Stuart I. Block

Stuart is an environmental partner in the San Francisco office and co-leader of the firm’s Contaminated Sites Practice. During his more than 30 years of practice, Stuart has counseled clients on the investigation, cleanup, management, purchase, and sale of hundreds of environmentally impacted properties in California, including former industrial facilities, shopping centers, gas stations, dry cleaners, military bases, rail yards, marinas, and landfills. Stuart also has extensive experience in negotiating and resolving disputes concerning environmental liabilities, and the placement of and recovery under environmental insurance policies. Beyond his technical and legal expertise, Stuart brings a thorough understanding of California’s complex regulatory processes and a long and productive history with key decision-makers in California’s regulatory and enforcement agencies. Stuart also regularly represents his clients on a broad variety of environmental regulatory and enforcement matters, including Proposition 65.

Stuart is known for efficiently assessing areas of potential concern and providing practical solutions to further his clients’ business objectives. As co-leader of the Contaminated Sites Practice, he leverages resources from across the firm’s diverse practice areas to ensure the right people are involved at the right times to cost-effectively achieve the best possible outcomes for his clients.

Along with his transactional and regulatory work, Stuart is actively involved in the legislative aspect of urban redevelopment and was instrumental in the drafting and approval of the California Land Reuse and Revitalization Act (CLRRA), California Health & Safety Code § 25395.60 et seq. Earlier in his career, the director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) appointed Stuart to serve as one of the inaugural members of the agency’s Brownfields Revitalization Advisory Group.

Prior to joining Allen Matkins, Stuart was a founding partner of a boutique business, real estate and environmental law firm, Stice & Block LLP, where he served as lead counsel in transformative developments on environmentally impaired properties throughout the Bay Area. Before that, Stuart practiced for over 20 years with two renowned California environmental and real estate firms. During law school, Stuart served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Harry Hupp of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Stuart has played an instrumental role in some of California's largest and most complex real estate development projects, including Alameda Point in Alameda, Fort Ord in Monterey, Brooklyn Basin and the Oakland Army Base in Oakland, Schlage Lock and Moderna Rincon in San Francisco, Oyster Point in South San Francisco, and Vallco Town Center in Sunnyvale.