Real Estate & Construction

August 5, 2020

The crumbled wreckage of the Hard Rock Hotel New Orleans still sits largely untouched on the site where it partially collapsed 10 months ago on October 12, 2019. Of the three workers killed in the construction catastrophe, the body of only one have yet been removed. 1031 Canal Development, the developer in charge of the hotel’s construction, now faces multiple mechanics liens from unpaid contractors, lawsuits, and backlash from the community, as well as…

BuildSmart

Minnesota Automatic-Approval Rule Secures CUP and Saves Solar Project

By Monica Wilson Dozier, Christopher A. Bowles & Amandeep S. Kahlon

August 5, 2020

One of the challenges of renewable energy development is managing the permitting process. Understanding how to navigate state and local laws can be integral to a developer’s permitting success, especially where a community may be hostile to the prospective power project. The Court of Appeals of Minnesota underlined this point in its recent decision in Matter of USS Water Town Solar LLC. On July 27, 2020, the appellate court reversed a county’s denial of a…

The Lien Zone

Pocketing the Boss’s Money

By Alex Barthet

August 5, 2020

75% of all employees have stolen at least once from their employers, and more than two thirds have stolen more than once according to Statistic Brain Research Institute. This amounts to a 50 billion dollar loss a year. Wow! When it comes to construction, it appears that equipment theft remains a low risk – high reward crime of opportunity, especially in Florida which continues to rank as one of the top five states for such…

Gravel2Gavel

DC’s $100 Million Grant Program Seeks to Help Businesses Where People Gather

By Pillsbury's Construction And Real Estate Law Team

August 5, 2020

By Pillsbury’s Construction & Real Estate Law Team District of Columbia enacts legislation to provide up to $100 million in grants to eligible businesses for up to 15% of revenue lost due to COVID-19 during the quarter ending June 2020. Landlords can receive grants to partially support their help to eligible tenant businesses. In “District of Columbia Enacts $100 Million Grant Program for Businesses Hurt by COVID-19,” colleagues David L. Miller and Zachary D. …

Real Estate Lawyer

Small Business Loan Program Creates Opportunity for Investment

By Alex Berenstein

August 4, 2020

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Small Business Loan Program Creates Opportunity for Commercial Real Estate Investment During the times of general uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an immediate economic impact. American small businesses have been hit as hard as any other player in our economy. However, recovery will come and opportunity will arise. Let’s take a look at a United States Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program that could be instrumental in getting American small businesses…

Land Use Developments

Court Holds That Subdivider’s Challenge to County’s Interpretation of Vesting Tentative Map Conditions of Approval May be Filed Beyond 90-Day Statute of Limitations Period

By Bryan W. Wenter, AICP

August 4, 2020

California’s statues of limitations in land use cases are notoriously short and harsh and don’t often result in outcomes favorable to aggrieved applicants. Exceptions such as Honchariw v. County of Stanislaus, __ Cal.App.5th __ (2020) (Case No. F077815) (i.e., Honchariw IV), are thus notable and worth remembering.…

Construction Payment Blog

Washington Court Denies City’s Set-Off Claim Due to Wrongful Termination

By Alex Benarroche

August 3, 2020

Terminating a contractor on a construction project is a drastic step. Most construction contracts, particularly public works contracts, will have provisions concerning the steps, notices, and the right to cure under both termination for cause and termination for convenience. Failing to comply with these provisions can lead to some serious consequences under wrongful termination. The City of Puyallup tried to claim set-offs after wrongful termination of a contractor, without giving them the opportunity to…

BuildSmart

COVID-19-Related Government Contract Obligations Total Almost $17 Billion

By Aron C. Beezley

August 3, 2020

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report to Congress titled COVID-19: Opportunities to Improve Federal Response and Recovery Efforts. Of note, the GAO reports that government-wide contract obligations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic totaled approximately $16.9 billion as of May 31, 2020. The GAO report also sets forth the following chart, which shows the top categories of goods and services procured by the government in response to COVID-19. Note: Federal procurement…

Construction Payment Blog

Bravo: Avoiding construction disputes on a $500 Million Dollar Listing

By Jordan Pitre

August 3, 2020

What do Levelset and the hit Bravo TV show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles have in common? For starters, we’ve both brought visibility to the construction of UnvarnishedCo’s mega-mansion development portfolio of 13 homes worth a cool $500 million. Scott Gillen, famous stuntman and director-turned-Malibu-developer, is prominently featured in the show’s July 7th episode. The episode shows him challenging Douglas Elliman realtor, Tracy Tutor, to come up with a marketing plan for…

Construction Payment Blog

Park-Line Miami Developers Owe Contractors Over $20M

By Alicia Benitez

August 3, 2020

Subcontractors have filed 15 liens on the Park-Line Miami apartments, a luxury condo development in the MiamiCentral mixed-use property in downtown Miami, Florida. The mixed-use property is in the main thoroughfare of Miami. It is located at the starting point of Brightline, the new monorail connecting Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Developers are planning to expand the rail line to Orlando and Tampa. The Virgin MiamiCentral Station is the foundation of the property…