They Are Taking Our Common Area!

The power of eminent domain, also referred to as condemnation, refers to the power of the government or other quasi-governmental entity, such as a utility company, to take private property for a public purpose.

The law requires “just compensation” to be paid when a taking occurs.  What happens, however, when the property taken is common area owned by a community association, property owners’ association (“POA”), or homeowners’ association (“HOA”) (collectively, “Association”)?

In a subdivision or planned community managed by an Association, the common area and elements are typically owned by the Association.  However, the individual property owners have easement rights granting them the right to use the common area (for example, parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, tennis courts, streets and walkways, and other commonly shared property).  An easement is a property right that, if taken, requires the payment of just compensation to the holder of the easement; in this case, the various lot owners in the planned community or subdivision.  In the case of a condominium, the condominium unit owners actually own the common area in fee simple as tenants in common.  This fee simple ownership, if taken, would normally require the payment of “just compensation” to the unit owners for the value of the property interest lost as a result of the taking.

The taking of common area and common elements can significantly impair the value of the lots, homes and units in a community.  Picture, for example, a DOT taking where an elevated highway is built where the community’s swimming pool once stood.  Are the lot and unit owners entitled to just compensation for the value of the common area taken and the damage done to their property values in a condemnation proceeding?  The answer is “yes, no, and maybe.”

Uniform Planned Community Act/Uniform Condominium Act

In states such as North Carolina that have enacted legislation that substantially follows the Uniform Planned Community Act (“UPCA”) and the Uniform Condominium Act (“UCA”), the Association is granted the power and authority to act for all of the lot owners or unit owners in a condemnation or eminent domain case where common area is taken.  The Acts provide that the portion of the just compensation award “attributable to the common elements taken” shall be paid to the Association.  The Acts and the governing documents of the planned community or condominium dictate how the just compensation paid to the Association can be used or disbursed.

It would seem that, despite this law, a lot owner or unit owner whose property value has been substantially affected by the taking of common area should also be entitled to compensation for the reduced value of the lot or unit.  In a case decided by the Supreme Court of Kansas, for example, the Kansas DOT took lots in a subdivision that were subject to Restrictive Covenants preventing the construction of anything but single-family homes on the subdivision lots. The Court held that the single-family home restriction was a “property right” of the remaining lot owners in the subdivision that was taken when a highway bridge was constructed on the taken lots.  The Court sent the case back to the trial court with instructions to determine the damage that each lot owner had sustained as a result of the taking.

Fiduciary Duty

The officers and directors of an Association have a fiduciary duty to properly respond to and deal with a taking.  The Association should take advantage of any opportunities that arise before the taking actually occurs for input into the nature and extent of the taking, including, in the case of roads or highways, their location and design.  Typically, the condemning entity will have an appraisal done estimating the value of the property to be taken and the just compensation that should be paid to the property owner or, with common elements, the Association.  Often times it will be incumbent upon the Association to retain its own appraiser to ensure that a fair price is paid.  The condemning entity will certainly have legal counsel, and the Association would be wise to retain its own legal counsel to provide guidance through this process and to ensure that the Association is fulfilling its fiduciary duty.

Conclusion

The taking of a common area or common elements by a condemning entity can be a devastating and traumatic occurrence for an Association and its members.  The Association needs to understand the process and deal with it appropriately.  Having an attorney who is experienced in both the areas of community association law and eminent domain law will be essential.

 

© 2019 Ward and Smith, P.A.. All Rights Reserved.
This post was written by Ryal W. Tayloe and Allen N. Trask, III of Ward and Smith, P.A.

New Jersey Appellate Panel Countenances Beach Easement Condemnations for Federal Funding

A New Jersey appeals court recently upheld the Township of Long Beach’s exercise of eminent domain to acquire beachfront access easements in the consolidated appeal of Twp. of Long Beach v. Tomasi, N.J. Super. App. Div. (per curiam) – the latest chapter in a series of disputes between coastal New Jersey municipalities and owners of beachfront property within those municipalities.

The Township of Long Beach sought federal funding pursuant to the “Sandy Act,” which authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers (“Army Corps”) to protect the New Jersey shoreline through beach replenishment and dune construction projects funded either in whole or in part by the federal government. See Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (Sandy Act), Pub. L. No. 113-2, 127 Stat. 4. In order to obtain such federal participation and funding, the township was required to comply with conditions set forth in the Army Corps’ engineering regulations, including the requirement that participating municipalities provide “reasonable public access rights-of-way” to the beach, defined as “approximately every one-half mile or less.” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ER 1105-2-100, Planning Guidance Notebook 3-20 (2000); see also N.J.A.C. 7:7-16.9.

As the township’s shoreline did not have the required public access, it resolved to obtain public access easements in various locations to achieve compliance with the Army Corps and NJDEP regulations such that it would be eligible for inclusion in an ongoing shoreline protection project undertaken by those entities. Accordingly, the township passed appropriate resolutions authorizing it to condemn and acquire via eminent domain four public access beach easements, including a ten-foot-wide strip of land along the defendants’ properties. After unsuccessfully negotiating with the defendants to purchase the easements, the township initiated condemnation proceedings in the Superior Court, giving rise to the Tomasilitigation.

In September 2017 the trial court entered summary judgment in favor of the township and held that it had properly exercised its eminent domain power in acquiring the beach easements for public use. The defendants appealed and sought reversal based on their contention that the township was unable to establish either necessity or proper public purpose for the condemnations. More specifically, the defendants argued that reasonable beach access already existed in the township such that there was no necessity to condemn the easements under the Public Trust Doctrine or otherwise; and that the stated impetus for the condemnations, i.e. seeking federal funding, could not constitute a viable public purpose.

On December 20, 2018, the two-judge appellate panel issued its decision affirming the lower court and rejecting both of the defendant-appellants’ primary arguments. The court noted its “limited and deferential” review of municipal exercises of eminent domain power, cited the traditionally broad conceptual scope of public use, and held that the township’s undertaking to protect its shoreline – including conforming to state or federal requirements to obtain project funding – was a proper public use or purpose.

There are several relevant takeaways from the Tomasi decision, though they should be understood with an important caveat. The court resolved the narrow question before it without engaging in a comprehensive or detailed legal analysis and as a result, land use practitioners and municipal personnel should be cautious not to overstate the holding in this brief unpublished opinion. Nevertheless, the Tomasi decision is significant based on its factual distinctions from more traditional beach easement litigations.

Specifically, the easements at issue in Tomasi were for perpendicular access to the beach and ocean rather than for dune construction. Though both dune construction and access easements relate to shore protection, the former directly enable and contribute to such protection, whereas the latter are merely incidental to it. In that sense, the Tomasi easements are arguably less justifiable than dune construction easements in the eminent domain context – and the defendants in Tomasi appeared to base their public purpose-driven arguments on precisely that premise. However, the court evidently did not find the above-described “direct vs. incidental” distinction meaningful and rejected the defendants’ argument, finding that pursuing federal funding for shoreline protection was a sufficient public purpose for eminent domain purposes.

Under the facts of this case, that is a logically defensible outcome, as the township’s acquisition of the access easements was a de-facto prerequisite for constructing dunes and otherwise protecting its shoreline area, per the Army Corps and NJDEP regulations. Accordingly, a possible implication for future cases is that the precise nature of the condemnation easement in question will not necessarily be dispositive, and the focus of a reviewing court’s inquiry instead will be whether such an easement is ultimately necessary to effectuate the contemplated shoreline protection program.

It is unclear if this premise informed the court’s decision in Tomasi. To the extent that it may have, it would be valuable for municipalities, property owners, and land use practitioners to know that the court employs a functional analysis in evaluating public use / purpose in eminent domain cases. Similarly, but conversely, it would be equally valuable for those stakeholders to know that the court did not equate access easements with dune construction easements but rather expanded the scope of eminent domain by permitting condemnation for easements which are merely incidental to shore protection.

Accordingly, the ambiguity in this space following the Tomasi decision is worth monitoring, both in that litigation as the Supreme Court considers whether to hear a (presently unfiled but) likely forthcoming appeal, and in future cases with similar or slightly different facts. Though its implications are presently limited, the Tomasi case clearly stands for the proposition that beach access condemnation easements to obtain federal funding for shore protection projects are permissible exercises of municipal eminent domain power.

 

© 2018 Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, P.C. All Rights Reserved

The Evolution of the Health Club as a Tenant in Retail and Mixed-Use Developments; Pros and Cons

A health club used to be an unwelcome tenant in any retail shopping center.  The traditional thinking was that health club patrons occupied the parking areas at peak shopping times and for extended periods, and then left without shopping at the other retail stores in the center. The number of people with a membership to a fitness center or health club continues to grow, with 60.87 million in 2017, up from 32.8 in 2000, approximately an 85% increase (see more here). As personal fitness has become the rage, the health club has become not only mainstream, but the anchor store and a requirement in both retail shopping centers and mixed-use and residential developments.

The move for more fitness centers has coincided with the transformation of the shopping center with traditional big box retail anchors into destination centers with restaurants, green open space, retail stores, and of course health clubs and health related uses focused on personal fitness and group related activities – all things one cannot do on the internet.  Circuit City has been replaced by Life Time Fitness, Equinox, or other fitness centers.

While this may have saved the retail shopping center, as a neighbor the health club can be hard to take.  The parking problem continues to be a challenge.  Absent a distinct and separate building, the noise and vibration emanating from a fitness center can deprive neighboring stores (next to, above and below the health club) of the quiet enjoyment of their space.  The slamming of heavy weights, vibrations and blaring music, all typical in health clubs, can create major disruptions to retail, office, and residential tenants alike.  Imagine doing eye exams while the walls and floors shake from the dropping of heavy weights, and as heavy bass vibrates through the walls from the cycling class.  Will you be seeing eye to eye with the health club?

Landlords must consider the location of the health club – preferably a separate pad site otherwise on grade or below, away from residences and professional (particularly medical) offices.  The onus should be on the health club to insulate the sound and vibration or discontinue the offending use.  Upgrading of walls and/or reinforcement or padding of floors and soundproofing the ceiling may be required.  The building structure generally must be considered.

The attraction of a health club as a tenant in a high end residential or mixed-use building cannot, however, be denied. Landlords looking to add a fitness center tenant to their roster should contact their attorney to ensure their lease covers their unique needs of these tenants.

 

© 2018 SHERIN AND LODGEN LLP
This post was written by Gary D. Buchman of Sherin and Lodgen LLP.

Are You Ready for the Next Downturn? Ninth Circuit “Cramdown” Cases Affecting Real Estate Lenders

Plan Approval in a Multi-Debtor, Single-Plan Context

In In re Transwest Resort Properties, Inc., the Ninth Circuit addressed the Chapter 11 reorganization plan approval process where a single plan was proposed for multiple affiliated debtor entities whose cases were being administered jointly. Generally, for “cramdown” plans, the Bankruptcy Code requires that at least one class of impaired creditors vote in favor of a plan for it to be approved. In Transwest, a mezzanine lender who was the sole creditor for two of the five debtor entities and whose loan would be extinguished under the single, jointly administered plan, argued that impaired class approval had to occur on a per debtor basis, and that since it was the only impaired class member for two of the debtors, its votes against the plan in those debtor cases barred confirmation (as there were no impaired classes of creditors in those cases voting in favor of the plan). The bankruptcy court, the district court, and the Ninth Circuit rejected that position, holding instead that impaired class approval applied on a per plan basis, and that the votes of the impaired class of creditors of the other three debtors established consent from an impaired class across all debtors, and supported plan confirmation. The Ninth Circuit is the first circuit-level court to address this issue, and the lower bankruptcy courts remain split on the issue.

Potential Impact

Lenders, particularly mezzanine lenders, who lend to one or more isolated borrowing entities within a corporate group of debtor entities may not have the voting control in the plan confirmation process they assume exists to block “cramdown”, and should factor that reality into their risk assessments.

“Cramdown” Value = Replacement Value (even if it’s less than foreclosure value)

In In re Sunnyslope Housing Limited Partnership, the Ninth Circuit, in an en banc opinion, addressed how a secured creditor’s interest should be valued in the context of a “cramdown,” i.e. where the debtor seeks to retain and use creditor’s collateral in the reorganization plan and the value of that collateral is to be determined based on the proposed use of the property. Valuation of the property in the “cramdown” context was critical to how much the secured creditor would recover under the proposed plan, given that amount of its secured claim would be determined by the value of the property. The Sunnyslope case presented a highly unusual circumstance where the foreclosure value of the apartment complex collateral was significantly higher than its replacement or use value due to the existence of low-income housing covenants that would be extinguished in a prospective foreclosure.

Despite the higher foreclosure value supported by the secured creditor, the Ninth Circuit affirmed application of the replacement value standard for determining the secured creditor’s present value of its claim under the plan. In doing so, the Ninth Circuit affirmed prior precedent holding that only a property’s replacement value – to be determined in light of its “proposed disposition or use” – could be utilized for determining the amount of a secured claim in the cramdown context. In applying its replacement value standard in Sunnyslope, the Ninth Circuit confirmed that the highest and best use of collateral may not dictate the value of a creditor’s secured claim, even where the replacement value, as determined by the collateral’s anticipated use or disposition, is lower than its foreclosure value.

Potential Impact

Lenders facing a potential “cramdown” of its secured claim, based on present value of its claim against real property, should carefully analyze the potential difference between a property’s foreclosure value and its replacement value and adjust expectations accordingly.

© 2010-2018 Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP

This post was written by Michael R. Farrell of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP.

Tackling Evictions: BYU And UA Law Schools Partner On Legal Research Project

The nationwide trends of stagnating wages and increasing housing costs has led to an increased risk of evictions for renters across the country. According to Matthew Desmond’s 2017 book Evicted, “Today, the majority of poor renting families in America spend more than half of their income on housing, and at least one in four dedicates more than 70% to paying the rent and keeping the lights on.”

Most evictions happen informally, and even formal evictions are rarely contested in court. Less than 20 percent of tenants served with an eviction notice come to court, and so viable legal defenses often go unheard. A new initiative is trying to help tenants facing eviction find appropriate legal assistance.

Legal Innovation: LawX & Innovation for Justice

The J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU Law) at Brigham Young University and the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona have joined forces to create a program focused on tackling the legal complexities of eviction law. BYU’s LawX legal design lab, and UA’s Innovation for Justice (I4J) program are working together to reduce the number of evictions in and help tenants find quality legal representation.

“Given the sheer volume of evictions in America, we believe this is the right issue for LawX to tackle in its second year, and we welcome collaboration with the University of Arizona Law School,” said Gordon Smith, Dean of BYU Law School. “This past year, our LawX students uncovered some sobering statistics on hurdles in the legal system that make it extremely difficult for a non-lawyer to respond to lawsuits, particularly in the areas of debt collection, evictions and divorce.”

The program will focus on tackling the eviction crisis in Arizona and Utah, with hopes the collaboration could result in solutions applicable beyond the region. In 2016, Utah averaged 7.61 evictions per day and Pima County, Arizona, where the UA is located, averaged 22.01 evictions per day, according to Eviction Lab.

Kimball Parker, LawX director and president of Parsons Behle Product Lab, will lead the initiative at BYU, while Stacy Butler, director of I4J, will lead the project at UA. With a primary focus on technology, design and system thinking, and collaboration, both classes will focus on resolving the current status of eviction law, especially the lack of legal representation for an underserved community.

Eviction Law: A Focus On Underserved Communities

“The goals of the Innovation for Justice program are to expose students to the fact that not everyone is able to use the civil legal system as it’s designed, and to empower students to close that gap,” Butler said. “LawX’s focus on reaching people who are not engaging with the civil legal system is critical to making the system work the way it should.”

LawX will highlight the difficulties non-lawyers would have in dealing with different areas of law including divorce, debt collection, and eviction laws. One of the particular challenges is the difference in how each state–and municipality–handles evictions. Often the laws are weighted heavily in favor of the landlord. For example, in Utah, a tenant has just three days to respond to an eviction notice, so often landlords give notice on a Friday, further limiting a tenant’s options

“An eviction can be life-changing to an individual or family, and it can result in homelessness; our research determined that evictions have one of the highest rates of default among those who can’t afford an attorney,” said Parker. “I am excited to work with Stacy on this project and believe her extensive experience with expanding the reach of civil legal services to those in need will be incredibly valuable.”

A Tangible Solution For Renters

Parker says the goal is to create a tangible solution for renters, whether that is a product or some other solution, but the students will start by surveying. One of the first questions they hope to answer: why don’t more tenants seek relief in the legal system?

This collaboration project comes on the heels of LawX’s previous project to assist debtors facing debt collections lawsuits who couldn’t afford legal representation. That project resulted in creation of an award-winning software program, SoloSuit, which helps debtors respond to collections notices.

“This past year, our LawX students uncovered some sobering statistics on hurdles in the legal system that make it extremely difficult for a non-lawyer to respond to lawsuits, particularly in the areas of debt collection, evictions and divorce,” said Gordon Smith, Dean of BYU Law School. “With this legal design lab in a classroom, we are committed to identifying the best possible solutions to help close the gap for people who feel overwhelmed by the legal system.

Hands-on Legal Experience for Law Students

“Programs like Innovation for Justice and LawX offer important learning experiences for our undergraduate and graduate students. They represent a movement in legal education to adapt and to be more interdisciplinary in how we approach the world,” said UA Law Dean Marc Miller. “Students get to take a deep dive into a specific project to produce a community deliverable. They engage with the community and in doing so, begin to understand how their learning can be applied outside of the classroom.”

Using a design thinking approach, up to six LawX students and 12 Innovation for Justice students will start work on the project in the fall 2018 semester with three goals:

  • understand why tenants disengage with the civil legal system

  • identify innovative approaches to educating and engaging tenants

  • develop strategies for delivering possible solutions into the hands of those who need help most.

By working in a law school classroom setting, the program strives to help provide answers and solutions to under-represented communities, who find difficulties in understanding the law, or finding appropriate resources to help them tackle impending hurdles.

Findings and shared information will eventually lead to solutions which can extend beyond Utah and Arizona’s borders. Conversely, the program might lead to separate projects addressing regional barriers to help reduce eviction totals.

 

Copyright ©2018 National Law Forum, LLC
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California Supreme Court Rules Homeowners Forfeited Right to Challenge Coastal Development Permit Conditions By Undertaking Work Authorized By Permit

The California Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in Lynch v. California Coastal Commission that two homeowners who obtained a coastal development permit (CDP) from the California Coastal Commission (Commission) to construct a new seawall forfeited their right to challenge mitigation conditions attached to the permit because they accepted the benefits conferred by the permit by undertaking the work authorized.

Key procedural takeaway: With exceptions noted below, if a permit applicant accepts a proffered CDP and acts on that permit – even while expressly reserving its asserted right to challenge the legality of the permit – the permittee has forfeited its right to subsequently challenge the permit in court.

Key takeaway on the merits of the claim: None. Since the Supreme Court ruled that the permittees had forfeited their right to challenge the CDP by undertaking the authorized construction, it found no need to address the underlying merits of the permittee’s challenge. In particular, the Court left unaddressed the contention that the mitigation conditions were unconstitutional, including the condition that limited the life of the seawall to 20 years unless reauthorized at the end of the term.

Homeowners Challenge CDP Conditions

The homeowners, Barbara Lynch and Thomas Frick, sought a CDP (more precisely, an amendment to the 1989 CDP authorizing construction of the existing seawall) to authorize demolition of an existing seawall, construction of a replacement seawall and rebuilding of a lower stairway providing access from the bluff to the beach. The Commission granted the CDP allowing seawall demolition and reconstruction but imposed several permit conditions.

The homeowners filed an administrative writ petition in superior court challenging the following three permit conditions: (1) a prohibition on reconstruction of the lower stairway; (2) a 20-year expiration period on the seawall permit and a prohibition on relying on the seawall as a source of geologic stability or protection for future blufftop redevelopment; and (3) a requirement that prior to expiration of the 20-year period, the homeowners must apply for a new permit to remove the seawall, change its size or configuration, or extend the authorization period.

Around the same time, the homeowners recorded deed restrictions on their property stating that the CDP conditions were covenants, conditions and restrictions on the use and enjoyment of their properties, satisfied all other permits conditions, obtained the permit and demolished and reconstructed the seawall.

Lower Court Rulings

The trial court issued a writ directing the Commission to remove the three challenged conditions from the CDP and found that the conditions prohibiting reconstruction of the stairway and imposing a 20-year expiration period were not valid. The appellate court reversed the trial court, determining that plaintiffs had waived their claims and, in any event, both conditions were valid.

California Supreme Court Ruling

Though the Court affirmed the appellate court’s reversal of the trial court decision, it did so on a different basis. The appellate court’s ruling rested on the concept of waiver while the Court found that the homeowners forfeited their right to challenge by accepting the benefits of the permit. The Court explained that forfeiture differs from waiver in that forfeiture results from a failure to invoke a right and waiver denotes an express relinquishment of a known right. The Court identified the crucial point as being that the homeowners “went forward with construction before obtaining a judicial determination of their objections.” By accepting the benefits of the CDP and undertaking the permitted project, the homeowners effectively forfeited the right to maintain their otherwise timely objections.

The Court rejected the homeowners’ argument that because the challenged permit conditions did not affect the design or construction of the seawall, it was possible to challenge the conditions while the project was being built. Such a rule, the Court said, would effectively expand the Mitigation Fee Act (Gov. Code, §§ 66000 et seq.), which establishes a procedure for developers to proceed with a project and still protest the imposition of “fees, dedications, reservations, or other exactions.” Not included in this list, however, are land use restrictions. The Court stated that only the Legislature has the power to declare that permits may be accepted and acted upon, even while the underlying land use restrictions imposed as a condition of that permit are being challenged in court.

The Court did note that there are potential remedies available to permit applicants. Responding to the homeowners’ protest that imposing a forfeiture under the circumstances present here – where the seawall was in danger of collapsing into the sea thus allowing no time to delay repairs until resolution of the litigation – the Court offered two solutions. First, property owners can address imminent dangers by obtaining an emergency permit from the Commission under Public Resources Code section 30624. Second, property owners can try to reach an agreement with the permitting agency to allow construction to proceed while a challenge to permit conditions is resolved in court, which the court noted could prevent a finding of equitable forfeiture. Neither remedy appears to have been pursued in this case.

Insights

Developers and property owners should view the unanimous Court’s holding as applying beyond CDPs and should thus proceed with extreme caution when faced with objectionable permit conditions. By refusing to extend the Mitigation Fee Act’s “pay and protest” option beyond fees and exactions, this decision gives permitting agencies leverage to impose potentially controversial permit conditions, knowing that permit applicants are often constrained in terms of time and money when choosing between moving forward with objectionable permit conditions or going to court. Legislative action on this issue could provide some relief, but may not be likely for the foreseeable future.

This post was written by Courtney A. Davis and James T. Burroughs  Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP.

The Zoning and Land Use Handbook

The ABA presents The Zoning and Land Use Handbook by Ronald Cope.

zoning land useZoning law has a major impact on the development of our cities and villages, and where we live and work; it also plays a major role in numerous business and real estate transactions. The Zoning and Land Use Handbook is a reference guide for zoning and related land use issues.

This book will help the busy general practitioner answer the most frequently asked questions and provide guidance on basic zoning procedures, property rights, and the nature of zoning litigation. In addition, this handbook provides an introduction to zoning law for land use practitioners, and will be helpful to laypersons and professionals not familiar with land use or zoning law.

Click here to purchase the book.

About the author:

“Ron Cope is the most authoritative and impressive source of knowledge about the legal aspects of land use, urban planning, and zoning. During my 45 years of planning practice, he has remained my go-to expert for every complex issue I have had regarding land use, planning, and zoning law. The Zoning and Land Use Handbook is a must-have resource that condenses Ron’s practical knowledge into a comprehensive guide.”
Allen L. Kracower, Chairman, Allen L. Kracower & Associates, Inc.

“Ron Cope is the dean of Illinois zoning lawyers. He is legally erudite and knowledgeable in all areas of real estate law and combines those with practical common sense.”
— J. Samuel Tenenbaum, Director, Investor Protection Center, Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern University School of Law

The New Wild West: Considerations for Commercial Landlords and Tenants in the Era of Open and Concealed Carry of Firearms

concealed carryIn a retail setting like a grocery store, it might be shocking for the average customer to see an individual openly carrying a rifle slung over his shoulder. While the gun-toting patron might be shopping for cantaloupe and exercising his open-carry rights, other customers might panic and call 911 to report a “man with a gun.”

Gun ownership laws continue to evolve nationwide and many states have expanded legal open carry laws in recent years. Currently, only a handful of states prohibit open carry of a firearm in any form. “Open carry” is generally characterized as carrying a gun in public where others can see it in plain sight. Every state, including the District of Columbia, allows the carry of concealed firearms in some regulated form. “Concealed carry” is usually defined as carrying a firearm where the casual observer cannot see it.

While most proprietors expect a person carrying a gun onto the property to have benign intentions, accidents (including accidental discharges) do happen. Furthermore, mass shootings and other incidents involving firearms continue to be an unfortunate part of reality in today’s society. Landlords and tenants of retail properties should be aware that bodily injury or death caused by a weapon wielded by an employee or invitee on the property can leave a business open to lawsuits under various theories of liability. Consequently, it is important for landlords and tenants to be aware of the implications of allowing or prohibiting firearms on their property, and the resulting liability that might come from gaps in insurance coverage, or firearms policy decisions.

What options do commercial landlords and tenants have to address the risk of liability?

  • Check your state, city, and municipal laws regarding concealed and open carry

    • Some state laws allow private businesses to ban guns from their premises, but not every jurisdiction permits private owners to ban guns from their property.

    • Some state laws may address liability. For example, Wisconsin law states that a property owner or occupier is immune from liability arising from the decision to allow firearms on the property. By inference, banning weapons from the premises may give rise to a standard of care where the owner or occupier has a duty to enforce the ban.

  • Evaluate the business occupying the premises and requirements under state law

    • For example, bar owners or places where alcohol is served will likely have an affirmative duty under state law to ban firearms from their premises.

  • Engage in a dialogue with your landlord/tenant and property manager about firearms policy

    • Consider making this a part of the lease, or amending the lease as to who can decide what is allowed on the premises (especially if seeking to ban concealed weapons.)

    • Discuss how any policy will be enforced.

    • Address insurance provisions for tenants regarding exceptions in coverage for firearms incidents.

  • Review any signage requirements under state, city, and municipal law

    • States may require certain dimensions, language and placement for signs notifying patrons of firearms prohibitions on the property.

      • For example, in Texas the sign text must be in English and Spanish.

  • Talk to your insurance carrier

    • Do not assume that you are currently covered for incidents relating to firearms.

      • Firearms are commonly excluded from commercial general liability policies.

      • Discuss the impact of allowing or prohibiting guns on the premises with your insurance carrier.

      • Consider purchasing additional gun liability coverage.

Regardless of personal position, commercial landlords and tenants must be aware of the state and local firearms laws that apply to their property. The intersection between premises liability and firearms statutes continues to develop, and sound risk management calls for review of current policies and insurance coverage to help mitigate any existing gaps in coverage.

©2016 von Briesen & Roper, s.c

Big Box Redux: Dilemma of Abandoned Big Box Stores

During the 1980s and 1990s “big box” retail locations popped up all over the United States. In the past few years, however, a number of larger chains, including Sears, Kmart, Circuit City, and Sports Authority, to name a few, have closed or announced that they will be closing their doors. The question remains: what can and should be done with an empty big box location?

While it would be easiest to replace one big box tenant with another, three main hurdles exist to this approach. First, some big box retailers may choose to just “go dark” and continue to pay the rent at the location in order to maintain market share. Second, many big box leases include clauses prohibiting the landlord from leasing space to a tenant’s competitors even after the tenant has vacated. Third, and most significantly, abandoned big box buildings in popular retail locations likely already have other successful big box retailers nearby, thus limiting the pool of potential new tenants for that space. As a result, very often the space will need to be demolished or repurposed, adapted, and redesigned.

Adaptive reuse and redesign of abandoned big box retail locations requires property owners, developers, and financiers to get creative and be committed in pursuing reuses that fill the specific retail needs of their geographic markets. The large space may need to be subdivided and leased to multiple tenants. Adaptive use of large retail spaces requires vision, foresight, a deep understanding of the local retail market, and the marketing expertise to find alternative categories of tenant. Potential tenants for adapted big box locations are those that can take advantage of some of the features of these abandoned stores, such as large open spaces, ample parking and a centralized location close to major transportation routes. Some of these alternative reuses of big box locations include: apartments/condominiums, hospitals/health care clinics, museums, churches, commercial gyms, and offices.

Like owners and developers, municipalities also have an important part to play in redevelopment of abandoned big box locations. Municipalities must be flexible and utilize any number of tools at their disposal to ease the development costs and bureaucratic burden to the reuse and adaption of abandoned locations. One municipal tool that could minimize the barriers to reuse is the creation or revision of local zoning ordinances to incentivize reuse and ease some of the financial development hurdles. This process may include rezoning of the area in question to allow for residential, office and light industrial, instead of strictly commercial uses. Second, the municipality could create a tax incremental financing district to make a potential redevelopment more financially attractive or viable to potential developers. Finally, the municipality or its community development authority could acquire title to the abandoned property to utilize for its own purposes (such as a school, library or community center) or to better control and manage redevelopment and associated financial incentives.

In summary, one size does not fit all. Rather, the dilemma of what to do with an abandoned big box retail location often requires all involved (the leasing, design, finance and legal teams, as well as the municipality) to think outside of the box and be flexible, thoughtful and creative in crafting an individualized plan and solution tailored to that particular locale.

©2016 von Briesen & Roper, s.c

Ninth Circuit Weighs In: Nevada “Superpriority” Law for HOA Superliens Violates Due Process

HOA superliensIn a 2-1 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overruled the 2014 decision from the Nevada Supreme Court about which we previously wrote. In Bourne Valley Court Trust v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., (August 12, 2016), the federal appellate court holds that the non-judicial foreclosure of Nevada HOA superliens cannot constitutionally extinguish a mortgage lender’s security interest.

In 2014, the Nevada Supreme Court held that, as a matter of lien priority, the foreclosure of a superlien for HOA assessments can extinguish a first mortgage. However, the Nevada Supreme Court did not address whether the provisions of Nevada state law governing notice to purported junior lienholders, including mortgagees, were constitutional.

In Bourne Valley, the home in question had a mortgage loan for $174,000 from Plaza Home Mortgage. The beneficial interest in the noted and deed was subsequently assigned to Wells Fargo, N.A. in 2011.  After the homeowner fell behind on her HOA payments, the HOA recorded a notice of delinquent assessment lien for $1,298.57 in August 2011.  In October 2011, the HOA recorded a notice of default and election to sell the home. Then, on April 9, 2012, the HOA recorded a notice of trustee/foreclosure sale against the property.  The Horse Pointe Avenue Trust then paid $4,145 for the home at a foreclosure sale, before conveying its interest in the property to the Bourne Valley Court Trust, which then filed an action to quiet title and extinguish any other junior liens.

In Bourne Valley, the Ninth Circuit panel notes that Nevada state law requires a purported junior lienholder to “opt in” before receiving notice of an HOA foreclosure sale, which the Court calls a “peculiar scheme” for providing mortgage lenders with information about when an HOA intended to foreclose on a property.  “Even though such foreclosure forever extinguished the mortgage lenders’ property rights, the [Nevada] statute contained “opt in” provisions requiring that notice be given only when it had already been requested,” the Court noted.  “Thus, despite that only the homeowners’ association knew when and to what extent a homeowner had defaulted on her dues, the burden was on the mortgage lender to ask the homeowners’ association to please keep it in the loop regarding the homeowners’ association’s foreclosure plans,” the Court continued. “How the mortgage lender, which likely had no relationship with the homeowners’ association, should have known to ask is anybody’s guess.”

Therefore, the Court concludes, Nevada’s laws violate the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution.  From the Court’s decision:

Nevada Revised Statutes section 116.3116 et seq. strips a mortgage lender of its first deed of trust when a homeowners’ association forecloses on the property based on delinquent HOA dues. Before it was amended, it did so without regard for whether the first deed of trust was recorded before the HOA dues became delinquent, and critically, without requiring actual notice to the lender that the homeowners’ association intends to foreclose.

We hold that the Statute’s “opt-in” notice scheme, which required a homeowners’ association to alert a mortgage lender that it intended to foreclose only if the lender had affirmatively requested notice, facially violated the lender’s constitutional due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution. We therefore vacate the district court’s judgment and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

The Court gets specific:

But that the foreclosure sale itself is a private action is irrelevant to Wells Fargo’s due process argument. Rather than complaining about the foreclosure specifically, Wells Fargo contends—and we agree—that the enactment of the statute unconstitutionally degraded its interest in the property. Absent operation of the statute, Wells Fargo would have had a fully secured interest in the property. A foreclosure by a homeowners’ association would not have extinguished Wells Fargo’s interest. But with the statute in place, Wells Fargo’s interest was not secured. Instead, if a homeowners’ association foreclosed on a lien for unpaid dues, Wells Fargo would forfeit all of its rights in the property.

For now, the Bourne Valley opinion is binding on all Nevada federal courts. It will also serve as strong persuasive authority (at the very least) in actions pending in Nevada state court, as well as throughout the U.S. in states with similar paradigms.

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