Commercial Real Estate and Development

Lawson Lundell was one of the first law firms in western Canada to establish a distinct real estate group as a result of the requirements of our natural resource clients. Three of our senior commercial real estate and development lawyers are recognized by The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as being “consistently recommended” or “repeatedly recommended”. We have the expertise and reputation to provide our clients with timely, pragmatic and cost efficient advice.

Our lawyers are currently retained by contractors, developers, institutional and private investors, and government agencies who undertake a broad range of real estate projects, including commercial, industrial, institutional, residential and mixed use. We have advised on the acquisition, disposition, financing, rezoning, subdivision (including air space subdivisions and strata titling), development, redevelopment of real property as well as multi-family and industrial strata titled project sales matters. Our team has also negotiated a large number of retail, office and industrial leases for landlords and tenants. When appropriate, our group draws on the expertise provided by other members of the firm in such areas as tax, environmental and aboriginal law.

Our municipal law lawyers, led by Ed Wilson, have extensive experience representing municipalities, regional districts, government agencies, crown corporations, private sector clients and citizen groups on all aspects of municipal law including land use planning, public/private partnerships and expropriations.

In addition to serving our clients, our lawyers are frequently called upon to participate in educational presentations for the legal profession and the development industry and in this regard Ed Wilson was presented with the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia 2007 B.C. Leaders in Learning award. Our commercial real estate and development lawyers are also active and contributing members of the Urban Development Institute, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and International Council of Shopping Centers.

Examples of our experience include:

• Acting for pension funds and other investor groups relating to the acquisition and disposition of residential and commercial income producing properties, including retail shopping centres and office and industrial portfolios
• Acting for vendor/tenant in sale/leaseback of Canadian portfolio of manufacturing facilities
• Acting for purchasers and vendors of various downtown Vancouver office buildings
• Acting for developer of mixed use air space project in Victoria containing a geothermal heating and cooling system
• Acting for various landlords in connection with lease preparation and negotiation for regional shopping centres, office tower complexes and industrial portfolios
• Advising clients who have developed many of the regional shopping centre malls in British Columbia, including Metrotown Centre, the Crossroads Centre, Conference Plaza, Champlain Mall and Middlegate Mall
• Acting for a developer in connection with the acquisition and development of 41 parcel land assembly
• Acting for various developers in connection with site acquisition, subsequent development work and project marketing and presale matters for various residential and mixed use projects throughout British Columbia
• Acting for US developers in connection with marketing of US and Mexican developments within British Columbia
• Acting for developers in connection with development of heritage properties and related heritage incentive matters including density transfers and property tax exemptions
• Representing one of the co-owners of the Coal Harbour lands which have been developed for residential and commercial uses
• Providing advice to Canada Place Corporation relating to the integration of the new Vancouver Convention Centre with Canada Place and the use of Canada Place by the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee
• Developments on First Nation lands including acting for developers in connection with development and leasing of power centre retail developments on First Nation (Westbank) lands
• Acting on behalf of British Columbia Housing Management Commission relating to the sale of a 15 acre Little Mountain parcel of Land in the City of Vancouver
• Advising the British Columbia Real Estate Association with reference to the Real Estate Services Act
• Acting for developers of ski hills, hotels and other resort properties
• Acting for the operators of national hotel groups with respect to leasing and development matters
• Acting for public and private partnerships including hospitals and other medical facilities
• Acting for developers and operators of mini-storage facilities
• Acting for tenants in the negotiation of leases including restaurants, retail and health club premises
• Acting for industrial firms in the redevelopment of former industrial sites for commercial and residential purposes
• Acting for real estate agents and mortgage brokers with respect to regulatory matters and negligence claims
• Acting for land owners whose lands were expropriated for transit and other public projects
• Conducting lease negotiations for industrial users of port and other federal lands
• Acting for mining, forestry and other industrial companies in securing rights of way, crown leases and related matters

Team Members

Name	Office	Phone	Email
Carroll, Maxwell	Vancouver	604.631.9138
Flowers, Kenneth	Calgary	403.218.7524
Fraser, James	Vancouver	604.631.9202
McCullough, Stephen	Vancouver	604.631.9118
Tolensky, Peter	Vancouver	604.631.9125
Travis, Chad	Vancouver	604.631.9277
Wilson, Edward	Vancouver	604.631.9148