Lippes Mathias is pleased to share that the Roswell Park Scott Bieler Amherst Center has won the 2024 CoStar Impact Award for Commercial Development of the Year. Partners Blaine S. Schwartz and Ryan V. Stearns, both members of the firm’s real estate practice team, oversaw the real estate legal work for the $23 million project on behalf of client Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation, the developer of the building. The facility offers a single point of contact for chemotherapy infusions, imaging, lab work, pharmacy services, and access to cutting-edge medical treatments through clinical trials. Judges who selected the facility for the award said “This project brings much-needed medical care to a wide variety of the population that needs it closer to their residences. Impressive and much-needed medical facility in the suburbs." 

Blaine S. Schwartz brings a wealth of experience to the law firm’s commercial real estate clients. He joined the law firm after 14 years as senior counsel for the largest privately owned commercial real estate developer in the United States. Schwartz is known for his wide-ranging experience with commercial real estate. He regularly negotiates complex real estate agreements and sophisticated loan documents along with structuring IRS Section 1031 tax-deferred exchanges. He has also drafted and reviewed construction, architect, and engineering contracts for projects ranging in size from $1 million to more than $100 million. Schwartz has extensive experience in efficiently and creatively structuring, negotiating, and documenting all types of commercial real estate transactions.  He has represented buyers and sellers in complex financings along with the acquisition, sale, development, planning, construction, and leasing of vacant land, retail shopping centers, student housing projects, religious buildings, shopping malls, office buildings, warehouses, industrial complexes, hotels, solar projects, lifestyle communities, housing developments and apartments throughout the United States. Schwartz also helped to structure, negotiate, close, and finance a number of complex, multi-property transactions—one of which included the sale of 110 properties in a single transaction, for $2.25 billion. For his renewable energy clients, Schwartz has drafted and negotiated purchase and sale agreements, leases, engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts, among other project documents, and has advised on title, survey, and site control issues. 

Ryan V. Stearns’ practice focuses on commercial real estate, including the representation of public REITs, private equity groups, and investors in connection with the acquisition, sale, development, leasing, ground leasing, and financing of a variety of asset classes. Stearns serves as the co-leader for the firm’s cannabis practice team where he advises cannabis companies (cultivators, dispensaries, manufacturers, etc.) with all issues related to legal cannabis business activities, licensing matters (including drafting state license applications), regulatory matters, corporate structuring, and real estate transactions. Stearns was named to the National Law Journal’s 2022 Cannabis Law Trailblazers List and frequently speaks at cannabis conferences. 

About Lippes Mathias LLP 

Lippes Mathias is a full-service law firm with nearly 200 attorneys serving clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. With offices in Buffalo, Clarence, Albany, Long Island, New York, Rochester and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Greater Toronto Area; Chicago, Ill.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla. and Washington, D.C., the firm represents publicly and privately-owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.