Practice Expertise

  • Real Estate, Development and Finance
  • Acquisitions and Dispositions
  • Commercial Real Estate Lending
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Areas of Practice

  • Acquisitions and Dispositions
  • Commercial Real Estate Lending
  • Real Estate, Development and Finance
  • Real Estate Affordable Housing

Profile

Johann represents owners, developers and financial institutions in a range of real estate transactions, including dispositions, financing and real estate development.

Johann is an associate in the firm’s capital finance and real estate team. He has experience representing clients in real estate sales, development and financing transactions and counseling clients on compliance with federal and state regulations.

Relevant Experience

  • Represented Hospitality Properties Trust with its $2.4 billion acquisition of a net lease service retail portfolio from Spirit MTA REIT. The portfolio consisted of 772 service and necessity-based, single-tenant, triple-net leased properties. The deal was structured as an acquisition of 100% of the equity in the five property-owner entities owning 769 of the properties with a simultaneous acquisition of the real estate for three remaining properties.
  • Represented Service Properties Trust (formerly Hospitality Properties Trust) in connection with its $438 million disposition of 126 properties located in 26 states across the country. The properties were recently acquired by Service Properties Trust as part of their acquisition of a 772-property portfolio from Spirit MTA REIT.
  • Represented an institutional lender with a $44 million mortgage loan to finance the purchase of an office building in California.
  • Represented an institutional lender with the origination of an $87.5 million leasehold mortgage loan to a joint venture. The loan was secured by the joint venture’s leasehold interest in a shopping center in New York, which is leased by several national retail tenants.
  • Represented a financial institution with a $110 million mortgage loan to finance the purchase of an office building in midtown Manhattan.
  • Represented an institutional lender with the origination of a mortgage loan secured by the borrower’s leasehold interest in a portion of an industrial complex in New York.
  • Represented a real estate investor with a $105.5 million upsizing of its existing loan secured by an office building located in midtown Manhattan.
  • Represented a lender in the workout of a $32.8 million combined mortgage and mezzanine financing secured by a single tenant office building in Texas, which had matured without repayment or the real prospect of imminent refinancing.
  • Represented Savanna in the purchase of 521 Fifth Avenue, a 39-story office tower in Midtown Manhattan, one block from Grand Central Terminal.
  • Represented a financial institution with a $98 million mortgage loan secured by a 512 unit apartment complex in Washington.
  • Represented an institutional lender with the $170 million refinance of a 603-room, 105,000 square foot indoor water park in southern California.
  • Represented a life insurance company in the assumption of a $120 million mortgage loan secured by a retail shopping center in Port Chester, New York.
  • Represented a real estate development firm in its sale of a retail condominium located in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan.
  • Represented a full-service travel center company with the $308.2 million purchase of 20 truck stops located in multiple states.  The transaction involved the negotiation of three separate transaction agreements, multiple lease amendments and property level diligence for each property.
  • Represented Savanna in securing a $54 million loan facility for a commercial building located in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. The office and retail building is 12 stories, 135,000 square feet, and is located in Harlem’s historic and vibrant 125th Street corridor.
  • Represented a real estate joint venture in connection with a $38.145 million loan for a mixed-use development located in Washington, DC.
  • Represented an institutional lender in connection with a mortgage loan in the amount of $56.6 million, secured by an office building in Pasadena, California.
  • Represented a financial institution with the refinancing of a $140 million mortgage loan secured by a mixed use office and retail condominium which is part of an urban redevelopment project located in Pennsylvania.
  • Represented an institutional lender in connection with a mortgage loan in the amount of $36 million, secured by an apartment complex in Durham, North Carolina.

  • Represented an institutional lender in the assumption of a $32.25 million mortgage loan, which Hunton originally assisted with in 2015, secured by an apartment complex in DeKalb County, Georgia.
  • Represented an institutional lender in connection with a mortgage loan in the maximum amount of $48.6 million, secured by an apartment complex in Arizona. In order to accommodate an equity investment the loan was structured with a Sharia-compliant master lease.
  • Represented a financial institution in connection with the refinance of a $400 million mortgage loan to be securitized and is secured by a skyscraper in Los Angeles. The transaction also included a $65 million senior mezzanine loan and a $35 million junior mezzanine loan.
  • Represented a real estate private equity firm, as the lender, for a mezzanine loan used to refinance the construction loan for a hotel in Ohio that is owned by, and ground-leased from, a nearby hospital. In addition, as part of the original development of the hotel, a local government authority issued bond financing that required the authority to maintain a sub-ground lease position in the hotel for a portion of the loan term.
  • Represented a financial institution in connection with the origination of a $78 million mortgage loan and a $73.8 million mezzanine loan secured by an office building in Denver, Colorado. The mortgage loan was structured with multiple notes which are intended to be contributed to various CMBS offerings.
  • Represented real estate developer in the sale of a 19-story landmark office building located in midtown Manhattan, for proceeds in excess of $220 million. Representation included the negotiation of multiple modifications and extensions of the existing mortgage and mezzanine financing with respect to the property, as well as tax structuring and leasing during the lengthy contract period.
  • Represented a real estate investment firm in the acquisition of an office building located in New Jersey from a special servicer. The property is part of an office park, which is subject to a master declaration governed by an association. The transaction included an in-depth analysis of the purchaser’s rights and obligations under the master declaration.
  • Represented a life insurance company in connection with the origination of a $205 million mortgage loan secured by 56 logistics facilities in five metropolitan areas across the country. The loan was structured with a master lease to accommodate Shariah-compliant investors.
  • Represented a global financial institution in connection with a mortgage loan in the maximum amount of $50.8 million (with $45.8 million initial loan amount and up to $5 million in future funding) and a $26.2 million mezzanine loan secured by an office park located in Birmingham, Alabama.
  • Represented a real estate investment firm in connection with the acquisition of a former church rectory and an ancillary parking lot together with excess development rights located in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. The property will be developed into a luxury residential condominium with amenities and retail shops on the lower level. The transaction involved negotiation of several joint venture agreements, a mezzanine loan, a ZLDA and related zoning easements as well as restrictive covenants and construction-related easements with the Church.
  • Represented Savanna in the $640 million acquisition of 5 Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan. The 682,988-square-foot office and retail property is located directly across from Bryant Park on Sixth Avenue and features 100 feet of frontage facing the park.
  • Represented an affiliate of a commercial real estate owner in connection with the acquisition of two office buildings located in Virginia from a special servicer. The properties are part of a condominium regime, which is subject to multiple master declarations governed by the local Economic Development Authority. The transaction included an in-depth analysis of the purchaser’s rights and obligations under the condominium declaration and master declarations.
  • Represented client with a $120 million construction loan, and $35 million mezzanine loan for the development of a high-rise luxury condominium building in Manhattan, New York.
  • Represented Savanna in connection with the $120 million sale of an office building located at 95 Evergreen in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The sale was executed through the exercise of Savanna’s option to purchase the building in its capacity as the tenant under a ground lease. The building includes 5 stories with 158,000 square feet of space.
  • Represented real estate development firm in connection with the $48 million refinancing of a residential apartment building (with a retail and parking component) in an up-and-coming area of the Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

Education
BA, Rutgers University, cum laude, 2013

Areas of Practice

  • Acquisitions and Dispositions
  • Commercial Real Estate Lending
  • Real Estate, Development and Finance
  • Real Estate Affordable Housing

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