Legal Reviews: Property ‘Inspection’ or Taking?

Volume 39, Number 3 Winter 2014 By Anthony F. DellaPelle, Esq., CRE Editor’s Note: This new “Legal Update” section will feature summaries of recent judicial decisions, legislative and regulatory updates, or other legal news that concerns the real estate industry. Summaries can refer to published case law, news items, blogs and other reference materials.  The… Read more

Legal Reviews: Federal Water Reform Act Spurs Development

Volume 39, Number 3 Winter 2014 By Charles Noel Schilke, JD, AM, CRE, FRICS On June 10, President Obama signed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) into law. The $12.3 billion WRRDA (U.S. Public Law 113-121) provides broad authorization for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects. The act makes funds available… Read more

Valuation of Big-Box Retail for Assessment Purposes: Right Answer to the Wrong Question

Volume 39, Number 3 Originally Published: Winter 2014 By David Charles Lennhoff, CRE Introduction What is it about the way big-box retail property is being valued for tax assessment purposes that results in the wrong answer? Surprisingly, it can be traced to a misunderstanding of real estate appraisal fundamentals. These properties are never built speculatively,… Read more

Resource Reviews

Resource Review – Capital in the 21st Century

Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty (© 2014, Harvard University Press, 696 pages) By the time readers have read this, Capital in the 21st Century will have become its publisher’s most popular title ever. Author Thomas Piketty already has emerged from relative obscurity in the French Academy to become an international celebrity, and… Read more

The Rise of the Market for Auto Dealerships: Bad News for Landlords?

Introduction The rise in vehicle sales has brought about a recovery in the auto industry. While this has a generally positive influence on the value of the real estate from which dealers operate, the ramifications of the industry’s recovery on landlords is somewhat complex. Understanding how the boom in an industry can have negative consequences… Read more

Perspectives

TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline Heightens Awareness of Eminent Domain and Transportation of Energy

Understanding What is Happening in Nebraska A Nebraska trial court opinion issued in February 2014 has helped to focus new attention on the process for siting major pipelines, the environment and the power of eminent domain. In 2008 TransCanada Corporation, based in Calgary, Alberta, constructed the Keystone Pipeline through Nebraska. The Keystone project now transports crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta, to Wood River, Illinois. Additional... Read More