Land Use & Development

Entitlements Mean Something

The guiding principle of property rights is that an owner controls what is done on real property owned, except to the extent limited by properly enacted government regulation, including land use and zoning laws. We help owners realize their vision for their property’s potential to which they are entitled. Navigating the complex entitlement process involves federal, state and local regulations administered by multiple governmental entities to allow changes to the property that both achieve the owner’s goals and comply with applicable laws. Our experience in jurisdictions near and far empowers us with a perspective to find a path to success amid the noise of politics, bureaucracy, public input and community concern.

Development is more than Zoning

Land development is a process that involves many moving parts, starting with selecting suitable land for development or redevelopment and ending with the completion of a project or its ultimate sale. We help guide the entire journey through the toils and snares of due diligence, financing, land purchase, entitlements, contracting and building, permitting, governance documents, and final liquidating event.

This creative practice adds value to projects by counseling investors and developers of multi-use developments, single-family and multi-family residential developments, shopping centers, office buildings, marinas, mobile home parks, ranch lands, golf and country clubs and industrial properties, and includes experience in developing within opportunity zones and community redevelopment areas.

Our substantial experience in guiding such developments includes advising on niche details such as entity structure for maximizing asset protection, minimizing taxes, anticipating future exit strategies, and site plan optimization; project value enhancement; proactive liability risk avoidance and minimization; advertising, construction cost and time control; preparation of deed restrictions; condominium documents and more.

Examples of our firm’s experience include representing developers of mixed use, luxury, oceanfront condominiums, multi-phase residential projects and single-family projects in all aspects of development, construction and sale, and builders and developers in all aspects of development, construction, leasing and sale of commercial office buildings.

When Enforcement of Property Rights is Needed

Legislative action, administrative processes, quasi-judicial hearings and civil litigation can all be involved in any particular project or in the quest to enforce property rights. We strategically deploy our experience-based acumen to employ these tools on your behalf when a necessary part of the strategy to achieve our clients’ objectives. Our broad commercial and real estate business practice focuses on minimizing the chances of disputes, but sometimes a successful strategy requires standing up for legal rights in the face of opposition. In those times of need, our experienced advocates carry on the torch to resolve disputes aggressively, efficiently and with the goal of adding value to the clients’ projects. Examples include representing developers obtaining entitlements to major mixed-use projects, owners in building the mega mansions of their dreams, condominium developers with high rise oceanfront projects, converters of mobile home developments into viable assets to enhance the community where they were located and investors in sprawling single family home developments. The attorneys at Jeck Harris practice in both state and federal courts.

Attorneys Philippe Jeck, Jeremy Bowerman, Geoffrey L. Jones, David Markarian, David Glickman, Edward Proenza, and Alexandra England assist clients in land use and zoning processes and litigation, including:

• Zoning Approvals and Appeals
• Land Use changes
• Condemnation/eminent domain
• Inverse Condemnation
• Constitutional Property Rights enforcement
• Contesting Improper Exactions and Fees