The State of Commercial Real Estate
Ben Graff, Quarles & Brady
Ben Graff with Quarles & Brady is an established Arizona land use and zoning attorney with extensive experience in government relations and Arizona politics. Ben authored one of the first Planned Unit Development applications approved by the City of Phoenix and has become one of the preeminent attorneys furthering creative downtown infill development. Ben has not shied away from the more unique land use cases, having secured the necessary approvals for Arizona’s largest utility-scale solar plant. He also played a prominent role in securing the approval for luxury resort, The Ritz Carlton in Paradise Valley, in 2015, and has vast experience zoning and entitling projects throughout the Valley. Luxury multi-family, senior living, affordable housing, single-family, industrial uses, office, mixed-use developments, and securing the approval for Arizona’s most prominent luxury resort are just a few examples of his experience. Ben will focus on expanding and leading the firm’s land use, zoning, and municipal government relations practice.
As an Arizona native with deep roots in local politics and experience influencing strategic decisions related to land use policy, Ben’s successful practice is sustained through his connections with the development community, planning staff, neighborhood leaders, appointed officials, and elected officials in towns, cities, and counties throughout Arizona. In 2004, Ben was appointed by the Governor to serve a two-year term on the Arizona Board of Regents. Ben’s interests in politics ventured beyond advocacy when on November 8, 2016, he was elected by the Maricopa County voters to serve a six-year term on the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (Central Arizona Project) Board of Directors.
His clients benefit from Ben’s extensive development and political networks and his long record of successes in obtaining governmental approvals for rezoning cases, use permits, variances, special use permits, abandonments, certificates of occupancy, site plan approvals, design approvals, and other various administrative cases. From Gilbert to Goodyear and Tucson to Flagstaff, Ben’s practice has contributed to communities throughout Arizona.
To hear more, listen to Ben’s appearance on Valley Business Radio in November 2019.
Connect with Ben Graff on LinkedIn and follow Quarles & Brady on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Jason Wood, Quarles & Brady
Jason F. Wood is the Arizona chair of the Quarles & Brady Real Estate Practice Group, focusing his practice on a wide array of transactional real estate matters locally and throughout the country. In particular, he has significant experience in forming joint ventures, commercial leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, sale leaseback transactions, real estate secured lending, development and redevelopment projects, corporate mergers and acquisitions, construction contracts, condominium and mixed-use CC&Rs, and COREAs.
Jason has assisted his clients in acquiring, financing, developing, restructuring, selling, and leasing shopping centers, automotive dealerships, office buildings, hotels, industrial parks, apartment complexes, and raw land, among others. His real estate practice also includes the preparation and negotiation of joint development, cost-sharing, and construction agreements, as well as restrictive covenants, easements, and related project documents in connection with the development of master-planned communities, shopping centers, and mixed-use developments.
Jason’s banking and finance experience includes the representation of both lending institutions and borrowers in commercial financing transactions, including real estate acquisition, construction and permanent loan facilities, syndicated and structured finance, and the defeasance of CMBS loans.
Jason holds an AV® Preeminent Rating by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings system, and has also been selected for inclusion in Southwest Super Lawyers lists in the area of real estate law. He is actively involved in the Arizona District Council of the Urban Land Institute and the Arizona and New Mexico Operations Committee of the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Connect with Jason Wood on LinkedIn and follow Quarles & Brady on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
