Melanie Chaewsky

Melanie Chaewsky is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Century City office and a member of the West Coast Real Estate Group. Ms. Chaewsky focuses her practice on the acquisition, disposition, financing, development and land banking of real estate across a wide range of asset classes, including multifamily, single-family residential, retail, industrial and office properties.

Ms. Chaewsky represents owners, developers, investors and institutional clients in navigating complex real estate transactions, offering strategic counsel from due diligence through closing. Her work is informed by a strong foundation in land use and environmental law. This background gives her a distinct perspective on entitlement strategy and regulatory compliance in development projects.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight in her current role, Ms. Chaewsky was a summer associate in the West Coast Land Use and Environmental Group, where she worked on development project due diligence and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance.

Representative Experience

• Represented a multifamily owner, investor and operator in connection with the $177 million acquisition and financing of a 400-unit multifamily property located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego
• Represented a Beverly Hills real estate investment company in connection with the $86.57 million acquisition of two multifamily housing properties, totaling 576 units, in Columbia, South Carolina, that will be operated as an affordable housing project; the acquisition was financed by a credit enhanced bond series supported by Freddie Mac, two subordinate classes of bond and a taxable loan
• Represented an investment management fund in the $52 million land banking of land entitled for development of a 265-home community in Sacramento, California
• Represented a real estate investment affiliate in the $48.2 million acquisition of a multifamily housing community in Frisco, Texas, which included the assumption of a $31.9 million loan insured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a post-approval expedited closing and a structured transfer to a local housing authority, followed by a ground lease, to secure Texas property tax exemptions
• Representation of a Beverly Hills real estate investment company in connection with the $21 million acquisition, Fannie Mae financing and negotiation of an ad valorem tax exemption for a 207-unit multifamily housing facility in Waco, Texas
• Represented a global hospitality company in the acquisition, financing and redevelopment of a long-dormant resort property in Napa County, California, with a portion of the purchase and predevelopment costs funded through seller financing