Large-Scale Projects Must Know Playing Field

[IMGCAP(1)]RIVERHEAD, NY-How many hoops must be jumped through to get to the end of a $1.5-billion project? A lot, according to attorney Don Secunda of Weber Law Group LLP, who takes GlobeSt.com on a behind the scenes look at the Riverhead project, one of Long Island’s largest developments. “Behind every deal, whether it is a large-scale development or small acquisition, there are number of things to consider before reaching the closing gate,” explains Secunda. “An important aspect to consider is the need for those behind the scenes who know the playing field.”

Secunda, the legal counsel behind Riverhead Resorts LLC‘s proposed 4.8 million gross sf of upscale hotels, condos and resorts project on 755 acres on the East End of Long Island, tells GlobeSt.com that it isn’t as easy as just creating a concept and then developing it. “The project will take four development phases over 10 years,” Secunda says. “It will be at least two years from now before a shovel goes into the ground.”

[IMGCAP(2)]More than a year was consumed in negotiating the contract with the Town of Riverhead and getting through the required hearings, Secunda explains. “My client, John Niven, spent years ruminating over the details of his ambitious project and deciding who might constitute his ‘dream team’ of professionals which could actualize the concept.” Niven, the chairman of Baldragon Homes Ltd., a builder of luxury homes in Scotland, had built more than his share of large residential developments, according to Secunda, however, this would be his first foray “across the Pond” for business.