Sarah LandiakShareholderSarah Landiak is a member of Winstead’s Public Finance practice group, where she focuses primarily on real estate development, special districts and public law. Sarah’s practice focuses on the use of special districts and development incentives to aid in the development of property, primarily master-planned communities. She has experience in all stages of entitlement transactions, including negotiating development agreements, forming special districts, and providing counsel through bond issuance stages, both as bond counsel to district and municipal issuers and as developer’s counsel. Sarah’s practice recognizes that there is no “one size fits all” solution for every development scenario, and her experience offers a myriad of options through which developers and public entities may partner to develop property in a mutually beneficial manner.
Representative Experience
- Represents developers and municipalities in negotiation of entitlement agreements and formation of public improvement districts (PIDs) and tax increment reinvestment zones (TIRZs); has assisted in the creation of the first capital PIDs for numerous Texas cities, including Granbury, Ennis, Lowry Crossing, Crandall, Eagle Pass, and Cedar Hill
- Works alongside developers and cities to responsibly incentivize property development; has negotiated incentives totalling over $3 billion in PID and TIRZ revenue, 380 grant funds, abatements, and fee credits
- Assists developers in the creation of stand-alone special districts, including municipal utility districts (MUDs), municipal management districts (MMDs), and others, whether via the TCEQ, through special act of the state legislature, or before county commissioners courts
- Serves as general counsel and bond counsel to over 80 special districts across Texas; has successfully overseen the issuance of over $450 million in special district bonds as bond counsel
- Knowledgeable in negotiation and drafting of multi-party development agreements, annexation and strategic partnership agreements, retail and wholesale service agreements, and operating agreements
- Advises in all aspects of special district construction matters, including construction contracts; bonding and insurance requirements; bidding statutes and regulations; and disputes with sureties, contractors, or owners
- Counsels special districts regarding contractual and statutory requirements, including interactions with residents, developers, and municipalities; elections processes and requirements; acquisition of and reimbursement for property and improvements; and creation and implementation of district policy
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