Since the Firm was founded, Riker Danzig has been at the forefront of New Jersey’s real estate market.  Our diverse real estate law practice has successfully represented the major parties in several of the most significant and substantial real estate projects in New Jersey history.   Led by Partner Nicholas Racioppi, Jr., we serve the needs of clients that include household names, New Jersey’s landmark developers and landlords, and national developers.

In 2022, our Real Estate practice was named "Dealmakers of the Year" by the New Jersey Law Journal as part of its 2022 Professional Excellence Awards, an honor we also received in 2018.   Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business Clients’ Guide has consistently ranked highly Riker Danzig’s diverse real estate law practice since 2004, with group chair Nicholas Racioppi also ranked individually in Band One of all New Jersey real estate attorneys. See Awards and Honors Methodology.

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Riker Danzig’s real estate law practice spans the full breadth of the industry, from representing landlords, purchasers and developers in bull markets, to distressed tenants and financial institutions seeking workout advice in bear markets.  Our commercial real estate attorneys serve as counsel to, and understand the varying needs of, a wide variety of clients, from publicly-traded companies to international lending institutions to international and mid-sized developers to community banks.  No matter what part of a cycle the real estate market is in, or what the current challenges faced in a transaction may be, Riker Danzig’s real estate lawyers have "been there."

Our real estate clients include (i) such well-known companies as AIG, The Rockefeller Group, Dow Jones, Calpine Corporation, Red Bulls Arena, Selective Insurance Company, (ii) high profile developers, such as Crow Holdings Industrial, CenterPoint Properties Trust, Edison Properties, Hudson’s Bay Company, JMF Properties Group LLC, Lincoln Equities Group, The Heller Group, Millennium Towers, L.L.C., and Stalwart Equities, (iii) leading lending institutions such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Sovereign Bank NA, Provident Bank, Carver Federal Savings Bank, New York Community Bank and Citibank, N.A., (iv) emerging growth technology and other companies, (v) public entities such as New Jersey Transit, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, and Newark Public Schools, and (vi) leading public and private utility companies such as Calpine Corporation, Con Edison Transmission and TigerGenCo, an affiliate of Morgan Stanley.

Representative Real Estate Transactions

Among our many notable projects and successful outcomes for our clients are the following recent deals and representations:

• We represent JMF Properties in connection with a complex redevelopment of the Nutley downtown. The Nutley project consists of a mixed used development consisting of 161 residential units, retail space, garage and surface parking, streetscape and other improvements, together with an open space pocket park for the public. The project includes the purchase of municipally-owned land as well as the contribution for the relocation of the Town’s Hazmat building.
• We provided real estate counsel to client 2020 Acquisitions in its development of the Central 9 Logistics Park project in Old Bridge. This project was awarded Industrial Deal of the Year at the 2024 NAIOP annual Commercial Real Estate Awards Gala, describing it as a “state-of-the-art industrial park.” The logistics park spans 800 acres and will ultimately provide over 4.2 million square feet over nine buildings when fully completed.
• We serve as real estate development counsel to the New York Red Bulls in its acquisition and development of the former Honeywell site in Morris Township, and acquisition of adjoining land to be integrated with the Honeywell site. The massive 80-acre complex will house the front office staff and a state-of-the-art soccer complex with eight training pitches that will be home to the NYRB soccer team and reserve squad, as well as the club's soccer academy and youth training facilities. We have provided real estate and environmental counsel, and all aspects of the permitting and approval process.
• We represent Crow Holdings in the purchase and development of properties throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
• We represent Skims shapewear brand in connection with retail leases throughout the country and associated build-out agreements.
• We represent Blue Apron in connection with leases throughout the United States, including a 495,000-square-foot lease that was named the Industrial Deal of the Year Winner by NAIOP in 2017.
• We serve as counsel for New Jersey Transit in connection with the $16B trans-Hudson Tunnel project between NJ and Manhattan.
• We serve as counsel for the Casino Redevelopment Authority in the redevelopment of Atlantic City and in implementing the Tourism District Act, including developing land use procedures and regulations, day-to-day counsel on land use and zoning issues, and counsel to the Land Use Hearing Officer.
• We served as local counsel for a large publicly traded company buyer in the largest multi-family transaction in New Jersey history.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.

Typical Engagements

We have a broad-based real estate practice including all aspects of real estate law. Our practice includes representing:

• Sellers and purchasers of improved real property and unimproved development tracts, including transactions contingent on complex approvals and transactions with contingent purchase prices and “kickers” payable to sellers on the disposition of completed units by purchasers.
• Owners and developers before state and local agencies in obtaining zoning, planning and other developmental approvals and permits and in prerogative-writ litigation relating to approvals.
• Commercial and industrial landlords and tenants.
• Emerging growth technology company tenants, with significant experience in the unique leasing issues faced by rapidly growing companies.
• Borrowers and lenders in connection with loans secured by real property.
• Parties engaging in 1030 tax free exchanges, including deferred exchanges, starker reverse exchanges and exchanges involving build-to-suit transactions.
• Clients in the structuring of corporations, joint ventures, partnerships and limited liability entities.
• Parties dealing with property covered by New Jersey’s Industrial Site Recovery Act and with regard to other environmental problems
• Developers, owners, landlords and tenants in real estate litigation and arbitration matters
• Title insurance companies in claims litigation
• Parties in connection with Mount Laurel housing issues
• Owners in connection with the sale of properties by auction and pooled sale
• Governmental authorities and property owners in condemnation proceedings
• Property owners in the negotiation of design and construction contracts
• Institutional lenders in the workout and sale of distressed debt

In many matters requiring diverse expertise, our real estate attorneys work together with other attorneys in our Firm who practice in our highly regarded environmental, government affairs, bankruptcy, corporate, lending and litigation practice groups.