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Redevelopment Plans & Agreements

Greenbaum has extensive experience related to the complex landscape of legal and regulatory issues associated with redevelopment plans and redevelopment agreements, and their pivotal role as the primary blueprints for transformative redevelopment projects throughout New Jersey. Our legal services support both municipalities and private redevelopers in the drafting and negotiation of these critical documents, which represent the foundational elements of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in the redevelopment context.

A redevelopment plan sets forth the approved land uses, bulk standards (heights, setbacks), and design characteristics for a specific area designated as an “area in need of redevelopment” under the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL). The adoption of a redevelopment plan is a multi-step process in which a municipality’s governing body directs its local planning board to make recommendations based on investigation and public input prior to formally adopting the plan by ordinance. The firm has advised dozens of municipalities throughout New Jersey on the legal issues associated with designating an area and adopting a plan, ensuring that all public hearing and other statutory requirements are fulfilled, and then drafting and negotiating a redevelopment agreement that reflects the community’s vision for the project. In representing private developers, the firm’s team assists the client in interpreting a redevelopment plan's requirements and how it relates to their project objectives. Our experience includes representing developers in applications to amend or clarify an existing plan to accommodate their project’s needs while ensuring their proposal remains consistent with the municipality’s vision.

The redevelopment plan establishes the legal framework for a project, while the redevelopment agreement solidifies the partnership and secures the rights and obligations of each party. Once a redevelopment plan is in place, the redevelopment agreement serves as a binding contract between the municipality and the designated redeveloper. The Greenbaum team has deep expertise in drafting and negotiating these agreements, working on behalf of developers to secure exclusive development rights, document project parameters and timelines, and leverage financial incentives including Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) tax abatements. When representing municipalities, we ensure that redevelopment agreements contain the necessary provisions to safeguard the public interest and hold the redeveloper accountable. The interests of all parties are protected when the redevelopment agreement establishes clear, legally enforceable milestones and timelines for project approvals, construction, and completion, providing a clear path forward for both public and private partners.

Representative Matters

  • Representing The Ramani Group and its affiliates in the phased redevelopment of a $500 million, 1,300-unit mixed-use residential and retail project in Plainfield, including multi-site acquisitions, redevelopment agreements, planning approvals, and complex financing. The firm’s work includes securing $26 million in permanent financing, structuring a $60 million construction loan for Phase II, and advising on entity restructuring to satisfy lender collateral requirements.
  • Representing the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Perth Amboy in connection with the redevelopment of its former community center into a multi-use facility comprised of a new community center, senior housing dwellings, a new chapel and priests' offices. This engagement includes counseling with respect to the redevelopment area designation, preparation and negotiation of a redevelopment agreement, and the procurement of all necessary local approvals including preliminary and final site plan approval from the Perth Amboy Planning Board.
  • Represented Soojian Brothers Construction, a family-owned general contracting firm specializing in commercial projects, related to its redevelopment of a blighted former gas station in Pompton Lakes into a 23-unit mixed-income multifamily project. Our work included the negotiation of amendments to an existing redevelopment plan, a redevelopment agreement, a tax exemption/financial agreement, and an off-site parking license agreement, as well as the difficult negotiation of easements with a neighboring property owner and the County of Passaic.
  • Represented the redeveloper of a multi-million-dollar mixed-use project in Linden comprised of 113 market-rate residential dwellings and over 16,000 square feet of retail space. Counsel included the preparation and negotiation of the redevelopment agreement and PILOT agreement, as well as coordination of the acquisition of private properties through agreement or condemnation by the City of Linden.
  • Played a significant role in the redevelopment of a blighted unoccupied office building in downtown Linden into the new headquarters of an expanding regional laboratory. Representation included the negotiation and execution of an amended redevelopment agreement, financial agreement for a 5-year tax abatement, adoption of related municipal resolutions and ordinances, and assistance in obtaining preliminary and final site plan review approval from the Linden Planning Board.
  • Represented a New York based full-service real estate firm and its affiliates, with holdings throughout the country, in the redevelopment and approval of a $75 million portfolio of industrial outdoor storage properties in Delanco, successfully challenging restrictive zoning through litigation, securing adoption of a redevelopment plan, and obtaining municipal approvals enabling implementation of the client’s business model. The buildings totaled more than one million square feet leased to more than 80 tenants.  
  • Advising a private developer on a $10 million workforce-housing residential redevelopment in the City of Plainfield, including structuring and negotiating a redevelopment agreement and securing a PILOT agreement with the municipality. This matter also involved representing the client before the local planning board to obtain preliminary and final major site plan approval with variance relief to enable construction of the 36-unit project.
  • Representing a leading real estate owner/operator on the $163 million acquisition of a multi-parcel, mixed-use redevelopment in Wood-Ridge with more than 400 residential units and retail space. The team’s efforts enabled the assumption of existing redevelopment agreements and multiple PILOT agreements, addressed affordable housing compliance and condominium ownership issues, and cleared municipal approvals critical to completing the acquisition and advancing the project.
  • Serving as redevelopment counsel to the Town of Westfield on multiple major initiatives, including the $500+ million transformation of its downtown core, advising on redevelopment agreements, land disposition, public improvements, financial agreements, bond-financed infrastructure, and public-private partnerships across several concurrent projects.
  • 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.
  • 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. We negotiated a redevelopment agreement between the owner, the redeveloper and the municipality that included the purchase of redevelopment area bonds from the municipality to facilitate the construction of the apartment complex.
  • Advising the prospective developer of an iconic building in downtown Trenton, including creating a redevelopment plan to preserve the building’s historic façade and the negotiation of a PILOT agreement.

Of Interest