of property for pipeline project.
• Represented landowners in negotiations with state agencies and municipalities for acquisition of a variety of properties.

Examples of Land Use Permitting

• Obtained variance to code standard concerning road improvements not roughly proportional to the impact of development.
• Obtained zoning and comprehensive plan map amendment to enable development of coastal property.
• Resolved notice of land use code violation related to nonconforming use.
• Obtained conditional use permit allowing storage of blasting materials in quarry.
• Obtained conditional use permit for telecommunications facility.

Professional Honors & Activities

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America® (currently: Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law and Land Use & Zoning Law), 2010-2013
• City of Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission, 2010-present, Vice Chair, 2010-present
• Member, City of Portland Development Regulatory Advice Committee, 2008-present
• Oregon Operating Committee, Urban Land Institute, 2009-2010, Program Chair, 2011-present
• Co-Chair, Central City 2035 Advisory Group
• Member, City of Portland Economy, Alternative Fuels, Future Utilities Committee, Local Energy Assurance Plan Project
• Seattle District Council member, Executive Committee, Urban Land Institute, 2009-2010, ULI Oregon Program Chair, 2011-present
• Member and past member at large, Board of Directors, American Planning Association - Oregon Chapter, 2003-present
• City of Portland Planning Commissioner, 2007-present, Vice Chair, 2008-2010
• Member, Real Estate and Land Use section, Oregon State Bar; Affirmative Action Committee, 2011-present
• Member, State Bar of California
• Member, State Bar of Washington
• Member, Oregon Minority Lawyers Association
• Member, Oregon Women Lawyers, 2012 Robert Deitz Awards Nomination Committee
• Member, Large Legal Employer Committee, Convocation on Equality, Oregon State Bar, 2011
• Treasurer and member, Executive Committee, Urban Land Institute Oregon/ Southwest Washington District Council, 2004-2008
• Member at large, Board of Directors, Columbia River Girl Scout Council, 2004-2007
• Fellow, Oregon State Bar Leadership College, 2006
• Volunteer service, American Planning Association, Oregon Chapter Award Best Chapter, 2004

Presentations

• "Discovery Issues in Condemnation," The Seminar Group, June 2013
• "Getting the Most from the Attorney/Consultant Team: Improv," Multnomah Athletic Club, Portland, Oct. 2012
• "5th Annual Eminent Domain: Current Developments in Condemnation, Valuation & Challenges," The Seminar Group, June 8, 2012
• "Mentoring and Affinity Group," Convocation on Equality, Oregon State Bar, Nov. 4, 2011
• "Implications of Demographic Change on Housing and Community Development," ULI Oregon, Oct. 13, 2011
• "Overview of the Condemnation Process: Substantive Rules; Prerequisites; Pleadings; Discovery," The Seminar Group, May 19, 2011
• "Do Not Pass Go (or From Start to Finish): Anticipating, Avoiding, and Resolving Environmental and Land Use Issues in Project Planning and Execution," Multnomah Bar Association CLE, Mar. 15, 2011
• "Condemnation 101 - Overview of Condemnation Process in Oregon," May 2010
• "Land Use and Real Estate Issues for Developers of LNG and Alternative Energy Facilities," Oct. 2009
• "Case Studies in Urban Condemnation," Eminent Domain Seminar, May 2009
• "Our Energy Future: Challenges to Siting Energy Infrastructure Projects in the Northwest," Northwest Environmental Conference, Dec. 2008
• "Pipeline Condemnation," Eminent Domain Seminar, May 2008
• "Green Building," 2007 11th Annual Oregon Land Use Law, Dec. 2007
• "The 2005 Energy Policy Act and FERC Rulemaking for Mandatory Pre-filing for LNG Facilities," Oregon State Bar, Energy, Telecom & Utility Law, Sept. 2005
• "Hot Topics in Estate Planning," Oregon State Bar, June 2005
• "Measure 37," Title Stewart Company lunch series, Apr. 2005
• "Measure 37 Symposium," Oregon Agricultural Alliance, Mar. 2005
• "Measure 37 Updates," Stoel Rives LLP, Jan. 2005

Publications

• "Land Use Law Alert: Oregon Be Nimble, Oregon Be Quick: SB 766 and Industrial Land Development," Apr. 2011
• "Land Use Law Alert: Milwaukie Considers Significant Zoning Code Changes," Feb. 2011
• "Land Use Law Alert: With Remand, LUBA Sends City of Portland's North Reach River Plan Upstream," Feb. 2011
• "Portland's Green Building Policy Proposal," RDE group legal update, Nov. 2008
• "Measure 49, Adding Waivers, Subtracting Financial Exposure," Daily Journal of Commerce, Oct. 2007
• "Zoning Issues" (coauthor), The Law of Building Green, Stoel Rives LLP, Sept. 2007
• Chapter 22, Condemnation, coauthor, Oregon State Bar Damages, 2007 update
• "Oregon's Measure 37," Urban Land, Feb. 2006
• "Physical and Regulatory Takings, Supreme Court Decisions Support Deference to Local Government Land Use and Economic Development Strategies," Oregon Planning Journal, Sept. 2005
• "Putting a Price Tag on Zoning," Urban Land, July 2005
• "Condemning Property for Public Uses," Oregon Insider, July 2005
• "Measure 37 Update," Oregon Insider, Jan. 2005

Civic and Other Activities

• Dragon boater, member, Team USA, Masters Women, 2007 (Sydney), 2009 (Prague), 2011 (Tampa)
• Member, Advisory Board, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, 2004-2007
• Coordinator and lecturer, Portland City Planning Saturday Academy course, 2004
• Coach, Girl Scout Lego robotics team, 2001-2002
• Coordinator, Girl Scouts Forest Park, 2001-2002

Education

• University of California, Berkeley, J.D.
• University of California, Berkeley, M.S., City and Regional Planning
• Stanford University, B.S., Civil Engineering

Admissions

• Oregon
• California
• Washington

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