Overview

Aaron J. Sobaski represents owners, developers, investors, and corporate users in connection with the acquisition, sale, leasing, ground leasing, financing, construction and development of commercial real estate projects.

Areas of Practice

Aaron has a broad real estate transactional practice representing both public and private entities, with particular emphasis on complex public-private partnerships, the purchase, sale, leasing and development of industrial/distribution facilities, the purchase, sale and leasing of agricultural properties, sale/leaseback transactions, and various types of ground lease-based transactions. Such representations include student housing and affordable housing projects, mobile home parks, and other commercial and residential developments, as well as military base reuse and redevelopment, and large logistics and distribution facilities (both on and off airport).

For mixed-use projects, Aaron drafts CC&Rs, Reciprocal Easement Agreements, and other forms of shared use agreements. He also assists clients with establishing owner's associations and preparing subdivision filings with the California Bureau of Real Estate.

Aaron regularly represents investors and investment funds, as well as family offices, in connection with their acquisition, disposition, leasing and management of real estate assets in California.

A significant part of Aaron’s practice involves representing large national and international corporations regarding their real estate needs, including the development and construction of new distribution, production, R&D, and office facilities, commercial leasing and subleasing, and the restructuring and disposition of excess real estate assets, including sale/leaseback transactions.

Experience

Experience

  • Public-Private Partnerships
    • Represented the Regents of the University of California in connection with the development and financing of the UCSF Neurosciences Building on UCSF’s Mission Bay Campus.
    • Represented The Presidio of San Francisco regarding various base reuse and redevelopment projects, including a variety of lease and ground lease transactions.
    • Represented Carmel Partners and its affiliates with respect to their U.C. Davis - West Village mixed-use development, which includes student housing, commercial space, and related infrastructure work, as well as substantial solar energy improvements, all pursuant to a complex multi-phased ground lease structure.
    • Represented Continental Mobile Homes and its affiliate Oakridge, Ltd. regarding the long-term ground leasing of approximately 10% of the lots at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Los Angeles, CA to an affordable housing developer working in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles and a tax credit investor.
    • Represented Edgemoor Development in connection with all aspects of its development of the Central District Project at the University of Kansas, including long-term ground leasing, a development agreement with the University, a long-term service agreement with the University and a third-party service provider, construction agreements with its contractors and various other ancillary agreements.
    • Represented BRIDGE Housing and Primestor Development Inc. in connection with the ground leasing, leasing, development, financing, and various related transactions for a large mixed-use project at Vermont and Manchester Avenues in Los Angeles County, which includes a mix of retail, office and other commercial spaces, affordable housing and senior housing, subterranean and garage parking, and a public plaza.
    • Represent DHL in connection with its leasing, development, and financing of various on‑airport distribution facilities across the U.S.
    • Represent California State University in connection with various development projects at a number of CSU campuses, including RFP issuance and response, ground leasing and traditional leasing, development and management agreements, and other transactions relating to on-campus development projects.
  • Agriculture
    • Represented a large international private equity fund in connection with its acquisition and financing of over 20,000 acres of productive farming land in California through multiple portfolio and individual transactions.
    • Represent one of the largest fruit growers in the United States in connection with the ongoing acquisition, disposition, financing, and management of its real estate assets in California, including various sale-leaseback transactions.
  • Healthcare 
    • Regularly represent MOB developers in connection with the acquisition, development, construction, financing (both debt and equity), and eventual disposition of projects throughout Southern California.
    • Represented Avanti Hospitals and Paladin Capital in connection with their purchase of the East Los Angeles Doctor’s Hospital and Memorial Hospital of Gardena as well as related Medical Office Buildings, including the structuring and negotiation of a complex sale-leaseback and purchase money financing.
    • Represented the Marin Community Clinic with respect to the purchase of a long-term ground lease and the receipt of a donative gift of the fee interest in a medical office facility in Marin County, CA.
    • Represented Plymouth Health Investments LLC with its sale of the Alvarado Hospital and related Medical Office Buildings in San Diego, CA.
    • Represented DISC Sports & Spine Center regarding its leasing and development of medical office facility and surgical centers in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, CA.
    • Represented LA BioMed in connection with a complex multi-lender construction loan (including EB5 debt) for the expansion of its ground leased campus at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
  • Corporate Transactions
    • Regularly represent DHL and its affiliates in connection with their corporate leasing transactions throughout the U.S., including retail facilities, office locations, and distribution facilities of all sizes, including a number of on-airport properties.
    • Represented California Newspapers Partnership and its affiliates and subsidiaries with leasing and subleasing transactions, as well as the disposition of excess real estate assets, including the sale of the former headquarters and production and distribution facilities for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Marin Independent Journal, and Contra Costa Times.
    • Represented GenCorp and its subsidiary Aerojet with respect to the real estate aspects of the purchase of the Pratt & Whitney - Rocketdyne division of UTC. That representation included drafting and negotiating long-term facility leases, service agreements, and various subleases, lease assignments, lease terminations, and similar transactions for all of the PWR facilities in the U.S., including production, R&D, manufacturing, testing (including rocket launch testing), and office facilities.
    • Regularly represent various corporations, including private equity shareholders, in connection with the sale, disposition, and lease-back of their real estate assets in connection with M&A transactions, corporate restructuring, and real estate secured financing/re-financing.

Honors

Honors

Rising Star, Georgetown University Law School Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute, 2009

Southern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2013-2015

Insights

Speaking Engagements

  • Presenter and panelist on "Practical Tips for Negotiating the Best Lease Deals" to the American Corporate Counsel Association (ACC - May 2005)

Memberships

Memberships

California Bar Association

Orange County Bar Association

Urban Land Institute

Sports Lawyers Association

Education

J.D., University of California, Hastings, 2003

B.A., Northwestern University, 1998

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