Kenneth A. Kecskes is a partner and Co-Chair of Holland & Knight's Residential and Planned Development Team. His practice encompasses a wide variety of complex real estate projects, including master-planned and mixed-use communities; hotels and resorts; corporate campuses; and professional sports stadiums. His experience includes acquisitions and dispositions, project entitlement and development, construction contracts, and developer/equity participant venture formation.
Mr. Kecskes has developed a strategic understanding of the development of large master-planned, mixed-use communities. He has assisted the developers of such communities along the full life cycle of their development from initial acquisition, land use entitlement, and construction to the sale of lands to merchant home builders and retail and commercial developers. Mr. Kecskes has counseled clients during the CEQA process and negotiated statutory development agreements and disposition and development agreements (DDAs) with local governments and redevelopment agencies. He has advised clients on land use entitlement strategy, including general plan amendments, subdivision map processing, the Permit Streamlining Act, the Mitigation Fee Act and the impact of climate change on development. He has implemented programs involving the public and private financing and construction of infrastructure, including roads, potable and reclaimed water systems and other utilities. He has negotiated the financing and provision of schools and affordable housing. Mr. Kecskes has implemented telecommunications and technology co-marketing arrangements and helped to manage the valuable trademarks and good will created by developers of master-planned communities. He has assisted clients in the construction and operation of community amenities (such as golf courses, recreation centers and private parks). Finally, Mr. Kecskes has assisted clients in structuring entities and agreements to manage construction risks and defect claims, including through traditional insurance models, owner-controlled insurance programs (OCIPs) and various other self-insurance programs.
Mr. Kecskes has drafted and reviewed commercial and industrial leases on behalf of biotechnology and software companies, dot-coms, retailers and landlords. In addition, he has advised publicly traded and private companies on the real estate issues involved with mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs.