Practices

Real Estate Development and Transactions

Our development team provides strategic representation through every phase of a project, from concept to completion. We offer a full complement of services in site acquisition, land use, tax structuring, financing, construction, leasing, and disposition—and the flexibility to select specific services on an as-needed basis.

Engaging a legal team that can handle all of the moving parts of a development transaction saves time and money. Our attorneys have played leading roles in development projects nationwide and have the experience to anticipate potential obstacles and support clients with results-oriented solutions that keep even the most complex project on track.

Our Real Estate Development and Transactions Group includes teams dedicated to construction, leasing, mixed-use development and condominiums, tax, and zoning and land use.

Experience 

  • Ballard Spahr serves as lead finance and real estate counsel to River District Neighborhood Investors LLC, master developer of The River District, a sprawling, $1 billion project to transform the Mississippi Riverfront in New Orleans. The project will revitalize 27 acres of waterfront land adjacent to the Morial Convention Center New Orleans. Ballard Spahr attorneys are helping to guide the project through multiple phases of infrastructure development and construction of residential, office, and retail components. Phase One focuses on expanding and enhancing gathering space to create a dynamic hub of commerce, culture, and community through construction of facilities for entertainment, housing, arts and culture, retail food and beverage, street-front shops, public areas, and green space. Construction is slated to begin in late 2022.
  • In In re Condemnation by City of Philadelphia, we obtained a nine-figure award for two family trusts and an estate that owned a 144-acre parcel adjacent to the Philadelphia airport. At trial, the City claimed the property was only worth $30 million. In a grueling six-day trial, we prevailed on all of our legal arguments and proposed factual findings, receiving a $140 million award from the Board of View.
  • We represented a major telecommunications company in developing its 1.2 million-square-foot headquarters building. The project ranged from complex lease and tenant fit-out negotiations to assistance with the purchase of specialty components, including a four-story video wall and a two-story solid glass staircase.
  • We represented a national retailer in lease negotiations for 40 build-to-suit stores and self-developed sites, and advised the operator of its sister stores in several lease negotiations, including a transaction with another retailer on an 80,000-square-foot, self-developed combined store.

Zoning and Land Use Team: Meet Our Attorneys

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