Development

Because Miller Canfield’s real estate developer clients include local, regional and national developers and institutions, our real estate group works closely with lawyers from the firm’s corporate and tax departments to ensure that the transaction structure ultimately utilized best meets our client developer’s financial and operational business objectives. Our multi-disciplinary approach provides the developer client with a complete vision of the transaction within a single law firm.  In short, the elements of the transaction are not only well-understood, but addressed in a coordinated, comprehensive and cost-efficient way.

Following are several of the areas within our real estate development practice:

Development of shopping centers, office buildings, hotels, casinos, industrial and mixed uses, medical/hospital facilities and multi- and single-family housing

Pursuit of economic development incentives, and state or local tax incentives

• Residential and commercial condominiums
• Property management
• Permitting and land use issues
• Design and construction contract issues
• Development and redevelopment of specialty projects including theatres, restaurants, hotels, sports facilities and retail components
• Regional malls and neighborhood shopping center development, including major supermarket and drugstore chains
• Residential subdivisions
• "Green" (LEED-compliant) development
• Brownfields Development

Representing developers and professionals in the commercial development process is at the core of Miller Canfield’s practice.  During initial phases of development activity, our land use, environmental and transactional real estate lawyers can provide cost-efficient due diligence review necessary to determine a project’s feasibility.

Representative engagements include:

• Lead counsel for acquisition and development of $60 million new U.S. headquarters project for automotive company, securing state/local tax incentives
• Acquisition and development counsel for University Pointe Shopping Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Converted to condominiums more than 2,500 manufactured housing units on behalf of a developer client
• Structuring and managing disposition of a portfolio of more than 130 development properties near Detroit Metropolitan Airport, destined for industrial, mixed-use and residential development
• Represented lead developer in $120 Million Mixed Use Project in Ann Arbor (including $40 Million in Tax Credits)
• Assisted in the direction of a $325 million office renovation project in Detroit
• Assemblage of more than $29 million of land for commercial development in Bonita Springs, Florida
• Counsel for several significant multifamily and commercial property owners and developers across the country