Arby’s Restaurant Group

Columbus, Ohio City Schools

Danis Building Construction

Jeffrey R. Anderson  Real Estate, Inc.

Franklin County Convention  Facilities Authority

Fricker’s Restaurant Chain

Hill Partners, Inc.

Huntington National Bank

Mountaineer Keystone LLC

 Phillips Edison

The Procter & Gamble Company

Rex American Resources Corp.

Stonestreet Farm

Smoot Construction  Company of Ohio

The Connor Group

The Kroger Company

The Pizzuti Companies

Weaver Brothers

Acquisitions / Dispositions

Contract Negotiation

Development / Zoning

Economic Incentives & Finance

Eminent Domain & Real Estate Evaluation

Leasing / Property Management

Litigation

Construction Law

Dispute Resolution

Claims Prosecution and Defense

Mediation

Financing / Funding

Surety Bonds

Title and Escrow Services

Guiding clients from site development through zoning: Blueprint to ribbon-cutting

Deep understanding of real estate value complexities

Cost-effective due diligence for every transaction

Mitigate risk exposure, enhance value opportunities for leasing and property managers

Joint operating agreements for commercial developments as well as oil and gas exploration

Practical considerations with commercial construction contracts and disputes

Scalable / Predictable / Cost-Effective

• Transactional attorneys that can also handle administrative matters (e.g., Board of Revision and land use applications)
• Construction attorneys with diverse experience and technical backgrounds
• Extensive construction experience and resources in mediation, arbitration and litigation matters that run the gamut from contract disputes and delay claims to design errors and product defects
• Operate a full-service title company

Our client has undertaken a national facilities expansion whereby we act as project counsel guiding the client through site acquisition, development and construction of improvements on the site. We also prepared the construction contracts for the design professional and contractor. This rollout is occurring throughout major cities in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states.

Served as project counsel to MadTree Brewing, LLC for the development of an $18 million production brewery, tap room and event center that will allows for the expansion of its annual brewing capacity from 25,000 barrels to 180,000 barrels. Representation included coordinating due diligence, closing on property acquisition and construction financing and negotiating development agreements.

Served as project counsel to a non-profit health care provider for the development of its new $5.25 million community health center located in the West End of Cincinnati. Representation included securing federal grants and community development financing to facilitate the project, site selection services to ensure compliance with federal grant requirements, coordinating due diligence, title services to clear over $150,000 in liens from the property, negotiation with the City of Cincinnati to obtain a release of over $250,000 in additional liens burdening the property, structuring and closing on property acquisitions, negotiating construction contracts, obtaining governmental approvals, leasing out portions of the completed facility in accordance with Stark Law and HIPAA requirements and obtaining real estate tax exemption for the completed project.

Represented the client in the filing of a Board of Revision real estate tax valuation complaint to contest the Preble County Auditor’s valuation of commercial real estate property originally valued at over $8 million and in a hearing held by the Board of Revision regarding such complaint, achieved a 73% reduction in the taxable value of the property.

We represent a national mixed use developer which has completed the third stage of an urban redevelopment strategy spanning nearly 20 years. The projects encompassed a million square feet of retail, a half million square feet of office, a nationally-branded hotel and an upscale garden apartment building.  With respect to the final phase, Rookwood Exchange, we implemented the assemblage of over 100 parcels including acquisition of abandoned ODOT Right of Way and City of Norwood surplus land.  A tax increment financing (“TIF”) overlay was adopted to finance the project’s public improvements.  We negotiated with both the city council and the school district to finalize the Service and Compensation Agreements, thereby enabling the financing of a public parking garage to be erected on the site.

We served as counsel to the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority in a transaction by which the Authority became the owner of Nationwide Arena with financing provided by the City of Columbus, Franklin County, State of Ohio and Nationwide Insurance based on casino tax revenue. The transaction involved management and use agreements among the Authority, the Columbus Blue Jackets and The Ohio State University.

We represented a private equity group in connection with acquisition of 367-guest room mixed hotel-residential condo-retail development and adjacent office building in downtown Lexington, Kentucky.  We negotiated and prepared the acquisition and ancillary documents, assisted with due diligence, coordinated the title insurance, renegotiated the lease for adjacent parking garage and reciprocal easements and renegotiated agreements governing air rights relating to residential condominium units above the hotel, including negotiations with the homeowners association. We also assisted in post closing new retail/office space tenant lease negotiations and documentation, post-closing negotiation of construction agreement governing significant hotel renovations, negotiations with City of Lexington regarding new restaurant patio sidewalk and front entrance curb cut easements, and assistance with subsequent debt refinancing.

We recently drafted and updated all contract documents used by a construction company performing work throughout Ohio, North Carolina and Florida. The documents include a Master Trade Agreement for use with frequently utilized subcontractors, a Standard Subcontract for regularly-used subcontractors, a Design Professional Agreement for use in design build projects, an Agreement for Consultant Services and a Purchase Order.

We represented Marriott and Hyatt affiliated hotel developer in connection with the acquisition/development and sale of various business travel and extended-stay hotels in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee.

Since 2001, we have represented the owner and developer of a mixed-use lifestyle shopping center in northwest Ohio with more than 300,000 square feet of office and retail space. We helped the client prepare their business plan and negotiate a joint venture agreement with additional owners and stakeholders in the project. We prepared the ownership documents and organized the ownership entity, then negotiated the construction loan on behalf of the borrower. We assisted with the pre-leasing phase, securing letters of intent from tenants to assist with construction financing, and served as developer counsel to address construction-related issues. We also handled the remaining leasing, negotiating with national, regional and local businesses. Since the completion of the center, we handle ongoing issues from tenant disputes to several labor and employment matters. We also secured the $58 million refinancing of a permanent funding, development and operating loan, helping to secure the long-term future and viability of the center.

We served as project counsel in more than $500 million worth of real estate projects in the last 10 years covering Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. We advised the client on site selection for projects throughout the country, worked to secure financing and establish ownership structures, counseled on all facets of development and construction, handled leasing for all varieties of retail and office centers and handled the sale of centers. Along the way, we worked with the appropriate governmental entities to resolve infrastructure issues vital to the projects from zoning to access and utilities.

We represented a real estate investment trust in the acquisition, due diligence and ground lease review of an on-campus medical office building.  This transaction involved a complex Purchase and Sale Agreement that established the terms of the Ground Lease Amendment, Ground Lease and Space Lease Estoppels, Assignment Agreements and Bill of Sale, together with review of rights of first offer and rights to repurchase and use restriction issues specific to on-campus medical office ground leases.

We represent P&G on almost all of its North American real estate transactions. Since the company owns and leases property for almost every type of use, including heavy industry, warehousing and distribution, research and development, headquarters and other offices, and retail, we are accustomed to dealing with their broad range of property issues. Because P&G owns property in almost every state as well as Canada, we are accustomed to working in many jurisdictions outside our footprint and well connected with excellent property lawyers in North America.

We recently negotiated five build-to-suit leases covering approximately 450 million total square feet for added distribution space. The leases are valued at more than $100 million per location, and similar projects are in the planning stages. Similar negotiations include a $250 million biomass facility, post-sale or post-lease agreements establishing rights to conduct long-term remediation activities as well as a sublease within the most expensive leased space in the North American portfolio.

We have assisted P&G in selling the Sycamore Building in Cincinnati, a 250 thousand square foot distribution center in Maryland and a wastewater treatment facility and its associated wells to a municipal corporation. We also handled real estate transfers in their Iams portfolio – pending a sale to Mars, Incorporated.

We represented Opal Foods and its members including Weaver Brothers, which acquired the agricultural facilities and hens, representing approximately 14% of the white shell egg production in the US, from Moark, a division of Land O’ Lakes Company.