Overview
Chris has experience counseling property owners, developers, businesses and governmental entities on a wide variety of real estate and real estate-related legal issues (e.g., development, acquisitions/dispositions, leasing, finance, zoning, and land use).
Specifically, Chris has represented both owners and developers in the purchase, sale, development, redevelopment and financing (CMBS and traditional) of a variety of commercial and multi-family properties. In addition, he has experience representing landlords and tenants in connection with leases and financing for retail, office, industrial and special use properties.
Chris has also counseled lenders and borrowers in the drafting and negotiation of loan documents for a wide variety of real estate-secured financings, including loans integrated with historic tax credits. In addition, he has experience representing lenders and borrowers in connection with public-private partnerships involving federal, state, county and local loans, grants and incentives.
Experience
Represented a large, national multifamily developer in the sale of affordable housing developments in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Represented a real estate investment trust that specializes in shopping centers in the disposition of Henderson Square Mall in Pennsylvania for more than $34 million.
Represented Blackstone in connection with its acquisition of a portfolio of 228 mortgage loans from Atlantic Union Bank for approximately $2 billion.
Represented guarantor and its subsidiary borrowers in connection with a $530,000,000 syndicated mortgage loan secured by a portfolio of 35 shopping center assets located across the nation.
Advised a leading international investment and management firm, performing all diligence and related needs for their purchase of loans in default for a total of over $600 million and subsequent foreclosures of more than 70 properties in California.
Represented a Cleveland-based construction company in the acquisition of a combined office-warehouse space and the negotiation of financing for the purchase and build-out of such space.
Advised a Port Authority in connection with a real estate due diligence review in anticipation of the Port’s acquisition of a municipal airport.
Represented a Cincinnati-based construction company in connection with the acquisition of a new headquarters building and the simultaneous taking of the company’s existing headquarters building by the State of Ohio through eminent domain.
Represented a prominent national developer and property owner in connection with a $48,000,000 loan from a life insurance company secured by a large regional shopping center.
Counseled a developer in connection with the redevelopment of an abandoned and dilapidated four story building into a mixed-use space through the leveraging of federal and state historic tax credits.
Represented a Northeast Ohio-based community development corporation in the formation of a special improvement district (SID).
Represented a tenant in the leasing of property in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio to be extensively renovated and used as a hostel, the only one of its kind in Northeast Ohio.
Advised a Cleveland-based developer as to its interest in 4,000 acres of land in West Virginia subject to fifty year-old coal leases.
Acted as lender’s co-counsel in connection with a handful of the 35 sources of funds that were assembled to fund the $272 million initial phase of the Flats East redevelopment project in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
Represented a regional multi-family developer and property owner in the acquisition of a market rate apartment property in Southwest Ohio.
Represented a prominent national developer and property owner in connection with obtaining multiple loans exceeding $250,000,000 in the aggregate, which loans were secured by portions of a significant regional lifestyle center and mixed-use development located in Westlake, Ohio. The loans included a $140,000,000 CMBS loan, a separate $102,000,000 CMBS loan, and a $17,500,000 HUD loan.
Represented a developer in the acquisition of a 14 property portfolio of affordable housing multi-family projects in Virginia for a purchase price in excess of $50 million.
Represented a developer in the acquisition and financing (bridge and construction) of land in Texas in connection with the development of a large student housing project.
Represented a borrower in a $102 million CMBS loan secured by a large regional mall.
Represented a purchaser in the acquisition and financing of two separate multi-family portfolios. One transaction involved a 2,192 unit ten property portfolio consisting of multi-family affordable housing projects across four states for a purchase price in excess of $106,000,000. The other transaction involved a nine property portfolio of multi-family affordable housing projects located across three states for a purchase price in excess of $19,000,000.
Represented a developer in the acquisition and financing of land in connection with a mixed use development in Southern California.
Advised and assisted a governmental entity in the administration of its various real estate-based economic development loan and grant programs.
Represented a NYSE-listed REIT in connection with the sale of a business park in California for a price in excess of $25 million.
Represented the seller in its sale of a retail shopping center in Rochester, New York.
Represented a leading international investment and management firm in transferring membership interests in 7 underlying real properties, with a total value exceeding $51 million.
Represented one of Canada’s largest developers and owners of multifamily residential properties in connection with a CMBS loan in excess of $36 million for acquisition financing the equity joint venture with respect to a market rate apartment property in Texas.
Represented one of Canada’s largest developers and owners of multifamily residential properties in connection with a CMBS loan in excess of $51 million for acquisition financing the equity joint venture with respect to a market rate apartment property in Texas.
Represented one of Canada’s largest developers and owners of multifamily residential properties in connection with a CMBS loan in excess of $79 million for acquisition financing the equity joint venture with respect to a market rate apartment property in Florida.
Represented one of Canada’s largest developers and owners of multifamily residential properties in connection with a CMBS loan in excess of $40 million for acquisition financing the equity joint venture with respect to a market rate apartment property in Texas.
Represented one of Canada’s largest developers and owners of multifamily residential properties in connection with a CMBS loan in excess of $89 million for acquisition financing and the equity joint venture with respect to a market rate apartment property in Texas.
Represented a regional multi-family developer and property owner in the $53 million refinancing of a market rate apartment property in the Columbus, Ohio area.
Represented a regional multi-family developer and property owner in the $28 million acquisition financing of a market rate apartment property in the Dayton, Ohio area.
Represented a regional multi-family developer and property owner in the structuring and $43 million acquisition financing via agency debt and institutional preferred equity of a market rate apartment property in the Columbus, Ohio area.
Represented a developer in the acquisition financing for a 14 property portfolio of affordable housing multi-family projects in Virginia for a purchase price in excess of $50 million.
Represented a private developer in connection with the $43 million construction financing of a student housing development in Gainesville, Florida, as well as all aspects of a complicated joint venture structure with the main equity partner, a national leader in student housing management. Due to certain requirements of certain equity investors/owners undergoing tax deferred 1031 exchanges, it was necessary to setup the transaction as a tenancy in common structure, which involved a more complicated overall structure due to various considerations that had to be taken into account to comply with IRS rules and regulations, along with a tenancy in common agreement to document the foregoing, all of which complicated matters with our construction financing.
Represented a private developer in connection with the sale/ground leaseback and $34 million refinancing of a student housing development in Arlington, Texas, and handled all aspects of the sale/ground leaseback and refinancing.
Represented the seller of a seven property market rate apartment portfolio in Florida for a sales price in excess of $103 million.
Represented one of Canada’s largest developers and owners of multifamily residential properties in connection with all of its United States-based acquisitions and dispositions. As part of its dispositions, we have assisted the client with the sale of multiple multifamily properties in Texas and Florida, each with a sales price in excess of $50 million.
Ongoing representation of The CommuniCare Family of Companies, including handling dozens of acquisitions, dispositions, leases and financings.
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Credentials
Education
- Senior Editor, Cleveland State Law Review
- cum laude
- Economics
Clerkships and Bar Admissions
More
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association
- Member, Urban Land Institute
- Member, International Council of Shopping Centers
- Board of Trustees, Famicos Foundation
- Member, NAIOP
- Listed, Super Lawyers – Rising Star 2017-2018
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