Thomas M. Letizia is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group of Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Princeton office. He also is a member of the firm’s Sustainability, CleanTech and Climate Change Team. Mr. Letizia represents local, regional and national developers, general businesses, retail companies, energy companies and educational institutions in all aspects of real estate transactions and development involving major retail centers, office complexes, industrial facilities, residential developments, hotels, schools and renewable energy projects such as solar energy systems.
His practice includes regular appearances before municipal, county and state regulatory boards and agencies throughout New Jersey for zoning, subdivision, site plan, variances and environmental approvals, negotiation of real estate acquisitions, sales and leases, and performance of due diligence reviews.
Mr. Letizia is experienced in handling legal issues arising from state environmental regulation of land development such as ISRA compliance, freshwater wetlands, stream encroachment, wastewater management planning and underground storage tanks. He has lectured to business and lender trade groups and written several articles on these topics, which can be found on the firm’s Web site.
Mr. Letizia’s practice also involves handling of complex legal issues arising from redevelopment projects, including redeveloper agreements, brownfield remediation, affordable housing, tax credits, payments in lieu of taxes, bond financing and other financing incentives.
In addition, Mr. Letizia assists developers on community association law matters, including the formation of condominiums and other common interest projects for both residential and nonresidential owners and in obtaining regulatory approvals from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs under the Planned Real Estate Development Full Disclosure Act.
Representative engagements of Mr. Letizia’s practice include the following. He has represented:
- the largest privately owned, Pennsylvania-based, real estate development company in the Northeast corridor in the redevelopment of a former industrial complex into a 370,000-square-foot, 33-acre Class “A” office park (Cherry Hill Township, NJ)
- the owner of a 700,000-square foot office complex in the prestigious Princeton Forrestal Center in obtaining approvals for the new US corporate headquarters for an international pharmaceutical company (Plainsboro Township, NJ)
- a regional developer in obtaining zoning changes and approvals for a new town center community consisting of 550 residential units and 225,000 square feet of commercial space (Robbinsville Township, NJ)
- a national office developer in obtaining approvals for a five-building 800,000-square-foot, 72-acre office park within the prestigious Princeton Forrestal Center (Plainsboro Township, NJ)
- a national developer in obtaining land use approvals for a multi-building 800,000 square foot, 360-acre office-research park (Hopewell Township, NJ)
- a national developer in obtaining approvals for a 300,000-square-foot office park (West Windsor Township, NJ)
- the owner of the 230,000-square-foot Princeton Shopping Center in obtaining various development approvals (Princeton Township, NJ)
- the owner and developer of Palmer Square, a planned commercial development of upscale stores, offices, restaurants, apartments and hotel (Princeton Borough, NJ)
- a hotel developer in obtaining approvals for a 150-room Marriott Courtyard and restaurant (Plainsboro Township, NJ)
- a regional developer in obtaining approvals for a 500,000-square-foot industrial facility (Robbinsville Township, NJ)
- a national developer in obtaining approvals for a 85,000-square-foot office building in the prestigious Carnegie Center office park (West Windsor Township, NJ)
- a regional developer in obtaining approvals for a 222-unit age-restricted housing development (Plainsboro Township, NJ)
- a regional developer in obtaining approvals for an age-restricted housing, mixed-use development (Montgomery Township, NJ)
- the founders of a new community bank in obtaining zoning variance approvals for a branch office (Princeton Borough, NJ)
- a regional developer in the redevelopment of a former manufacturing facility into a residential and commercial project (Hightstown, NJ)
- the owners of the historic Nassau Inn in obtaining approvals for an extensive rejuvenation and expansion project (Princeton Borough, NJ)
- the owner of a mixed-use historic commercial development in obtaining approvals for new office and retail uses (South Brunswick Township, NJ)
- the world’s largest retailer in obtaining approvals for store expansions and new advertising features (Freehold, Cinnaminson and Turnersville, NJ)
- private educational institution in obtaining approvals for a new performance arts center, gym and classroom addition (Princeton, NJ)
- a nonprofit organization in the construction of independent housing for the physically disabled (Lawrence Township, NJ).
Mr. Letizia has been appointed to a four-year term on the Supreme Court of New Jersey’s District VII Fee Arbitration Committee and serves as chairperson of one of the Committee’s local hearing panels. He is a member of the Land Use and Environmental Law Sections of the New Jersey State Bar Association, as well as a member of the Mercer County, Princeton and American Bar Associations. He is an associate member of the Shore Builders Association of Central New Jersey and serves on the Legislative Affairs and Land Use Planning Committees of the New Jersey Builders Association, which monitor state policies, legislation and regulations affecting the real estate development industry. Mr. Letizia also is a member of the New Jersey Chapter of NAIOP serving on its Land Use and Regulatory Affairs committees.
Before joining Pepper, Mr. Letizia was a shareholder with Jamieson, Moore, Peskin & Spicer, P.C. in Princeton.
Before entering private practice in 1986, Mr. Letizia clerked for the Honorable Florence R. Peskoe of the New Jersey Superior Court, where he worked on prerogative writ appeals of municipal land use decisions.
