Practice Overview
Sblend’s practice focuses exclusively on real estate, commercial, and finance matters. He assists his clients nationwide with real estate, land use, commercial negotiations, bankruptcy and insolvency.
Sblend has negotiated land use entitlements in the Bay Area for a couple of decades with an emphasis in public assistance financing, development agreements and specific plans.
He has negotiated hundreds of business acquisitions and dispositions, real property transactions and work-outs for businesses, developers, commercial landlords, and commercial lenders, and has negotiated the sale, lease and financing of hundreds of millions of dollars of business assets and real property.
Sblend was named a “Northern California Super Lawyer” for 2012, as chosen by his peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics and San Francisco Magazine.
Recent Matters
- Represented Paragon Outlets in entitling, acquiring and securing construction financing for a 500,000 square feet fashion outlet center in Livermore Valley that will feature over 120 retailers. It is the third largest retail project currently under construction in the United States.
- Re-negotiated office and manufacturing leases for publicly-held owner with national retailer exiting bankruptcy
- Negotiated sale of surplus school site from developer to school district to avoid foreclosure
- Negotiation of the sale of a multi-million dollar bankruptcy claim to an international bank
- Negotiated land use entitlements and pubic assistance financing for 500,000 sq. foot retail center for national builder
- Negotiated acquisition of lease from national retailer being liquidated in bankruptcy
- Negotiated the acquisition of a co-location facility in San Ramon out of bankruptcy
- Advised publicly-held technology manufacturer on workout with major customer facing cash crisis
- Negotiated resolution of bankruptcy preference claims for publicly-held technology manufacturer
- Negotiated the acquisition of motor vehicle retailer’s locations out of bankruptcy
- Re-negotiated credit lines for manufacturers
- Negotiated and reviewed acquisition and financing of radio station
- Negotiated land use entitlements for 500-unit transit oriented housing project for owner
Professional Activities
In 2011, Sblend was appointed to the Board of Directors of i-GATE Development Corporation, designated by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development as one of six “innovation hubs” (iHubs) in the State of California. Sblend serves on the Eastern Alameda County Bar Association’s board of directors and was its President in 2004. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Bay Area Bankruptcy Forum. He was the President of the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association, and served as a board member of the Livermore Valley Wine Auction. Sblend served as the chair of the board of directors of the Livermore Chamber of Commerce in 2008. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors appointed Sblend as chairperson for its Agricultural Advisory Committee in 2001 and 2002. He was appointed by the Alameda Board of Supervisors to the East County Board of Zoning Adjustments in 2006, and is the public member of the Alameda Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo). He also is an active member of the Livermore Rotary, and serves as the treasurer of Livermore Junior Football League.
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