Gale Connor has a distinguished practice encompassing many aspects of real property law. He is experienced in eminent domain, commercial leasing, acquisition, and disposition of improved and unimproved properties, real estate finance, and litigation of environmental, title, land use, condemnation and inverse condemnation cases. He also serves as special outside counsel for real estate acquisitions for various public agencies.
Representative Work
Representative Litigation
Costco v. BART Represented property owner in an inverse condemnation action against BART for environmental contamination caused by the construction of the BART extension to the San Francisco Airport. A two-week jury trial resulted in a finding of liability of BART by the Court and an awarding of damages, including attorney's fees, to the property owner.
Hercules v. Wal-Mart Stores / Wal-Mart Stores v. Hercules Represented the City and Redevelopment Agency in two related cases involving the condemnation of unimproved land owned by Wal-Mart for redevelopment purposes. This litigation was the subject of international media attention, having been reported on by news outlets from Great Britain to Japan.
Emeryville Redevelopment Agency v. Harcros Pigments, Inc. 101 Cal.App.4th 1083 (2002). Represented owner of an industrial pigment plant in an eminent domain action in which the jury awarded compensation in the amount of $12.5 million. The appellate decision clarified California law on various valuation procedures, including entitlement to goodwill.
Pleasant Hill Redevelopment Agency. Represented the Redevelopment Agency in 21 condemnation actions for the assemblage of over 26 parcels for the construction of the Pleasant Hill Downtown Project. That project received the 2004 California Redevelopment Association Award for Excellence for Community Redevelopment.
United State of America v. Alameda Gateway, Ltd. 953 F.Supp. 1106 (N.D. Cal. 1996). Represented the owner of a shipyard in the Oakland inner-harbor in action brought by the United States Government under the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. §§ 403, 406.), and represented the owner in a related action in the United States Court of Federal Claims.
County of Contra Costa v. Pinole Point Properties (1994) 27 Cal.App.4th 1105. Represented property owner at trial and on appeal in a condemnation action in which the property owner was awarded in excess of $6 million for the taking of unimproved land. The appellate decision clarified California law on the use of a prior inconsistent appraisal for impeachment of an appraiser at trial. This rule was later codified by the legislature in a 2002 amendment to C.C.P. §1255.060.
Representative Transactions
Mixed Used Development. Led a team of lawyers for over a decade representing the owner of a 30 acre, 180,000 square foot urban shopping mall in the redevelopment of the property into a town center featuring a mix of social service/office/transit/retail and residential uses. Supervised all phases of the project, from the original foreclosure in the mid-1990s through various rounds of financing, leasing, construction, sub-division, environmental remediation and related litigation. The project was the subject of an extensive article in the Urban Land Institute Magazine, which lauded it as a successful model for urban redevelopment through public and private cooperative efforts. Mr. Connor represented the owner in the ultimate sale of the redeveloped property for $78 million.
Commercial Leasing. Represents both landlords and tenants in leasing transactions for spaces ranging from 2,000 to 64,000 square feet in size for office, retail commercial, and light industrial, medical offices, restaurant, wireless telecommunication facilities, and special city, county and federal governmental uses. Mr. Connor recently represented a major global manufacturing company in leasing over 120,000 square feet of mixed office and retail space in Southern California, as well as the owner of a commercial office building in Northern California in leasing over 65,000 square feet of office space. Regularly represents tenants in office leases throughout San Francisco.
Acquisition, Financing and Disposition of Properties. Represents sellers and buyers in the purchase and sale of improved and unimproved properties, including retail, office, light industrial, agricultural, multi-family residential and special use properties. Also represents borrowers in secured lending transactions including construction, bridge, private equity and conduit loans.
Right of Way Acquisitions. Represents cities and municipally owned utility in acquiring rights of way for streets, roads, power lines and other infrastructure projects.