Developing and financing complex projects requires deep knowledge in a variety of legal areas and industries. Michael Best’s Real Estate lawyers work as part of a project team alongside clients, consultants, capital providers, and end users, drawing on the skills and experience of lawyers across our firm, including our extensive work in data center development, to help bring these projects to fruition.
We collaborate with clients to develop single- and mixed-use projects across the United States in virtually every industry sector, including hospitality, sports and entertainment, retail, residential, office, industrial, education, agribusiness, medical, energy, technology infrastructure, and data centers. We understand the unique aspects of each type of development, from the specialized zoning and power requirements of data centers to the complex financing structures that support them. Our team can guide clients through the entire process, from land acquisition and zoning through financing, design and construction, build-out, and leasing or sale.
Our clients include owners, tenants, developers, contractors, brokers, and lenders. We also advise institutional investors, such as pension funds, private equity investors, and insurance companies, on an array of financing strategies, including those tailored for mission-critical facilities like data centers, such as fund formation, REITs, loan syndications, and bond financing.
We have experience with a broad range of financing tools, such as:
- Construction lending and permanent financing for data center projects
- Public-private partnerships
- Tax increment financing, tax credits, and tax credit syndications
- Tax-deferred exchanges
- Leasing (ground leases, build-to-suit leases, space leases, subleases, sale/leaseback agreements, and synthetic leases)
- Purchase options and rights of first refusal
- Forward commitment contracts