Thomas J. Denitzio Jr.

Bar Admissions

• New Jersey, 1975
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1981

Representative Matters

• Advised a public research university on a complex public-private partnership (PPP) for an eight-story, 271,000 square foot student housing development with 176 dormitory units, parking, retail, and amenities. Structured ground-lease and leaseback arrangements and negotiated bond-financed construction through the Essex County Improvement Authority.
• Represented a leading real estate industry group in the development of its new headquarters, negotiating a redevelopment agreement with a local improvement authority and advising on land use approvals, tax incentives, environmental remediation, construction contracts, and site acquisition.
• On behalf of a commercial property owner, negotiated a land exchange with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, securing easements, temporary construction access, infrastructure improvements, and mortgage lien releases to preserve ongoing business operations.
• Represented the owner in the $9.4 million sale of catering and motel properties for redevelopment into a 198-unit multifamily residential project, including negotiation of affordable housing components, coordination with municipal officials and the New Jersey Fair Share Housing Center, and resolution of zoning and fair-share litigation issues to position the project for redevelopment approvals and closing.
• Advised a seller on the $48 million sale of three industrial warehouse properties in Newark as part of a $76 million corporate acquisition, coordinating real estate, environmental, title, bulk-sale compliance, and debt issues to achieve a simultaneous multi-property closing with the stock purchase.
• Represented a bank in a statewide sale-leaseback transaction involving 29 office properties, negotiating purchase, lease, substitution rights, rights of first refusal, and post-closing environmental and code-compliance obligations across a complex, multi-asset portfolio.
• Represented the seller of a 132,000-square-foot multi-tenant industrial property for $16 million, structuring environmental remediation responsibilities and coordinating with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to allocate long-term monitoring obligations.
• Guided a purchaser through the acquisition and adaptive reuse of a Newark commercial property into an art-storage warehouse, overseeing due diligence, land use approvals, environmental compliance, and refinancing.
• Represented a New Jersey state entity in the $15.5 million acquisition of a former charter school property, negotiating purchase terms with a foreclosing lender’s affiliate, addressing title, survey, and environmental issues, and advising on alternative acquisition strategies through foreclosure proceedings.
• In a cross-border transaction, represented a New Jersey-based purchaser in the acquisition of Virginia commercial property as replacement property in a complex Section 1031 exchange, negotiating purchase terms, reviewing a long-term Valvoline lease, addressing environmental compliance issues, and resolving closing conditions to complete the exchange.
• Represented a national commercial bank in closing a $17 million mortgage loan financing a New Jersey manufacturer’s acquisition of a new primary facility, handling negotiation, documentation, and closing.
• The firm’s real estate and environmental teams collaborated on advising a real estate holding company on an $8 million industrial land acquisition supported by $22 million in mortgage financing, addressing environmental remediation trusts, riparian rights, title issues, and complex loan documentation.
• The firm’s ongoing representation of a powerhouse entity in New Jersey and New York’s commercial real estate sectors includes negotiating rooftop solar leases and transmission easements for community solar projects and advising on regulatory compliance and project development across the client’s significant commercial portfolio.
• Represented the seller of a former trucking terminal sold for redevelopment into a self-storage facility, allocating liability for underground storage tank removal, securing environmental insurance, coordinating redevelopment approvals, and mitigating legacy environmental risk.
• Represented the owner of four office buildings, two of which were sold to a redeveloper and were subsequently demolished for construction of a 450-unit apartment complex. A third building was sold to a third party who continued to operate the building for office purposes, while a fourth was transferred to the municipality (for no consideration) to be used as a library. A redevelopment agreement between the owner, the redeveloper and the municipality was negotiated that included the purchase of redevelopment area bonds from the municipality to facilitate the construction of the apartment complex.
• Advised a mortgagor on the refinance of its existing mortgage debt on a major warehouse property in Newark, NJ. The deal involved the structuring, negotiation, documentation and closing of a $14 million first mortgage loan and a $3 million second mortgage loan from M&T Bank, both of which are guaranteed by the mortgagor’s principal and affiliates. The proceeds were used to pay off existing mortgage debt and to fund the acquisition and renovation of a new site for the client in Newark.
• Represented a national commercial lender on the simultaneous closing of three mortgage loans in Maryland to finance the acquisition of three commercial properties by a New Jersey based company that is expanding its reach in the mid-Atlantic region. This transaction follows the firm’s successful representation of the bank in amending this borrower's $40 million business line of credit and demonstrates the firm’s capability to represent the New Jersey-based business groups of leading national banks.
• Advised the owner of a multi-tenant commercial building on a $1.6 million sale, securing bulk sale clearance and structuring the transaction as a tax-deferred Section 1031 exchange to preserve value at closing.

Memberships

• New Jersey State Bar Association
• Middlesex County Bar Association: former President; Real Estate Committee (past Co-Chair)

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