Reinventing Suburbia

COVID may have made the suburbs more appealing – but these aren’t your parents’ ‘burbs. Are you capitalizing on Place-Branding and Place-Based Economic Development strategies to attract the growing market for walkable urbanism? Much has been stated about the flight of people moving from the city to the suburbs due to Covid. While the full…

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Too Much Room at the Inn

Converting Hotels to Residential Use In the face of COVID and the uncertain conomic recovery, one of the hardest hit industries has been hospitality, especially the hotel business. While we have seen recent upticks in vacancy for vacation oriented “get away” properties, those hotels geared toward business travelers are facing a long uphill climb. So, too, are…

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What Can Lawyers Learn from Retailers

In recent years, we have witnessed a steady parade of retailers shuttering stores and filing for protection from creditors. We’ve watched as once well-respected brands like Payless Shoes, Radio Shack, Sears, and Toys ‘R’ Us march solemnly towards an unglamorous end. Retail vacancy rates have been skyrocketing as real estate developers scramble to revitalize strip centers…

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The Continued Rise – and Evolution – of Walkable Urban Development

The past 20 years has witnessed the expansive growth of walkable urban and mixed-use development, which has steadily pulled market share from traditional drivable suburban product. This evolution began in the 1990’s with what this writer calls “the Friends phenomenon,” building off the popularity of TV shows such as Friends or Seinfeld, both located in…

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Transfer Development Rights are… “Up On The Roof”

Do not say the land ahead does not exist, simply because you cannot see it.”― Robert H. Barlow There are thousands of acres of vacant land in Nassau County. Don’t look down. Look Up. The Vacant Land is Up on the Roof. Yes, the Drifters were singing about Development. The Air Space above buildings in…

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Amazon HQ2 Aftershock Reverberates

In the aftershock of the Amazon H2Q failure, a working knowledge of the legal and regulatory environment is not a luxury for developers of real estate projects. It is absolutely essential for survival. As noted in the Wall Street Journal, tax incentives are becoming increasingly politically unpopular and there is a nascent movement among several…

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