How Greenwood & Moore Saved Santa's Jingle Hooves Barn

Allyson Moore • December 16, 2025

A North Pole Tale of Lot Splits, Reindeer Parking, and Holiday-Ready Engineering

Every December, the team at Greenwood & Moore (G&M) listens for a familiar jingle—because like clockwork, Santa’s workshop calls with another engineering emergency. Last year, we designed an expansion to the Elves’ living quarters (too many elbows, not enough counter space), upgraded the sleigh garage, and even added a peppermint-infused sauna for Santa.

This year’s call? Well, A bit more…tangled!

This Season’s Wish List: A Lot Split. A Barn Expansion. A Balcony Crisis. And a Very Grinchy Permitting Delay.

During Santa’s early-season site visit (via Zoom - yes, even magic respects time zones), he explained to Greenwood & Moore that the North Pole campus is growing faster than Christmas cookie consumption.

Toy R&D has doubled. The reindeer herd is now “regulation size.” And the elves, much like California homeowners, are exploring Accessory Elf Dwelling Units (AEDUs) for better work-life balance.

But what began as a simple barn addition quickly spiraled into the Great North Pole Expansion - a delightful mess of lot lines, structural surprises, and a permitting backlog straight out of Whoville.

Reindeer Barn Expansion (Because Even Rudolf Needs Personal Space)

With three new flight-trainee recruits added to the herd - Spritz, Comet Jr., and Blitzen II , -the barn hit 125% reindeer capacity. Santa requested a modest expansion—just enough for an exercise pen, a hoof-care station, and a carrot-hydration trough.

Easy… until we pulled the boundary survey. In true North Pole fashion, nothing was where the elves thought it was. The barn was technically straddling between two parcels:

Parcel A: Sleigh Operations & Maintenance
Parcel B: Gingerbread Scenic Open Space Reserve

A lot line adjustment, the North Pole equivalent of an SB 9 maneuver was the only path forward. But the Planning Department was at a standstill. Rumor had it the new seasonal permitting assistant was… green, grouchy, and moonlighting for gig money. Yes. The Grinch had “misplaced” half the applications in a folder labeled “Do Not Open Until Never.”

So, William, John, Josh and Aiden from the survey crew sharpened their precision tools (and one candy-cane-striped workstation) and got to work preparing:

A boundary & topographic survey for the new barn footprint.
Site grading plans to prevent snowdrift accumulation.
Stormwater compliance documentation (even the North Pole needs detention basins).
An elf-friendly civil plan set submitted with magical-speed efficiency.

Toy R&D: The Case of the Mysterious Mistletoe Mold

Just when we restored hope to the reindeer wing, another problem appeared…mold! Midway through the lot line adjustment, Jeff received a frantic peppermint-scented email: “Attention: R&D Building: Suspicious flaking. please advise. – Chief Innovation Elf”

Jeff and Sean headed up for a site inspection using an SB 326/SB 721-style inspection. What they found wasn’t ideal:

Decorative candy-cane-shaped balcony rails.
Timber elements showing early signs of mistletoe mold (a known North Pole structural hazard).
A balcony foundation sharing the same disputed lot line as the reindeer barn.

Because why wouldn’t it?

Back at G&M, Brian and Samir jumped in immediately, putting Tim and Ken to work conducting:

A structural and exterior element assessment based on California Senate Bill 9 standards (even if technically outside jurisdiction—Santa likes best practices).
A repair roadmap with timelines wrapped tighter than Santa’s best ribbon job!
A steel-and-gumdrops balcony redesign that was both compliant and 100% nibble-proof

Toy testing resumed faster than a kid landing on the naughty list. And the elves celebrated at the marshmallow-roasting station we installed last year.

Samantha, Deborah, Grace, Allyson, and Ellie held down the administration fort during this rush project.

Wrapping Up the Season

Sure, the North Pole is whimsical - but Santa faces the same challenges our local clients do. Whether you're building a subdivision, expanding facilities, or just making room for more reindeer (we don’t judge), Greenwood & Moore is here to help navigate every step - from civil to permitting.

We’re honored that Santa trusts us with his most important projects. After all, even holiday magic runs on good engineering. Whether you’re Santa Claus, a local community, or a homeowner right here in Castro Valley, we’re here to help bring your sugar-plum vision to life.

Happy Holidays to all of you from all of us at Greenwood & Moore!

Since 1994, G&M’s goal is to “Make our Clients' Vision a Reality."

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