Master-Planned Communities
In contrast to traditional communities that have
evolved in an ad hoc fashion, master-planned communities usually
start from a blank slate-undeveloped land-and require careful
planning from the start to accommodate all the amenities they
typically include: schools, pools, parks, golf courses, marinas,
small retail businesses, professional services providers,
restaurants, convenience stores and doctors' offices. They also
require the assistance of lawyers who are experienced in resolving
the unique legal issues and problems developers face in the land
use planning and development of such communities.
Manatt's real estate development and finance team
can help you navigate every stage of your master-planned community
project. We have extensive experience in land acquisition,
financing, development and governance of master-planned
communities, including serving as counsel to several major national
and regional developers. Our experience goes beyond conventional
master-planned developments to include senior living communities,
resort and recreation developments centered around golf courses,
ski areas or marinas, and environmentally conscious communities
featuring green building design, construction and maintenance, as
well as preservation of wildlife habitats.
Our broad range of services includes:
Assisting with the formation of
owner/developer/investor joint ventures
Preparing common interest governing
documents, subsidy agreements and handling other matters related to
subdivision public report applications
Securing all necessary entitlements,
including appearing before planning commissions, city councils and
boards of supervisors regarding land use issues, site development
problems and special district formation
Obtaining acquisition, development
and construction financing, including mezzanine loans, equity
investments, and community facility district and other public
funding
Drafting land-acquisition,
development and construction agreements and unit purchase and sale
agreements, and providing corporate governance assistance
Advising in connection with
brownfield developments and on other environmental remediation
issues