Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 1 www.luce.com Reciprocal Easements, Cost Sharing Agreements and CC&Rs: The Blueprint for Ensuring a Successful Project A Presentation by: Nancy T. Scull, Esq. Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP www.luce.com Types of Agreements • Reciprocal Easement Agreements • Reciprocal Easement and Cost Sharing Agreements • CC&Rs • What are the differences? 101054839.1 2 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 2 www.luce.com • Reciprocal Easement Agreements: – Shared easements between two owners with no cost sharing • Reciprocal Easement and Cost Sharing Agreement: – Shared Easements between two or more owners with cost sharing. 101054839.1 3 www.luce.com • REAs may be between 2 or more owners or • Can be established by the developer as Declarant before any property is conveyed • It then becomes a Declaration Establishing Reciprocal Easements and Cost Sharing Agreement But the concepts remain the same! 101054839.1 4 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 3 www.luce.com Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions or “CC&Rs” 1. Established by Declarant 2. Typically (but not always) establish an Owners Association 3. May be subject to regulatory agency approval if there are residential interests 101054839.1 5 www.luce.com Whether it is an REA or CC&Rs • • • • • Establish covenants running with the land May establish equitable servitudes Benefitted Property and Burdened Property Statutory Requirements Reference in Grant Deeds may be required 101054839.1 6 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 4 www.luce.com • Which type of Agreement or Declaration do you choose – it may depend upon your project and other factors! 101054839.1 7 www.luce.com REA or Declaration May Be Simple or Complex • Shared Driveway – REA 101054839.1 Shared Driveway 8 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 5 www.luce.com Horizontal Mixed Use Residential/Retail/Office • Mixed Use Residential & Retail Buildings • Retail Parcels • Office Parcels • Hotel Parcels • Shared surface, parking and other areas, main street, landscaping, drainage . . . RIVERPARK 101054839.1 9 www.luce.com Vertical Mixed Use with Mixed Use Parcels Residential Condominiums with a Residential Association Vertical Parcel Line Retail/Hotel – One Owner Subterranean Parking The Avenue -- “Chicago Model” REA or CC&Rs with an Association or Associations. 101054839.1 10 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 6 www.luce.com Factors in Selecting an REA or CC&Rs with an Owners Association 1. Nature of Easements 2. Statutory or Regulatory Issues 3. Objective for Control 4. Comparable Values of the Residential/Commercial Interests 5. Concern for balance and fairness 6. Lender issues Riverpark The Avenue 7. When do you want to impose the covenants? 101054839.1 11 www.luce.com Common Theme and Goal in a Mixed Use REA or CC&Rs 1. Divergent Interests: Mixed Marriage of Residential and Commercial – are not necessarily compatible! 2. Commercial Owners – One Goal • 101054839.1 Minimize Contact with Residential Owners 12 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 7 www.luce.com 1. What does an REA or CC&Rs need to address? Easement Rights Cost Sharing Allocations Damage & Destruction (depends upon nature of easement areas) Maintenance Obligations Cure Rights Use Restrictions 101054839.1 13 www.luce.com The Easement Process Reserve (Declarant hereby reserves) or simply To Grant (Declarant or Owner of Lot 1 hereby grants to) 101054839.1 14 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 8 www.luce.com The Easement Process For Benefit of And its Permittees (Easement in Gross) For Benefit of Lot 1 / (Easement Appurtenant) 101054839.1 15 www.luce.com Pylon Sign with LED Reeder Board Reserve Easement in Gross 101054839.1 16 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 9 www.luce.com • Where? On, over, under, through and across (the Burdened Property) 101054839.1 17 www.luce.com • For what purpose? – Emergency ingress and egress? – Maintenance and repair? – Exclusive use of an area or facility • Then what you give, you may take away 101054839.1 18 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 10 www.luce.com Limitation on Easement Rights • Rules • Declarant or developer rights • Entry into areas • Closure • Relocation 101054839.1 19 www.luce.com General Character of Easements • Appurtenant or in Gross? – Example: LED READER Board or Vending Machine Operations may be an easement in gross • Roadway easement – An easement appurtenant – Elevator easement in a building-easement appurtenant 101054839.1 20 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 11 www.luce.com What Questions Do You Need to Ask? Issue Language Who is reserving the easement? Declarant hereby reserves… Who is the easement being granted to? Declarant hereby reserves for the benefit of the Residential Owners and their Permittees… Or Declarant here grants to the Commercial Owner and its agents, contractors and employees… What is the easement over? Declarant hereby reserves for the benefit of the Residential Owners and their Permittees on, over, through and across the Project Common Area… For what purpose is the easement granted? Declarant hereby reserves for the benefit of the Residential Owners and their Permittees on, over, through and across the Project Common Area for vehicular and pedestrian ingress and egress… 101054839.1 21 www.luce.com Title Issues • Title Insurance • Subordinations • Review Title Reports – do you have the correct signatories? • Duration – Survive Termination of REA or CC&Rs 101054839.1 22 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 12 www.luce.com Scope of Easements Will Vary Project by Project • Ingress & egress over surface areas • Utilities • Drainage • Signage • Parking 101054839.1 23 www.luce.com Vertical Mixed Use Building • Building Stairwells • Elevators • Roof Easements • Walkways Pathways • Lobby • Trash Chutes • Utility Rooms 101054839.1 • Loading Docks • Emergency Areas • Support • Encroachment • Parking • Shared Facilities 24 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 13 www.luce.com Must identify each easement and do your analysis! 101054839.1 25 www.luce.com Deciding the Balance of Power (i.e. Maintenance) in REA or CC&Rs • Who should maintain the easement areas? • He who maintains has the power! 101054839.1 26 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 14 www.luce.com Owner/Operator REA: Protecting Other Ownership Interests • Designate a primary owner to maintain and operate • If you shift the balance of power to one owner, how do you protect the other owners? • Establish the rules of the game in the REA or CC&Rs • Approval of other owners on certain issues • Covenant of good faith and fair dealing • Operational Disputes – establishing a process to resolve disputes 101054839.1 27 www.luce.com Maintaining the Easement Areas • Ensuring easement areas are properly maintained – Standard of Maintenance General • Good condition of maintenance and repair 101054839.1 Specific • Repave shared parking lots every 7 years • Clean, remove trash on a weekly basis 28 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 15 www.luce.com Maintaining the Easement Areas (continued) • What happens when things go wrong? – Cure Rights – Take Over Rights 101054839.1 29 www.luce.com • To whom do you want to give cure and take over rights? • May vary depending upon project – A simple REA for a roadway – cure and take over rights to the other owner – Mixed use buildings • Not a multitude of small landowners • Condominium Association – maybe • Majors or other Big Guys 101054839.1 30 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 16 www.luce.com Allocation of Expenses - REA or CC&Rs • Establish Allocation Formulas – Can vary . . . may have multiple formulas • Determining a proportionate share – – – – Land Area Floor Area Square Footage Other Factors • Control of increases – statutory or contractual • Fund Reserves • Flexibility to change formulas and amounts based on first year operations 101054839.1 31 www.luce.com Defining Expenses • General – Shared Expenses, include the costs of maintaining, repairing and replacing the shared easement area • Specific Approach – Shared Expenses means the following: (a) expenses directly related to the maintenance, management, operation, repair and replacement of the Shared Building Elements; (b) any expenses related to inspections required under the Maintenance Program; (c) any expense related to Property Insurance which the Operator is required to obtain as provided in Artlcle ___; (d) a management fee in a reasonable and customary amount but not to exceed ___ (__) percent of ___ ___ Shared Expenses; (e) any other categories of costs delineated in the Shared Expenses Budget; and reasonable reserves required to be funded under Section ___. 101054839.1 32 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 17 www.luce.com How do you protect against substantial increases? • Examine records • Approval rights over budget • Requiring maintenance to a Project Quality Standard • Reserves and protecting against a bankruptcy 101054839.1 33 www.luce.com Use Restrictions in REA/CC&Rs Restrictive Permissive • No obstruction of roadway • Can operate from 7 am to 1 pm • No use of common area for • Can have access at all times outdoor sales areas • Can have an outdoor sales area • No access to shared stairwells except for emergency ingress or egress 101054839.1 34 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 18 www.luce.com Insuring the Easement Areas • Easy in a Horizontal REA – Operator or Owner – Easement areas will probably not include the building – Easement Area is rebuilt if Building is rebuilt – If no rebuilding, Benefitted Easement Holder can rebuild • Complex in CC&Rs or REA for a Single Building – Association or one owner – Do not divide property insurance obligation – Named Insured - controls insurance issues – Additional Insureds – gives other owners rights 101054839.1 35 www.luce.com Damage and Destruction Address it in REA or CC&Rs • What happens when insurance is not adequate to repair? 101054839.1 36 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 19 www.luce.com Issues to Consider • Requirement to rebuild essential easement areas • Will Commercial Owner control rebuilding? • Lender concerns • Purchase rights upon an election not to build 101054839.1 37 www.luce.com Duration of Easements and Other Customary Provisions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 101054839.1 In perpetuity Do they survive termination of CC&Rs? Amendments Relocation Mortgagee Protection Condemnation Covenant of Cooperation 38 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV Nancy T. Scull of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP Speaker 9: 20 www.luce.com Lessons Learned / Lessons Shared • Meet with architect or engineers if easement areas are complex • Understand scope of all required easements above ground and below ground • Analyze the pendulum of control • Do not create a dictatorship (at least if you have residential interests) • Flexibility for change 101054839.1 39 Law Seminars International | Development Agreements, Easements and CCRs | 12/5/07 in Las Vegas, NV
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