SAN DIEGO (August 1, 2011) –Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP announced today that the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal has recognized Luce Forward partners for serving as lead counsel on two of the five Top Real Estate Development Deals in California since January 2010.
Partner Tony Toranto, who works out of Luce Forward’s San Diego and San Francisco offices, helped navigate several critical real estate and financing challenges in connection with the El Segundo Energy Center, one of the largest private developments in California that will provide cleaner power for approximately 400,000 homes. Timothy Tosta, a partner in the Firm’s San Francisco office, successfully shepherded the entitlement process for three Class-A buildings and a four-star hotel, tripling the square footage once permitted in the former industrial zone and paving the way for future major development in Menlo Park, CA.
“It’s an honor to see that our individual attorneys, and Luce Forward as a Real Estate industry leader, continuously receive recognition for the positive difference we make in our local communities and throughout California,” says Kurt L. Kicklighter, managing partner of Luce Forward. “Kudos to Tony and Tim for their fantastic achievements, as well as to all of the attorneys and developers on their teams helping to make these projects a success.”
Toranto represented NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG), which proposed adding 550 new megawatts to an existing energy center to help balance Southern California’s dramatic energy demand growth. The “repowered” site in El Segundo will make more efficient use of California’s natural resources, using less natural gas for each megawatt generated and reducing emissions on a per megawatt basis while providing the electricity that Southern California desperately needs. The project required the resolution of a number of important issues with significant implications for meeting project deadlines, including the anticipated closing of a $683,000,000 financing and obtaining appropriate title coverage. Toranto led a team of attorneys, in conjunction with savvy real estate developers, to help move this important project forward.
Bohannon Development Company (BDC) looked to Tosta and his team of attorneys, including partner Jennifer Renk, to help transform a portion of the aging, underutilized and previously down-zoned Bohannon Industrial Park into a state-of-the-art campus environment primed to attract flagship businesses to Menlo Park, CA. Thanks to Tosta’s ability to navigate through complex administrative procedures and a political minefield, he was instrumental in securing approval from the Planning Commission and City Council to move forward with the development of Menlo Gateway. Set to break ground in 2012, the new business park will generate about $1.67 million in new net revenues annually, and will create roughly 1,800 construction jobs and more than 2,500 permanent jobs, as well as opportunities for further corporate development in the area.
About Luce Forward
Founded in 1873, Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP is a full-service California law firm with offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel Valley/Del Mar, Orange County and Rancho Santa Fe. For more information, visit www.luce.com.
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