Mike concentrates his practice in the areas of land use planning and zoning, environmental permitting, and regulatory compliance at all governmental levels. His clients include industrial, commercial, and residential property owners and developers in all phases of development and redevelopment projects, including brownfields and adaptive reuse projects. He regularly appears before municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment, governing bodies, county boards, and regional agencies and authorities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mike has represented clients in, among other areas, land use matters involving entitlements for industrial parks; large-scale warehouse/distribution facilities; e-commerce fulfillment centers; affordable housing projects; retail centers; mixed-use projects; manufacturing facilities; electric generation facilities; natural gas pipelines, electric transmission lines and renewable energy projects. Mike also has extensive experience in counseling clients and obtaining permits and approvals for what are often controversial land use projects and uses, such as billboards, solar farms, group homes, addiction facilities, and other projects and uses that involve neighborhood and/or political opposition.
Mike regularly counsels clients on environmental permitting issues and compliance, as well as title insurance. Mike has also worked on the creation and administration of Planned Real Estate Development Full Disclosure Act registrations with respect to numerous residential projects in New Jersey. He also advises clients on Validity Challenges and Curative Amendments in Pennsylvania.
In coordination with Archer Public Affairs, Mike provides clients with full-service government and regulatory affairs advice and advocacy on a variety of land use and real estate matters helping clients to achieve their business objectives.
Prior to attending law school, Mike spent three years as an Admission Counselor and Assistant Dean of Admission at Colgate University. He also spent two years as a Sales Engineer with AMP and later Tyco Electronics, where he focused on sales and marketing primarily with communication equipment designers, manufacturers and subcontractors, as well as the creation of distribution and consignment programs.
Representative Experience
- Lead attorney in obtaining entitlements related to the adaptive reuse of a failed department store with a new healthcare facility.
- Key member of legal team in obtaining entitlements for an off-shore wind energy generation facility, and lead attorney on title review for project.
- Key member of legal team that successfully obtained permits and approvals for a 750MW electrical power generation facility, and lead attorney on title review for project.
- Successfully represented national developers in obtaining entitlements for two new industrial parks totaling approximately 5,000,000 square feet of industrial space.
- Lead attorney in obtaining entitlements for an approximately 600,000 square foot e-commerce facility, which included negotiating redevelopment and financial agreements, and easements for off-tract improvements.
- Successfully obtained major site plan and variance approvals on behalf of several national and international food processing and cold storage companies in connection with the expansion of their manufacturing and distribution facilities.
- Successfully obtained entitlements on behalf of redeveloper in connection with a several hundred unit affordable housing project.
Professional and Community Involvement
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- Camden County Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Philadelphia Bar Association
- NAIOP/Commercial Real Estate Development Association
- Board of Directors, Camden County Habitat for Humanity
- Board of Directors, New Jersey Apartment Association
- Board of Directors, My Father’s House
- Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, New York Zeta Fund
- Member, The Union League of Philadelphia
- Member, Riverton Country Club
- Member, Salem County Sportsmen’s Club
- Colgate University Alumni Admission Program
Articles and Presentations
- “Legal Trends in Land Use Law,” New Jersey Builders Association, Atlantic Builders Convention (March 2023)
- “Changing Places: The Tips and Traps of Converting Existing Projects to a Different and New Use,” American Bar Association, Forum on Construction Law, 2023 Midwinter Meeting (San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 2023)
- “Zoning Compliance Tips For NJ Medical Marijuana Facilities,“ Law360 (October 2019)
- “Legalization of Marijuana in New Jersey: Facility, Financial & Human Resource Aspects”, Businesses Committed to South Jersey (March 2019)
- “Over the River and Through the Woods: Exploring Differences Between PA and NJ Real Estate Law,” Camden County Bar Association (February 2019)