With almost 100 attorneys in the firm's real estate practice group, Ballard Spahr LLP has extensive experience helping clients across the United States in the full life cycles of their real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing, due diligence, land use, construction, and leasing. The firm’s real estate group has particular expertise in multifamily development, condominium law, and energy and data centre transactions. Based in the firm's Baltimore office, Amy McClain serves as the department chair of the firm's real estate group and has extensive experience representing housing authorities and affordable housing developers in mixed-finance transactions. Co-leader of the firm's mixed-Use, condominium, and multifamily Team based in Washington, D.C., Roger Winston specializes in representing industry-leading developers, investors, and lenders on existing and new developments throughout the United States. He is supported by Michael Ostermeyer, based in the firm's Phoenix office, who is the practice leader of the firm's Corporate Real Estate group and specializes in guiding public development and infrastructure projects and advising commercial, industry, and institutional clients in commercial real estate. The firm's specialized practice areas within real estate are reflected by partners such as Nicole Evans, based in the firm's Salt Lake City office, who has a national practice in resort and hospitality law.
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Key clients
- HRP Group fka Hilco Redevelopment Partners
- CoStar Realty Information, Inc.
- Parkway Corporation
Work highlights
Ballard Spahr is currently advising HRP Group on zoning and land use matters related to the creation of the largest condominium project in Pennsylvania, including creation of the masterplan, to facilitate development of Hilco’s 1300-acre site in the Bellwether District. Two buildings are in the process of being built with discussions for the third ongoing. Each project is worth $100 to $200 million.
Ballard Spahr represented CoStar in connection with the acquisition of the site for this regional headquarters project in Richmond, Virginia. The project will be a major addition to the City of Richmond’s business district, and the groundbreaking was attended by the Governor of Virginia and the Mayor of Richmond, as well as several City Council Members. Ballard also negotiated the consulting, design and construction management agreements for the project. Ballard advised CoStar on insurance and other risk management issues, as well as environmental issues. Ballard continues to advise CoStar on ongoing construction and design issues.
The real estate team led Parkway in the development and construction of a state-of-the-art Center City office building which will serve as Chubb’s largest North American office. Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer. Parkway completed a long-term lease with Chubb for a new 18-floor, 456,000-square-foot office development at 2000 Arch Street. This deal spanned four years and included a highly creative and complex credit tenant lease structure in a challenging capital markets environment impacted by the pandemic and the shift in office space demand. The new $430-million building is expected to bring more than 1,200 newly created positions to Philadelphia.
Practice head
Amy McClain; Roger Winston; Michael Ostermeyer
Other key lawyers
Nicole Evans