Smart growth — » From page 15
and opening up project opportunities for RD/RXR and existing owners - developments that meet the new market’s hunger for sustainable neighborhoods. ■ Several large-scale development efforts underway in Yonkers and Mount Vernon that now seem a reality in neighborhoods that the public sector has been trying to revitalize for decades. ■ In the northern part of the market area, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh both have become more development-ready through a variety of efforts including creating a land bank, revitalizing in-rem properties, selective demolitions, rezoning, and creating downtown revitalization plans attuned to the needs of the emerging market. In Fairfield County similar smart growth efforts are underway. In Stamford, Building and Land Technology is transforming the former 500,000-square-foot Pitney Bowes facil-
M&A �irm opts for Stamford
M
iami-based Holland & Knight, an international law firm of 1,200 employees, has opened its 25th office in Stamford and staffed it with a group of veteran corporate and mergers-and-acquisitions lawyers. The address is One Stamford Plaza, 263 Tresser Blvd., Suite 1400. Holland & Knight’s Managing Partner Steven Sonberg said, “The establishment of an office in Stamford, where many private equity funds are based, presents unique opportunities for the firm.” The group includes partners Christopher Cerrito, Martin Clarke, John Flaherty, Thomas Freed, Evan Seideman, Lindsay Sheehy, Gloria Skigen, Merrill Ulmer and Victoria Zerjav. Holland & Knight said, “They represent private equity firms, Fortune 1,000 companies, private corporations, individuals and venture capital funds in a wide variety of corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, corporate and fund formations, securities offerings, reorganizations, joint venture formations, cross-border transactions, and ERISA and employee benefits matters.” “This team of lawyers adds greater depth to our corporate and M&A practices, which have been steadily expanding over the past several years,” said Sonberg. “These outstanding lawyers will enable us to further enhance our service to clients." — Bill Fallon
ity overlooking Long Island Sound. This is use South Norwalk neighborhood. The building, constructed in 1972, is an exciting component of the developer’s Silicon Harbor project, a “live, work, play” undergoing a complete renovation by Capital development that features offices, stores, res- Equities Group, a private real estate investtaurants and 2,360 residential apartments in ment firm working in the mixed-use SoNo neighborhood. Capital Equities Group is nine buildings. The state of Connecticut is helping rede- cooperating with the city to make improvevelopment in older industrial areas with a ments to a park adjacent to the building and new grant program that will spur brownfield to construct landscaping beds on the lot redevelopment throughout Connecticut. in front of the building. The company foreThe program will be administered by the sees similar external improvements at other Connecticut Department of Economic and properties it owns adjacent to this project. These are all examples of what happens Community Development. Grants are intended to help communities develop implemen- when local plans and zoning designate pritation plans for remediating and redevelop- ority growth districts and developers and ing clusters of brownfield sites. As in New municipalities form partnerships to develop York, this is one of several state programs intelligently in them. What is smart about designed to revitalize urban neighborhoods, these projects, in addition to being sensitive downtowns, and waterfront districts for to powerful new market trends and utilizbusinesses, housing, and public amenities ing existing infrastructure, is that they also greatly reduce, on a per household basis, that will generate jobs and revenues. In Norwalk, CBRE Group’s Westchester/ water consumption, energy use, materiFairfield County office is marketing a als needed, and impervious coverage that 190,000-square-foot, 13-story building, to be causes storm water runoff and flooding. also be4:32 more particucalled SoNo Place, in the revitalizing, mixed- They 1can SCSU_MBA_CPA_Fairfield_7.375x7.125.qxp_Layout 12/15/15 PM affordable, Page 1
larly where localities offer bonus densities to developers in exchange for workforce housing, bringing office, research, retail, and service workers closer to where they work. This was the idea that Gov. Glendenning had in mind when he formulated his smart growth strategy. Glendening will be joined by a panel of government officials and a real estate developer in this region on March 24 at Pace Law School to discuss how this strategy works and, most importantly, why and where it is working in our region. John R. Nolon is distinguished professor of law at Pace Law School and founder of and faculty liaison to the law school’s Land Use Law Center. He can be reached at jnolon@law.pace.edu. The Land Use Law Center and Westfair Communications will co-host a panel discussion on smart-growth development featuring former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening at the Pace University White Plains campus, March 24. See ad on page 27.
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SouthernCT.edu/business FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of February 8, 2016 17