Levine Staller has been involved on a number of levels in the ongoing efforts to rebuild the Gulf Coast Region in the almost three years since the area was hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The most recent effort involved working with the national affordable housing builder Michaels Development Company on a $40 million development in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The project, entitled the “Savoy Place,” involves the construction of 158 residential apartment units and related common facilities. Located in the city’s 9th Ward District, the area hardest hit by flooding caused by the hurricane, the project will provide quality affordable rental housing for the area. The firm served as General Counsel on the project, working with the principals and project supervisors from Michaels, the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), and Interstate Realty Management Company, who are collectively providing additional social services to residents.
“While we’ve had the opportunity to work with Michaels on countless projects across the country, this one is particularly important,” said Levine Staller Partner Arthur Brown, who served as lead attorney for Michaels on the project. Levine Staller Partner Scott Mitnick added that “[For the firm] to have the opportunity to contribute to such a significant endeavor left us proud and humbled. This is more than a building—this is a symbol of a brighter future for the Gulf Coast Region.”
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu has called the project “one of the linchpins of [New Orleans’] recovery.”
Atlantic City-based Levine Staller was formed in 1978 principally as a tax and transactional firm concentrating in the areas of federal and state taxation, estate planning and commercial and real estate transactions. The firm has since diversified with the addition of attorneys practicing in other areas including complex commercial litigation, real estate tax appeals, land use planning and development, construction law, casino gaming, employee benefits and personal injury.