Real Estate Development

Our nationally recognized real estate team has broad experience in real estate development, financing and transactions. Our in-depth knowledge of the real estate landscape informs our advice and supports the business goals of our clients, as these recent highlights show:

• Represented Big River Steel, LLC, in the development of a $1.5 billion state-of-the-art steel mill constructed on approximately 2,000 acres along the Mississippi River near Osceola, Ark. The representation included site acquisition from multiple landowners; establishing access to and from the site for rail and river barge transportation; protecting cultural resources (i.e., Native American historical sites); securing permits for wetland and stream channel impacts; all real estate aspects of project financing and tax incentives; and advice regarding leasing and development of outparcels.
• Represented the sponsor group and an industrial startup company, Mississippi Silicon, LLC, in structuring and securing multiple sources of financing for the development, construction and operation of a $200 million silicon metal production facility.
• Representing Northside Hospital, Inc., in all of its real estate matters, including real property acquisitions, development of medical facilities, physician alignment transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and management of its leasing portfolio. We serve as construction counsel, negotiating and drafting design and construction contracts for existing and new facilities.
• Representing a large regional hospital system in innovative development and financing transactions, including sale-leaseback transactions involving the renovation of defunct retail centers into medical office building complexes.
• Representing PulteGroup’s Georgia Division in all aspects of the acquisition of property and development of residential subdivisions for the Pulte, Centex, Del Webb, Sun City and John Wieland product types. Recent developments include townhomes, condominiums, detached residences and active adult communities such as Parkside at Mason Mill, Sun City Peachtree, Stonehill at Lenox, Terraces at Oakdale, Del Webb at Chateau Elan and Del Webb at Lake Oconee.
• Representing PulteGroup’s North Florida Division in all aspects of the acquisition of property and development of residential subdivisions. Recent developments include townhomes, detached residences and active adult communities such as Palencia, Las Calinas, Whaley’s Creek, Twin Creeks and Bannon Lakes.
• Represented the developer of a $70 million, 600-acre suburban mixed-use project that included a boutique hotel, a corporate headquarters office building, a rehabilitation hospital, a memory care facility, an assisted living facility and a restaurant. We negotiated, documented and closed the land acquisition and sale; negotiated and documented infrastructure construction, development agreement and declaration of restrictive covenants; and worked with multiple municipalities to obtain necessary development approvals.
• A member of our team served as chair of the City of Orlando Community Venues Oversight Committee for the $1.3 billion public/private sports and entertainment venue projects in downtown Orlando, Fla.
• Representing one of the premier developers of student housing in the United States in the construction of its projects and other development issues. Currently assisting with the development of a mixed-use project in Gainesville, Fla., consisting of residential units, retail space and a hotel. We are assisting in all aspects of the transaction, including negotiation of joint venture agreements, construction contracts, financing agreements, and purchase and sale agreements.
• Advised Sherwood Equities Inc. in the $200 million sale to Tishman Speyer of almost half of the block on 10th Avenue between 34th and 35th streets in the Hudson Yards district of Manhattan.
• Representing a longtime client, one of the largest owners and managers of affordable housing projects in the Midwest, in an active expansion program. In the past 18 months, we have assisted in the acquisition of 13 affordable or market-rate properties in six states totaling more than $100 million in invested value, and in the restructuring and renovation of 11 affordable housing projects using low-income housing tax credits.
• Represented Spottswood Companies, Inc., in the acquisition, development, financing, construction and management of the Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel in Key West, Fla.; the iconic Faro Blanco Resort & Yacht Club in Marathon, Fla.; and the Holiday Inn Express® & Suites Marathon in Marathon, Fla.
• Represented a developer in connection with a $30 million acquisition, construction and development of a 153-room Marriott Hotel in the University Circle area of Cleveland, Ohio.
• Represented the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in the development of what will be the national headquarters of USTA Player Development and the largest tennis training facility in the world. The 63-acre, $60 million facility will serve as the “Home of American Tennis” and will be located in Lake Nona, Fla.
• Represented Highland Fairview Properties in the aggregation and acquisition of more than 2,000 acres of land in Moreno Valley, Calif., which is being entitled and developed for multifamily residential, industrial, commercial and mixed uses.
• Assisted a provider of grocery and food-service supply chain solutions with the acquisition of an 88-acre tract in Findlay, Ohio, where it has constructed a $119 million distribution and warehouse facility.
• Represented Belmont Resorts, Ltd., in the development of a large, mixed-use, eco-sustainable hotel, resort and golf course on the north coast of St. Kitts. The transaction involved a hotel, a fractional-use component, 18-hole golf course, tennis facility, retail shopping, beach club and undeveloped land.
• Representing a developer in the acquisition and construction of a 250,000-square-foot mixed-used site on the west side of Manhattan, which will house an auto dealership and residential rental or condominium units.
• Represented a Fortune 100 company in connection with the development of complex mixed-use projects in the Central Florida tourist corridor, including the sale and acquisition of land for general commercial, hotel, retail, residential and other uses, and the preparation and negotiation of sophisticated governing documents.

• Chambers USA
  • Real Estate – Ohio (2007 to 2021)
  • Real Estate – North & Central Florida/Florida (2014 to 2021)
  • Real Estate – Georgia (2019-2021)
• The Legal 500 United States: Real Estate (2018 to 2020)
• U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms”
  • Litigation – Real Estate: National (2012 to 2020); Cincinnati (2019, 2020)
  • Real Estate Law: National (2012 to 2020); Atlanta (2018 to 2020); Cleveland (2011 to 2020); Denver (2018 to 2020); Columbus (2011 to 2020); Houston (2019, 2020); Los Angeles (2019, 2020); Orlando (2011 to 2020)
• Recognized as one of the top law firms for client service, BakerHostetler was named to the 2020 BTI Client Service 30 for the sixth consecutive year.