Tolliver Wren / Matters / Commercial and land use
Commercial real estate and land use attorneys, New JerseyThe deal, and the board that has to approve it.
Buying the building and getting permission to use it are two different kinds of law. Here both teams work in the same office and compare notes before you have to ask.
From letter of intent to closing.
Led by Margaret Tolliver, with Hannah Brezina on leases and Jae-won Seo on construction.
| Stage | What we do | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Letter of intent | We read it before you sign it. Price is rarely the problem; exclusivity, deposits and who pays for what usually are. | 1 to 3 days |
| Purchase agreement | Drafted or negotiated so the due diligence period, the outs and the closing conditions match what you're actually buying. | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Due diligence | Title, survey, zoning, environmental reports, leases and estoppels, read and summarized in one memo, in plain English. | 30 to 60 days |
| Closing | Funding, documents and recording, with lender counsel on the other side of the table and every wire confirmed by phone. | A day, after weeks of preparation |
From first sketch to resolution of approval.
Led by Daniel Wren and Owen Achterberg, in front of planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment across North Jersey.
| Stage | What we do | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility read | Before anything is filed: what the ordinance allows, what relief you'd need, and how this board has handled similar requests. | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Application | Plans, reports and forms assembled with your engineer and planner, then reviewed for completeness before the town does it for us. | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Notice | Every owner within 200 feet served and the newspaper notice published, at least ten days before the hearing under current state law. Towns can ask for more. | Fixed by the hearing date |
| Hearing | Witnesses prepared, neighbors' questions answered on the record, and conditions negotiated while there's still time to shape them. | One night, sometimes several |
| Resolution | The written resolution checked against what the board actually approved, then the conditions tracked until the permit issues. | 30 to 45 days after the vote |
The five attorneys on these matters.
- Margaret TolliverManaging PartnerCommercial acquisitions, sales and the financing that comes with them.
- Hannah BrezinaAssociateCommercial leases, for landlords and for tenants.
- Jae-won SeoAssociateDevelopment and construction contracts that hold up when the schedule doesn't.
- Daniel WrenPartnerLand use and zoning: getting a project in front of the board, and through it.
- Owen AchterbergAssociateLand use applications, from the first site visit to the resolution of approval.
