HunterMaclean’s
real estate practice group offers comprehensive legal and business counsel on a
wide range of real estate matters. Our team of real estate attorneys uses
innovative and resourceful ideas to help clients structure and document
transactions to match their business plans. They work closely with all facets
of a project, including acquisition, land use and zoning, environmental review
and permitting, capitalization, financing, development, construction, leasing,
and resale.
Our
real estate attorneys have extensive experience handling a wide variety of
commercial and residential transactions and work with owners and developers of
shopping centers, mixed-use projects, hotels, apartments, office buildings,
industrial and business parks, affordable housing projects, educational
facilities, and timberland.
The
Firm can also handle residential real estate closings and other residential
real estate needs for our clients in Brunswick and Savannah as a complement to
our core individual and business legal services.
By
working in conjunction with attorneys in other departments, our real estate
practice group also regularly advises clients on corporate, tax, bond
financing, bankruptcy, employment, and ERISA issues.
Representative
Engagements
- Represented an
economic development authority in the acquisition of a 6,000 acre tract of
timberland to be developed into an industrial park in Liberty County,
Georgia. The representation included all facets of development, including
Section 404 permitting, securing the permits to become a designated
regional service provider (sewer and water), and resolution of zoning
issues.
- Represented a
Swedish consulting company in connection with its $200 million development
of a wood pellet manufacturing plant and harbor warehouse/distribution
center for a German utility company. The transaction included customary
due diligence, environmental investigations, and contracting issues,
including negotiation of documents related to incentives such as tax
abatements and grant funds. Also assisted the client with development
issues related to other potential sites in Georgia and adjoining states.
- Represented CSX
Realty and the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort on Hutchinson Island, located
across the Savannah River from historic downtown Savannah, Georgia, in
real estate matters and environmental due diligence and permitting in the
ever-expanding development of Hutchinson Island. Handled land acquisition,
title, land use and zoning issues, governmental relations with the county
and city regarding sewer, water, and future marina to be located on the
site, resulting in a public-private partnership for funding of
infrastructure for the island and an investment to date exceeding $450
million.
- Represented Fort
Howard Corporation in land acquisition, environmental due diligence, and
permitting of a $750 million recycled tissue mill located in Effingham
County on the Savannah River.
- Assisted large
trailer manufacturer with new corporate offices and research facility
being constructed on Development Authority property. Handled the customary
transactional due diligence, environmental due diligence, and contracting
for this facility, including finalizing the development agreement and
lease from the Development Authority in order to receive tax abatements.
- Worked with
developer on agreements bringing water and sewer service to a planned
1,100 acre mixed-use park for manufacturing, warehousing, distribution,
and commercial development in Bryan County, Georgia.
- Coordinated the
planning and wetland permitting for the 1,800 acre mixed-use Crossroads
Business Center in Chatham County, which was recognized by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers as a first-of-its-kind wetland permitted project.
- Represented a
Fortune 500 aerospace manufacturer in a substantial real estate expansion
to develop and produce new product lines and training facilities.
- Coordinated
environmental due diligence and negotiated environmental provisions in an
asset purchase transaction that involved redevelopment of a major
manufacturing facility of heavy equipment in the Midwest. The location was
a brownfield site and required extensive coordination with both EPA and
the State of Indiana in the cleanup of various constituents including
asbestos, solvents, and PCBs, among others.
- Coordinated
environmental due diligence and negotiated environmental provisions in
deal documents as part of the overall representation in the purchase of an
ocean port terminal and a related chain of gas stations with approximately
sixty locations in the Southeast.
- Coordinated the
Corps of Engineers permitting and title acquisition for a major textile
chemical manufacturing plant located on the Savannah River.
- Assisted a metal
fabricating business, based in the northeastern United States, with due
diligence and contracting matters related to a plant expansion in the
northern part of Georgia. This was a development authority transaction
being structured as a lease with payments in lieu of taxes.
- Assisted an
international manufacturer of building materials with locating a new plant
in Georgia, including customary due diligence, documentation related to
various incentives, and related real estate matters.
- Assisted a national
apparel retailer with its acquisition of a distribution facility in the western
United States. The transaction involved customary legal services such as
negotiation of acquisition contract, coordination of all due diligence (title,
survey, environmental reports, and physical condition assessment), and closing
the transaction.
