Full Service Real Estate Practice
We assist our clients in buying, selling, developing, permitting, financing, leasing, and operating real estate projects which are vital to Massachusetts’ social and economic environment.
Development Practice
Our real estate development practice includes projects both large and small, complex and simple. We have particular expertise in guiding the following types of projects through the development process:
- Office, retail and commercial developments
- Educational institutions including charter schools
- Multifamily housing including condominiums, rental projects and affordable housing
- College campus facilities including residence halls
- Healthcare facilities
- Senior living facilities
- Group homes
- Laboratory facilities
Real Estate Finance
We have significant experience representing lenders, investors and borrowers in both conventional and cutting-edge financing structures including:
- Commercial construction and permanent loans
- HUD 202, 811 and mixed finance programs
- Tax-exempt bond financing
- HOME Investments Partnerships program
- Federal and state low income housing tax credits
- DHCD’s Affordable Housing Trust program administered by the MHFA
- New Markets Tax Credits
- DHCD and CEDAC programs including Housing Innovations Fund, Facilities Consolidation Fund, Community Based Housing program and Housing Stabilization Fund
- Historic tax credits
- MHP Permanent Rental Housing, OneSource, MATCH, and HomeFunders programs
Other Real Estate Transactions
We represent parties in all types of real estate transactions including:
- Acquisitions and dispositions
- Construction contracts
- Long term ground leases
- Architects’ agreements
- Net building leases
- Easements and restrictions
- Office, retail, research and development and industrial leases
- Development and land disposition agreements
- Public procurement
- Management agreements
Land Use and Permitting
We obtain the entitlements necessary for our clients’ use of their property, including:
- Zoning relief
- Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) compliance
- BRA Article 80 large and small project, master plan and PDA approvals
- Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) compliance
- Rezonings
- Wetlands/Conservation Commission approvals
- Dover Amendment
- Other federal, state and local permits
We advise buyers and lenders in their due diligence reviews of land use and environmental permits obtained by others. We also represent owners, abutters and others in litigation involving land use and environmental permitting decisions.
Distressed Real Estate
Our distressed real estate practice includes representation of the following parties:
- Lenders seeking to modify or restructure troubled loans or pursuing real estate foreclosures.
- Managing partners in workouts of transactions involving limited partners with cancellation of indebtedness income.
- Owners in their efforts to work out securitized loans in default.
- Landlords pursuing bankrupt tenants.
Community Development and Public/Private Partnerships
Our firm’s commitment to community development and public agency law and non-profit law informs our real estate practice. We are known for our representation of institutions, lenders and public agencies in real estate transactions involving affordable housing, education, health care and other social services, as well as large-scale, complex public/private projects.
Commercial Property Management
Our property management practice combines our strength in litigation with a common-sense, practical approach to everyday problems encountered by building owners and managers.
Conveyancing
We review titles for our real estate clients and often take the lead in resolving title issues. We are adept at sorting through complicated titles and using title insurance and other tools to address otherwise troublesome issues.
Condominiums
We are experts at drafting condominium documents and using this ownership structure to maximize owner flexibility in obtaining project financing and adjusting to changing market conditions.
Real Estate Litigation
We represent clients in all aspects of real estate litigation, with a special focus on matters relating to commercial property management and real estate development including permitting, construction, partnership disputes, and tenant and borrower defaults.
Recent Projects
- Representation of developer of a mixed-use project including private hospital space, mental health clinic and affordable housing units on large leasehold parcel.
- Representation of national bank on loans to religious-based non-profit for several affordable and homeless housing projects in Boston and outlying suburbs.
- Representation of state agency in land assembly for convention center.
- Representation of buyer in acquisition and financing of nursing home.
- Representation of social service agency in the redevelopment of a former medical lab, office and morgue building into a health care and respite facility for homeless individuals.
- Representation of Boston’s anti-poverty agency in the development of housing for homeless seniors in locations in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan.
- Representation of performing arts school in the development of a new theater and rehearsal hall.
- Representation of national bank in construction loan to the developer of a mixed use retail, office and apartment project in former state hospital using historic tax credits.
