Land Use and Government

Holland & Knight's Land Use and Government Team represents a broad range of private and public sector clients on the full array of land use and zoning matters, from acquisitions and project development to entitlements, environmental audits and compliance assessments.

Highly savvy about the political and governmental issues that affect our clients' unique interests, our attorneys employ a national perspective on land use issues throughout the country.

Our lawyers, who bring decades of experience representing local government planning commissions and development departments prior to joining Holland & Knight, maintain established working relationships with government officials and staff at every level and in every jurisdiction in which we practice so we can advocate for our clients' land use objectives.

Our lawyers, many of whom are nationally published authors on land use issues or regularly speak at national forums, have decades of practical experience providing counsel to landowners and their intersection with state and local governments.

We provide regional insight and targeted advice on matters relating to Florida land use, Southeast land use, Mid-Atlantic land use (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia), New York City and West Coast land use and local government.

Overview

As governmental regulation increases in the areas of planning, zoning and land development, so does the need for public and private sector entities to employ sound legal counsel in achieving their land use objectives. Many landowners, developers, financial institutions, and local and municipal governments rely on Holland & Knight's Land Use and Government Practice for our commitment to extending creative solutions within a changing environment.

Broad Resources

When you bring your land use matters to Holland & Knight, you access the resources of our land use attorneys as well as those in related practice areas, such as real estate (including acquisitions and dispositions, financing, joint ventures and leasing), construction, eminent domain and condemnation, environmental compliance and disclosure, California winery industry services, taxation, litigation, telecommunications, and more.

Multisector Representation

With extensive experience representing both public and private sector clients, our land use attorneys apply their understanding of entities on each side of a land use matter to increase the likelihood of success. On the public side, we represent local and municipal governments, with a particular emphasis on land use, zoning, environmental and redevelopment matters from planning, regulatory and financing perspectives. Our attorneys also provide support to governmental entities on matters such as public contracting, "sunshine" laws, eminent domain and public finance.

In the private sector, our representation involves residential, commercial, and institutional landowners, real estate developers, and financial institutions on a variety of issues before federal, state, regional, and local administrative agencies. These include obtaining land use and real estate development approvals, drafting zoning relief ordinances, and negotiating agreements for, and structuring the financing of, improvements needed for development projects and public-private partnerships.

Strategic Services

Strategic planning is critical to the handling of your land use issues. Our team is dedicated to providing a full range of services in this area, from guiding long-term plans to negotiating agreements to structuring finance transactions. We merge our knowledge in all levels of government law, real estate law, land use law, zoning law and procurement law from both the public as well as the private sector perspectives to offer you thorough and insightful counsel.

Our services include:

annexation and disconnection of property
building and construction codes
condemnation, regulatory takings, and inverse condemnation
condominium, cooperatives, and homeowners associations
contracting for and financing of major capital and public improvements
development and construction agreements
environmental regulation, sustainable development, and L.E.E.D. certification
federal and state procurement
historic preservation
land use entitlements
military base redevelopment and closure
public-private ventures and partnerships
servitudes, easements, licenses and covenants
subdivisions and record platting
tax incentives and credits, including tax increment financing
telecommunications and right-of-way issues
transfer of development rights
transportation management
urban redevelopment
zoning codes and comprehensive plans
zoning variances and special use permits

Professional Relationships

Holland & Knight lawyers and professionals have working relationships with government officials and staff at local, regional, state, and federal levels that prove crucial to moving land use projects forward. These associations with decision makers often serve as a competitive edge in meeting your land use objectives.

Geographic Reach

Our Land Use and Government Team is dedicated to providing regional insight and targeted advice for issues relating to Florida land use, Southeast land use, Mid-Atlantic land use, New York City land use, and West Coast land use.

Industry Involvement

We participate as members and leaders of multiple industry associations, business organizations and political committees to further enhance our services, as well as expand our support network available to you. In addition, our team is supplemented by former industry professionals – including elected officials, a major city planning commission executive director, and city and county attorneys – lending depth and experience to your counsel.