John S. Stewart is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department, Real Estate Special Opportunities Group and Construction Services Group.

Experience

John represents owners, operators, investors and lenders. His clients range from individuals operating from their home offices to prominent institutional and non-institutional firms, including private equity funds. John guides his clients through negotiations involving a range of commercial real estate assets including retail shopping centers, multifamily, mixed-use and public self-storage located across the country. His practice is national in scope and encompasses a full range of commercial real estate transactions, with a focus on acquisitions and dispositions (including distressed debt and equity transactions), financing transactions (including construction, mezzanine and preferred equity) and development projects.

Representative Matters

John has represented clients in an array of real estate transactions, including:

• Ongoing representation of one of the largest private owners and operators of self-storage properties in the United States in connection with the acquisition of more than 100 self-storage assets in over 20 states and 1 U.S. territory containing over 10 million rentable square feet
• An owner and operator in connection with the $83 million acquisition and financing of two class-A office portfolios in Huntsville, Alabama, together comprising six properties and 14 buildings and containing over 1 million square feet
• One of the largest private owners and operators of self-storage properties in the United States in connection with a $330 million mortgage and mezzanine financing facility covering 49 self-storage assets in 17 states
• A private investor in connection with a contribution transaction covering a portfolio of multi-family properties valued at approximately $1.9 billion, together comprising over 85 properties in 9 states
• An owner and operator in connection with the $32 million acquisition and financing of a mixed-used industrial office portfolio in Maryland containing over 240,000 rentable square feet
• An owner and operator in connection with a partnership buy-out for a multi-family portfolio valued at over $55 million, together comprising over twenty properties in 3 states
• A developer in the acquisition of property in Newark, New Jersey for development of a 60,000 square-foot medical research facility
• A real estate opportunity fund in the acquisition of debt and financing of two condominium buildings located in Brooklyn, New York
• A real estate opportunity fund in the acquisition of debt and financing of a premier hotel resort and golf course in Aventura, Florida
• A real estate opportunity fund in the acquisition and financing of two office buildings located in Manhattan, New York
• A private developer in the sale of a $29 million residential condominium project located in Yorktown, New York
• A private developer in the acquisition and financing of a ground lease and an 86,000 square foot mixed-use commercial building consisting of ground floor retail and 164 apartments located in Manhattan, New York
• An investment fund in the acquisition of distressed debt and financing for a 40,000 square foot office building located in Freehold, New Jersey
• An investment fund in the acquisition of distressed debt and financing of a 114-unit residential development in Franklin, New Jersey
• An investment fund in the acquisition of distressed debt and the origination of senior and subordinated debt with respect to property in Manhattan, New York
• A real estate opportunity fund in the acquisition of debt and financing of a partially constructed 63-unit condominium development located in Brooklyn, New York
• A real estate fund in the acquisition of distressed debt and the foreclosure acquisition of industrial building and developable land in Lehigh, Pennsylvania
• An owner of a manufacturing business in the acquisition and financing, including SBA bonds and a construction loan, of a building in Clifton, New Jersey containing over 50,000 square feet of industrial and warehouse space
• A private developer in the acquisition and financing of Kettering Tower, a 485,000-square-foot office building located in Dayton, Ohio

Education

John earned his B.A. from the University of Rochester, a major in Economics with special achievements in Finance & International Relations, and his J.D. from the University of Syracuse School of Law.

Honors & Awards

John is consistently awarded high marks for the quality of his legal work and practical advice and has garnered professional accolades from clients. John has been a speaker and moderator at several public forums on commercial real estate and has written numerous articles on legal matters and developments relevant to commercial real estate.