Fast-Tracked Entitlements & CEQA Approval for a Major Healthcare Expansion
Sharp HealthCare undertook a major expansion at its Chula Vista campus with the development of a 7-story, 170,600 square-foot hospital bed tower, designed to support up to 138 patient beds at full build-out.
The new tower includes:
Given the scale, sensitivity, and urgency of the project, Sharp required a permitting partner capable of managing complex discretionary approvals, CEQA compliance, and multi-agency coordination—without delays.
Strom Permit was retained to lead the entitlement and environmental approval process from start to finish.
Strom Permit functions as the technical extension of the project owner—protecting timelines, managing risk, and navigating California’s most complex entitlement processes with confidence.
Acute Care Hospital Expansion
Chula Vista, California
170,600 SF | 7 Stories
Up to 138
CUP, Design Review, Precise Plan, EIR
Approved 1 Month Early
Authorization of a hospital use not otherwise permitted by right within the zoning district, subject to project-specific conditions.
Comprehensive evaluation of site planning, architecture, and landscape design to meet City of Chula Vista standards.
A discretionary zoning implementation tool establishing project-specific development standards and design guidelines while allowing flexibility beyond the base zoning.
Full management of the CEQA process, which ultimately required preparation and approval of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
The project’s EIR addressed a wide range of environmental and operational topics, including:
EIR Analysis Areas
Technical Reports Coordinated
Traffic-Specific Issues Evaluated
The most significant challenge on this project was obtaining approvals concurrently from two separate regulatory authorities:
Each agency had independent requirements, timelines, and review standards. Any misalignment between them could have resulted in months of delay.
Sharp HealthCare needed the new hospital tower operational as quickly as possible to serve patients and expand healthcare capacity in the region.
Every month of delay had real-world consequences—impacting patient access, staffing, and long-term planning. Speed was important, but accuracy and defensibility were non-negotiable.
We acted as the technical representative for the owner, managing the entitlement process with a disciplined, step-by-step approach:
Conducted upfront meetings with the City’s Community Development Director and staff, alongside hospital leadership, to confirm all project requirements before design work proceeded.
Secured written confirmation from the City to eliminate ambiguity and reduce the risk of shifting standards later in the process.
Assigned clear scopes to each consultant and ensured all deliverables precisely matched City and CEQA requirements.
Prepared and submitted complete, coordinated entitlement and environmental packages.
Participated in public presentations and represented the project at the Planning Commission hearing, securing approval of both the discretionary permits and the EIR.
Sharp HealthCare leadership expressed strong satisfaction with the outcome. According to a commendation letter from Pat Nemeth, Vice President of Facilities for Sharp HealthCare, Strom Permit’s work was instrumental in achieving early approval of both the discretionary entitlements and the EIR.
The project’s success strengthened Sharp HealthCare’s confidence in Strom Permit’s ability to manage complex healthcare entitlement processes.
Pat Nemeth – Vice President Sharp Healthcare
“Terry is a key factor in the success of many of Sharp HealthCare’s projects. Terry has worked with us on a Cancer Center, a Master Plan, a major 770 stall parking structure, a medical office building and most recently on a new $239M hospital expansion. As a member of each project’s Design Build team, it was Terry’s job to manage the interface with local government and special districts on all required permits. We consistently achieve our fast track schedules, because Terry is “best-of-class” in securing entitlements.”
Pablo Velez –
Chief Executive Officer, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center
”It is with pleasure that I recommend Mr. Terry Strom. He has served as the Permitting Project Manager for the Makena/Sharp Chula Vista new Cancer Center and medical office plaza. Some of Terry’s responsibilities included obtaining all of the local land use permits required for the project. His knowledge and experience in the land entitlement process is truly superior. Terry is very thorough in his work and he has the ability to manage groups of people through a process to achieve desired outcomes. He is a team player and is very effective in his communication with others. He has always had a positive attitude and is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure projects are successful.”
On this project, we went beyond standard permitting services by:
This level of documentation, transparency, and owner-side representation is rarely provided by permitting consultants—but proved critical to keeping the project on schedule.
