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Our real estate experience is broad and deep. We have supported transactions from every side, working with buyers and sellers, borrowers and lenders, investors and developers, landlords and tenants. Past projects have involved intricate leasing deals, large-scale developments, and portfolio sales and acquisitions, as well as the most complex structures and investment management strategies. We represent nationally-known retailers, institutional investors, developers, joint venture partners, public agencies and managers of corporate real estate. Our clients consider Dionne & Gass LLP their “go-to” firm for sophisticated real estate expertise.
Commercial leasing
Our leasing experience ranges from landlords’ multi-building portfolios to one-off leases, and from national retail tenants to corporate real estate programs. Our leasing lawyers focus on cost-efficiency and responsiveness, drawing upon years of experience to help clients structure, negotiate and close leases with extremely favorable terms.
Representative transactions
- Represented landlord in connection with retail restaurant lease including negotiation of reciprocal easement and common area maintenance agreement
- Represent owner and developer in connection with all types of commercial leasing matters, including drafting and reviewing letters of intent, and drafting and negotiating new leases and lease amendments. Assets include suburban and down-town office space, retail space, flex space, R&D, warehouse space, and ground leases
- Leasing of standalone and inline retail space for national retail pharmacy chain throughout the United States
Condominiums, co-op and mixed use
Dionne & Gass LLP offers extensive experience representing developers in connection with the creation of residential, commercial and mixed-use condominiums. Our work has included the creation of one-, two- and three-tiered condominium structures, and has ranged from simple residential projects to multi-phased condominium, cooperative and other mixed-use developments.
Representative transactions
- Represented state authority in connection with a mixed-use project, including the ground leasing, permitting and development of a mixed hotel and condominium project. In addition to negotiating multiple development agreements and ground leases, the project involved a reciprocal easement agreement for the shared use of a parking garage by the hotel and the residences. It also involved complex Chapter 91 regulatory issues, and the conversion of the apartments/garage portion of the project to a leasehold condominium with a garage unit, a unit containing all of the apartments and first floor retail space, and 112 residential units for sale
- Represented developers of residential properties in connection with single-family home and condominium developments, including planning, permitting, construction, marketing and management
- Represent Back Bay cooperative building management company as co-op counsel in connection with all co-op sales and financings for individual apartments as well as co-op building refinance
Development, permitting, land use and construction
Dionne & Gass LLP delivers a wide range of services to help clients seize time-sensitive development opportunities, including site evaluation, due diligence and acquisition; permitting, zoning and financing; and construction, leasing and disposition. We represent developers, investors, lenders, non-profit institutions and organizations, and corporate owners and managers. Our capabilities address zoning and subdivision control, environmental permitting, historic preservation, architectural and construction contracts, hazardous materials remediation, cost recovery and liability management, condominium creation and specialized tax treatment. Our interdisciplinary team of lawyers has the expertise to address all the complexities and transactional demands of large-scale commercial and residential projects, and the ability to recruit and manage the resources needed to get the job done efficiently.
Representative transactions
- Represent developers in connection with zoning, permitting and land use matters including obtaining zoning variances, drafting zoning and permitting opinions, and performing due diligence reviews for acquisitions and financings
- Redevelopment of 93-acre former state hospital campus, including acquisition and financing, securing of historic tax credit status, structuring of joint venture agreements, creation of legal infrastructure for multi-phase redevelopment as mixed-use retail, office and residential project with private sewage treatment facility, and negotiation of construction contracts
- Acquisition, financing and leasing of 400,000-square-foot manufacturing, research and development facility and construction contract negotiation for base building renovation
Hospitality
We represent a wide array of clients in the hospitality industry, including developers, management companies, franchisors, franchisees, and equity investors in hotel, resort and golf course developments. Our attorneys also represent borrowers and lenders of construction and permanent loans on hotels and other recreational projects. We have prepared and negotiated hotel management agreements, franchise agreements, leases with owners, mezzanine loans, equity investments, technical services agreements, construction agreements and purchasing agreements for national buying programs. For our hotel and golf course developer clients, we provide a full range of services covering site acquisition, permitting, entity formation, financing, securities work, tax structuring and negotiation of management contracts.
Representative transactions
- Represented hotel owner and operator in connection with development of hotel and restaurant, including negotiating ground lease, restaurant lease and access easements, obtaining all permits and approvals, obtaining construction and permanent financing, structuring joint venture, and establishing hotel management, labor and employment agreements
- Represented hotel owner and operator in connection with site expansion and building renovation including obtaining all permits and approvals for subdivision plans, negotiating leases and acquisition related documents and obtaining construction and permanent financing
- General representation of owners and operators of hotels, restaurants, retail grocery chains, country clubs and restaurant owners in connection with liquor license applications, renewals, transfers, pledges and management agreements
Join ventures and strategic alliances
Dionne & Gass LLP offers significant expertise in negotiating complex joint ventures and strategic alliances that enable corporate partners to leverage each other's strengths. We have represented clients in a wide variety of industries, including software, hospitality, retail, real estate, construction and manufacturing, facilitating collaborative arrangements designed to create residential, office and industrial properties as well as to acquire and develop physical resources for expansion.
We work closely with our clients to craft transactions that exploit strengths and fill gaps. For clients with limited resources, we negotiate with larger partners who offer financing, product development, market strength, and manufacturing and regulatory expertise. For resource-rich clients looking to leverage intellectual property owned by smaller companies, we tap into our extensive network of connections in emerging growth industries to help identify potential investment partners.
Representative transactions
- Represent developers in connection with multiple portfolio recapitalizations; structure deals, and draft and negotiate joint venture agreements for preferred equity, preferred debt and mezzanine financing
Portfolio transactions
Our experienced attorneys and senior professionals have represented numerous lenders, purchasers, sellers and equity investors in multi-property and multi-state transactions. From complex documentation of cross-collateralized and cross-defaulted loans to multiple affiliated borrowers, to sales and acquisitions of performing and non-performing loan portfolios, to multi-property acquisitions for corporations in connection with a corporate acquisition, we have the ability to staff multi-property transactions at task-appropriate levels.
Representative transactions
- Represented a real estate development and investment group in the acquisition leaseback and financing of a portfolio of distribution and industrial sites in locations around the continental U.S.
- Represented real estate development and investment company in the acquisition of portfolios of residential apartment complexes in multiple locations throughout the U.S., in connection with institutional and non-institutional joint ventures and equity and debt financing
- Represent developers in connection with multiple portfolio acquisitions and financings including deal structuring, negotiation of operative documents, Section 1031 tax advice, TIC transactions, and completion of all property-level due diligence
Real estate taxation
We have extensive expertise in all tax matters affecting real estate, and represent the full range of business clients, including real estate entrepreneurs, homebuilders, developers and domestic investors. In addition to choice-of-entity issues, we are actively involved in negotiating purchases and sales of individual properties as well as large portfolios, and structuring investments by tax-exempt investors. We work closely with our clients in planning 1031 like-kind exchanges (including parking transactions, reverse exchanges, construction exchanges and structuring TIC agreements), as well as in implementing sophisticated financings, sale-leasebacks, and creative financing arrangements.
Representative transactions
- Represented 501(c)(3) corporation in development of multi-family housing project using low income tax credits
- Represented developer in connection with 1031 exchange involving major commercial office parks
- Represented hotel owner and operator in connection with multiple 1031 exchanges (including reverse exchanges and construction exchanges) related to purchase and sale of hotel portfolios in multiple states
Retail
Dionne & Gass LLP provides a range of services to the retail industry not typically available through a single firm. We represent shopping center and other major retail center developers, national pharmacies, retail and restaurant chains. Many of our attorneys are active members of the International Council of Shopping Centers and other trade industry groups.
Representative transactions
- Represented shopping center developer in connection with purchase contracts, ground leases and financing related to anchor shopping center site assemblage
- Represented developer in assembly of individual parcels to develop as a retail shopping center and in the permitting, development, leasing, financing and management of the center
- 1031 tax-deferred exchange for regional retail developer of multiple, pharmacy-anchored retail centers in connection with a Long Island, New York grocery-anchored shopping center, including construction financing, leasing and permanent financing
Sales and acquisitions
Dionne & Gass LLP offers expertise in the acquisition, development and sale of all types of real property, including residential developments and hotels, office buildings and corporate headquarters, manufacturing and warehouse facilities, shopping malls and mixed-use projects. We represent a varied mix of clients that includes developers, investors and real estate acquisition funds, assisting them in transactions involving both traditional equity investments and sale/leaseback arrangements. We also offer expert counsel and timely due diligence in multiple-site acquisitions and assemblages; 1031 exchanges; and debt, equity and hybrid debt-equity structures. In today’s highly complex real estate transactions, our depth of knowledge gives our clients a compelling advantage in negotiating the most favorable purchase and sale terms possible.
Representative transactions
- Represented real estate developer in the acquisition and finance of portfolio of multi-family properties in Florida; financing included both senior and mezzanine debt
- Represented developer in connection with the acquisition of real estate, its development as a golf course and single-family home development, and the financing, building and marketing of the property
- Represented real estate development and investment company in the acquisition of portfolios of residential apartment complexes throughout the U.S., in connection with institutional and non-institutional joint ventures, as well as equity and debt purchase financing
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