Condominium & Common Interest Community Development Law

Development constraints on housing in fast growing urban areas contribute to the housing affordability crisis and to financial inequity. Condominium ownership is now recognized as a critical tool for alleviating unaffordability and creating housing equity in our urban centers.

Key Contacts

Overview
Experience
Team

Overview

Stoel Rives has established one of the most active condominium practices in Washington. Our attorneys are known for their knowledge of condominium law, their understanding of the development and construction industries, and their practical solutions to issues. We proudly assist you with the development and sale of residential, mixed-use and industrial projects, and large and small residential communities, whether structured as traditional condominiums, air-space condominiums, subdivisions, planned unit developments or cooperatives.

Our Skill Set

Structuring complex co-ownership regimes
Creating mixed commercial and residential developments
Negotiating rights and responsibilities of major owners and tenants in mixed-use projects
Planning multi-phase communities
Complying with the Interstate Land Sales Disclosure Act
Anticipating secondary mortgage market requirements for residential projects
Controlling exposure to condominium construction defect claims
Coordinating construction and design contracts with developer warranty risks.
Establishing wrap insurance programs
Defending construction defect litigation
Restructuring failed co-ownership projects
Expanding and modernizing existing co-ownership communities

Industry Leaders

We are active in Washington legislative matters relating to condominiums, community associations and the sales of new homes. In recent years, we have drafted, testified and negotiated for legislation amending the Washington Horizontal Properties Regime Act, the Washington Condominium Act and the Washington Homeowners Association Act. Our attorneys have been appointed by the Washington State Bar Association and the Legislature to serve on the committee that drafted the Washington Condominium Act and the committee that is drafting a new Washington Common Interest Ownership Act.

Matters

Bellevue Towers
We represented the developer in developing Bellevue Towers, a complex of two 42- and 43-story towers including 540 residential units and 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space located in Bellevue, Washington.

Burien Town Square
We represented the developer in developing of this mixed-use project containing 124 residential units and 18,000+ square feet of retail space.

Canal Station/Canal Station North
We assisted the developer with the development of this mixed-use condominium in Seattle, which contains a total of 282 units.

The Cosmopolitan
We represented the developer of this 34-story tower with street-level retail shops, eight floors of parking and 250 residential units in the South Lake Union area of downtown Seattle.

Insignia
We represented the developer in developing Insignia, a high rise project containing over 700 residential units, plus commercial space, in two 42-story towers located in downtown Seattle, and in registering the project under ILSA.

Laurelon Terrace
We represented the condominium association in drafting and passing amendments to the Washington Condominium Act and the Horizontal Property Regimes Act to allow "old act" condominium associations to opt in to "new act" termination provisions and to facilitate the sale of the entire condominium to Children's Hospital.

Lincoln Square
We represented the developer in the creation of this mixed-use project consisting of five separate condominiums, containing a 42-story office tower, 310,000 square feet of retail space, a 337-room hotel, a parking garage and 148 residential units, all in two towers, in downtown Bellevue, Washington.

Nexus
We represented the developer in developing Nexus, a high rise project containing over 370 residential units plus commercial space in a 42-story tower located in the Denny Triangle of Seattle.

The Press
We represented the developer in the acquisition and conversion of The Press Apartments, a two-phase, 140+ unit mixed use condominium on Capitol Hill in Seattle.

Stonebrook Condominiums
We negotiated the purchase from the foreclosing lender of the development rights to build 90 additional units in an existing 150+ unit project, the extension of development rights with the association, and assisted the developer with the development of remaining phases of the condominium.

Tambark Springs
We represented the developer of this 130+ unit, multiphase detached single-family air space condominium in South Snohomish County.

Trace Lofts/Trace North
We represented the developer of this mixed-use project on Capitol Hill in Seattle, containing 16,000+ square feet of retail space and 140+ units located in adjacent buildings, one of which was a historic rehabilitation and one of which was new construction.

The Village at Redondo
We represented the developer with the acquisition and conversion of a 225+ unit apartment project in South King County consisting of 26 buildings.

Team

Eric A. Grasberger Partner Portland, OR

Joseph P. McCarthy Partner Seattle, WA

Bart W. Reed Of Counsel Seattle, WA