Isabel Mattox

We can assist you with both long- and short-range planning for your property. Typically, such planning involves our  review of the current zoning, comprehensive plan, streets manual, area plans, corridor plans, urban form plans and other City, County, and State plans which affect your property. This process can be a quick assessment of what you can do with your property now, whether rezoning is recommended and what obstacles and opportunities you might encounter.

Long-term planning is a deeper planning process which considers multiple options, types of uses, tenants, and the possibility of seeking approval of a detailed planned development with many moving parts. In both short- and long-term planning, we frequently consult with land planners, architects and engineers and many different departments within City or County Planning Departments to address issues involving utility service, traffic and street dedication requirements, stormwater management, parking, landscaping and tree conservation.

Our goal is to help you to achieve the highest and best use of your property by acquiring all necessary approvals and permits.

• Obtaining rezoning of single lots to large acreage tracts to achieve highest and best use of real property.
• Obtaining site plan and subdivision approvals from local government staff, planning boards and town councils.
• Obtaining Variances, Special Use Permits, Design Alternates and Zoning Interpretations from Boards of Adjustment and other review boards for residential and commercial projects gaining relief from height, setback, parking, signage, right-of-way and other ordinance requirements.
• Obtaining Certificates of Appropriateness from Historic District Commissions.
• Comprehensive Plan analysis and amendments.
• Preparation of restrictive covenants and easement documents, including property owners association documents, cross access, slope, sidewalk, utility, greenway, and transit easements, and stormwater documents.
• Obtaining reductions in real property valuations for tax purposes from County Revenue Departments. Boards of Equalization and Review and State Property Tax Commission.

Acquiring real estate, embarking on a development project, or entering into a lease for your business can be exciting endeavors, but without experienced real estate counsel, they can be fraught with risk. We can assist you in completing real estate transactions from a simple closing to very complex real estate and financing transactions to commercial leases. We can advise you on the structure of your transaction and assist you with negotiating a successful outcome. This process includes the negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, escrow agreements, commercial leases and financing documents.

• Acquisition of single parcels or land assemblages in multiple counties
• Closings of financing of office, retail, medical, and single family and multifamily residential developments, including market rate, senior housing and affordable housing tax credit developments
• Structuring and closing of §1031 tax deferred exchanges
• Title searches and title insurance
• Preparation, review and negotiation of commercial leases
• Negotiation of restrictive covenants and utility easements
• Sale/leaseback transactions

• University of North Carolina, BA, 1980
  
• University of North Carolina, JD. 1986