Land Use

OVERVIEW

Our real estate and land use team has extensive experience representing developers, investors, lenders, contractors, landlords, and commercial tenants. From breaking ground to disposition, we work with our clients in every stage of the real estate process. We advise clients on legal considerations for all real estate asset types, including:

• Housing community developments
• Office
• Industrial
• Retail
• Residential apartments
• Mixed-use projects
• Resorts and hotels

We also guide our real estate and land use clients through the many corporate and finance issues that are faced on a typical project, from corporate formation, and joint venture structuring issues, to negotiating construction and acquisition financing, loan modifications, and defaulted loan workouts.

Representing public and private clients from developers and design professionals to cities and special districts, our team offers the resources and convenience of a full-service business law firm. Our attorneys excel at finding undiscovered opportunities and creative solutions to accomplish our clients’ goals, while also recognizing that time is a critical element in the success of a project or transaction. We seamlessly integrate with our client’s team of advisors and professionals, ensuring that our legal advice is perfectly in synch with their goals and concerns.

Whether we are helping a developer bring a new project to life or helping an investor structure the acquisition of their next real estate portfolio piece, our real estate and land use attorneys have the talent, experience, and contacts to efficiently handle the full scope of your needs.

FOCUS AREAS

• Land Use

  The Jordan Ramis land use team is well-known throughout the Pacific Northwest for their understanding of the sometimes adversarial and always complex process of preparing to develop a parcel of land. With decades of experience, we guide clients and their development projects through the maze of ever-evolving permitting processes implemented by the cities, counties, and regions of Oregon and Washington. Our attorneys seek land use permits and approvals not with a cookie-cutter approach, but rather with creative solutions, familiarity with the system, and extra effort in working with the policy makers.

  With our roots planted deep in the Pacific Northwest, our team is well-versed in navigating Oregon and Washington’s complex land use laws. We help clients secure the appropriate zoning entitlements and other permits, negotiate with planning staff, handle urban growth boundary amendments, and assist in developing special land use districts to accommodate unique development requests. As we work with clients on urban or rural land use and development matters, we prioritize keeping our clients’ projects on schedule.

  In addition to providing advice and skilled counsel, another benefit of working with our land use team is our experience handling diverse issues that landowners and developers frequently run into such as environmental liability, discharge permits, construction disputes, water rights, and other natural resources issues.

• Transactions

  A mainstay in the region’s commercial real estate scene for decades, our comprehensive team of real estate experts serve a wide variety of clients in commercial real estate transactions across the Pacific Northwest. Whether your deal is simple or complex, we have the talent, experience, and contacts to provide accurate strategic counsel and assistance with your transactions.

  With years of experience representing developers, investors, lenders, contractors, landlords, and commercial tenants, our transactional real estate team has the skill and savviness to manage urgent and deadline-driven deals by prioritizing our clients’ goals in advance and working resourcefully to reach optimal outcomes.

  As a result, we are able to draw upon our deep industry knowledge to provide legal and practical advice to our clients at every stage of virtually all types of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, sales, and leases of land and buildings; 1031 tax-deferred exchanges; complex title problems; negotiating master declarations and covenants, conditions, and restrictions for sprawling projects; and owner/developer agreements. Throughout every phase of the process, we proactively identify issues, work collaboratively, and offer creative solutions, all of which help our clients make smart and informed decisions.

OUR TEAM

TEAM MEMBERS

Articles

Sheetz case poised to invalidate onerous development regulations and fees

February 26, 2024

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE PORTLAND METROPOLITAN HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION. FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE HBA BUILDING NEWS, FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 ISSUE. On January 9, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in a case that may force local governments to…

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LUBA hints at possible ‘maximum capacity’ development requirements

December 23, 2022

Our Jeff Kapp looks at the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) decision in Husk v. City of Bend, in which LUBA held that under the Middle Housing Statute (HB 2001) the City of Bend was required (and failed)…

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“OP-ED: The impact of HB 2001 on the affordable housing crisis,” Daily Journal of Commerce

August 10, 2022

The affordable housing crisis is an issue plaguing the country, and the Oregon Legislature has taken steps address it through the adoption of House Bill 2001.

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Clear and Objective – The Importance of Oregon’s Needed Housing Statutes for Developers

March 23, 2021

By Keenan Ordon-Bakalian, Attorney This article was originally published in the March 19, 2021 edition of the Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon. As the affordable housing crisis continues across the region, developers should always be seeking an edge to get…

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Restaurant Leasing in a “Post-COVID” World

May 4, 2021

This article was originally published in the April 23, 2021 edition of the Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon.  The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon the food and beverage industry has been well documented and is readily apparent. According to…

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§1031 Exchanges for Fractional Interests in Real Property — Like Kind or Not?

May 1, 2004

Sellers of real property have long enjoyed the opportunity to defer recognizing the gain on a sale and thus, to defer paying capital gains taxes, by exchanging their property for other real property of a like kind. These changes typically…

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CASES AND CLIENT STORIES

Finance for Non-Profit

July 6, 2021

Our finance industry team worked with a national bank, state agencies, and the county to assemble a package through a subsidized bond program.

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Legal Tool Kit

July 6, 2021

We worked creatively with our client to create a commercial lease enforcement package that consisted of systematic steps and fixed-fee services for the client and our internal teams, reducing the overall costs for both parties.

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Allan Evridge, Developer and Entrepreneur

July 2, 2021

It’s nice to go into an unknown, prospective land acquisition project with someone that has the knowledge and resources to point me in the right direction should a situation arise.

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Building Industry Association of Clark County

July 2, 2021

Jordan Ramis has a community partnership mentality. This, combined with all of the knowledge and information they had on the issues surrounding local development constraints and stormwater issues in Washington, made it a natural choice to hire the firm to take on the appeal for us.

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Urban Northwest Homes

July 2, 2021

Jordan Ramis was able to step in and communicate with the seller and their attorney in a way that not only cleared up the confusion, but ensured all parties that our idea was legal and reasonable. The communication between Jordan Ramis and the other party saved the deal. 

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