Our real estate clients use Rome McGuigan because of the experience, skill and efficiency we bring to achieve their varied real estate objectives. Every aspect of real estate development, financing, conveyancing and permitting is handled in the signature Rome McGuigan way - responsive and expertly efficient, in accomplishing the results the client has identified. Our attorneys in the Real Estate and Finance Practice are:
DEVELOPMENT FROM START TO FINISH
Our developer clients frequently involve us in development planning prior to the identification of a final real estate parcel. We assist our clients with the initial investigations, permitting issues, environmental issues, and government relations to determine how a site satisfies our clients' various requirements and expectations. Following the determination of the subject site, we work closely with our clients on the negotiation and preparation of the acquisition documentation, communicating regularly with our client on all aspects of zoning, permitting, financing and leasing. These open lines of communication enable us to effectively assist our client in dealing with its development professionals, including construction companies, architects and engineers.
REAL ESTATE FINANCE
We represent state and national lenders in the financing of all forms of real estate including hotel, multi-family, commercial, and industrial. Because of our experience in developer representation, we understand the practical aspects of development and are able to deliver to our lending clients practical and effective alternate resolutions to difficult development transactions to afford our client the opportunity to get the deal done.
COMMERCIAL FINANCE
Our attorneys have more than twenty years of experience representing both lenders and borrowers in commercial financing transactions of all levels of complexity. We have found that understanding both perspectives in these financings to be invaluable. Negotiations become quicker, less contentious and much less costly when there is an appreciation of the other party's key concerns. We bring those experiences and insights to each transaction in our effort to provide our client with additional value.
MUNICIPAL AND PUBLIC FINANCE
Representing borrowers, underwriters and credit providers in a variety of municipal and other public bond financings is a significant part of our commercial practice. These transactions have included financings of housing projects, educational institutions, health care institutions, and the first bond issue for a Native American Tribe. In addition to the substantive knowledge that these transactions involve, effective representation of clients in this area demands timely, focused and detailed attention and the ability to work cooperatively with a large team of dedicated professionals representing the many parties required to effectuate these financings.
We pride ourselves on bringing all the qualities that these complex matters require to our representation of our municipal and public financing clients.
INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE
Affordable Housing: We represent numerous clients in connection with the acquisition, development, operations, and sales of affordable housing projects throughout the country. These include for-profit, not-for-profit and joint venture clients. We regularly interact with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, state and local housing agencies and state and local housing finance authorities. We regularly represent clients in connection with Low Income Housing Tax Credits, New Market Tax Credits and Historic Tax Credits. A representative list of affordable housing transactions can be found here.
Shopping Center Development: We represent several developers in connection with their acquisition, creation or re-development of shopping center projects. We regularly represent developers in their lease negotiations for national credit tenants, "big box" retailers, as well as family-owned businesses.
Public Finance: We regularly represent borrowers, lenders, underwriters, trustees, and bond investors in connection with both public and private bond issues for the acquisition, construction, or re-development of real estate projects. We have successfully closed on numerous bond issues from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, Connecticut Health, Education and Facilities Authority, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and other bond issuers in the State of Connecticut and nationally. We also served as borrower's counsel in connection with the very first bond issue offered by a Native American Tribe.
Municipal Experience: We serve as outside Town Attorney for numerous towns in the State of Connecticut and frequently represent them in connection with diverse real estate matters such as property tax appeals, site acquisition and development, tax lien sales and foreclosures, land use permitting, creation of historic districts and enforcement of their regulations, and numerous other real estate matters which require a town's involvement. Our municipal experience provides us with unique expertise in understanding complex zoning, land development and property tax matters as well as the concerns and objectives of the municipalities.
Native American Issues: We have represented numerous Native American tribes in connection with their real estate development efforts including casino and hotel development, shopping center development, golf course and resort-related developments, and reservation-related improvements such as housing and infrastructure (roadways, water and sewer, etc.) issues.
REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS
- We serve as general outside counsel for a major national affordable housing developer on these and other matters:
-Purchase of a 184-unit affordable hosing project in Camden, New Jersey including $9,350,000 in tax exempt revenue bonds and $3,000,000 in tax credits.
-Purchase of five affordable housing projects totaling 680 units and the financing of the acquisition and renovation of the projects through a $32 million HUD-insured mortgag.e
-Purchase of a 185-unit affordable housing project in New Jersey. Since tax credits were only available on a limited basis, the transaction was structured so that the project would be acquired over a three-year period.
- We are general outside counsel to a major non-profit developer of affordable housing and group homes, and have handled the following matters on their behalf:
-The development of a 50-unit market rate condominium complex in a historic factory building. We handled permitting, environmental, construction, condominium creation, and unit sales.
-New construction and renovation of existing multi-family properties in Hartford, Connecticut for the purpose of creating affordable condominiums in the place of dilapidated rental housing. The developer's efforts transformed the quality of entire neighborhoods in the city.
- We represented the developer of a premier downtown Hartford hotel project. The development included complicated negotiations with the City of Hartford for funding as well as land and air rights, negotiations with the State of Connecticut (since the project was created in conjunction with the new Connecticut Convention Center) and numerous other City and State agencies involved in the Connecticut Convention Center redevelopment project.
- We represented a construction lender in connection with the $45 million renovation of the historic Colt Firearms factory in Hartford, Connecticut. The project involved a layering of numerous funding sources including our client's construction mortgage loan, historic tax credits issued through the National Park Service, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development's grant monies and tax increment financing issued by the City of Hartford.
- We have served as general outside counsel to a local community developer in connection with the development of 30 multi-family modular homes for low-income families.
- We represented a redeveloper of a small shopping center with local tenants into a major regional shopping center with numerous national chain tenants and a national grocery store as anchor tenant.
- We represent the developer of a historic hotel in downtown Hartford to convert the building into 20 residential condominium unit and a commercial condominium.
Contact Us · (860) 756-0366 · (866) 558-6182
We have offices in Hartford and New London, Connecticut to serve your needs.
