Alan K. Sable

Partner

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Areas of practice

Education

  • B.A. Colgate University
  • J.D., Penn State Dickinson Law

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Biography

Alan Sable is a Partner in the Real Estate & Lending practice group.  Alan has over 31 years of experience offering legal advice in all areas of commercial real estate law, including purchases and sales of office, retail, multifamily, and affordable housing properties; office and retail leasing transactions; real estate development transactions, including obtaining land use and zoning approvals and other entitlements; real estate financing transactions including affordable housing transactions under various HUD programs; and commercial real estate receivership matters.  Alan is often sought after for advice on realty transfer taxes, including structuring real estate transactions to minimize the impact of realty transfer taxes.

In addition to advising clients in transactional matters, Alan has served as an expert witness on real estate title issues in federal and state court litigation matters and is a licensed title insurance agent who operated a commercial title insurance agency affiliated with his prior law firm.

Alan’s experience also includes zoning, land use, and permitting matters, such as PennDOT highway occupancy permits and similar entitlements, as well as other commercial business transactions.  In addition, Alan serves as counsel to receivers in receivership matters involving retail and other distressed commercial real estate assets.

Previously, Alan was a founding member of Sable and Sable, LLC, a successful, community focused law firm that assisted clients for more than seven years.  Immediately prior to that, Alan was a partner in the Pittsburgh office of Reed Smith LLP, a Pittsburgh-based AmLaw 100 law firm.

Professional Involvement

  • Innovative Commerce Serving Communities (ICSC) (formerly International Council of Shopping Centers), Member
  • Innovative Commerce Serving Communities (ICSC) (formerly International Council of Shopping Centers), Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania Law+ Symposium Planning Committee, Member since 2018, Co-Chair (2021) and Chair (2022)
  • Penn State Dickinson Law Alumni Association, Pittsburgh Chapter, Board Member
  • Frequent speaker on various real estate topics for various organizations, including ICSC, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, National Business Institute, and other professional organizations

Community Involvement

  • Adath Jeshurun Cemetery, Member of Board of Directors
  • Margaretta Interfaith Cemetery, Member of Board of Directors

Additional Information

Alan resides in Pine Township with his wife, their miniature dachshund, and his father-in-law, and sometimes their 2 children.  In his spare time, Alan enjoys going off-road with his scale radio-controlled truck and expanding his diverse music collection.

Representative Matters

Purchase and Sale Transactions

  • Represented dental practice and affiliated entity in the purchase of commercial building from TIC-ownership group for relocation and expansion of its practice
  • Regularly represents buyers and sellers in commercial real estate sale transactions

Leasing

  • Regularly represents tenants, including dentists and other doctors, in the leasing of office space throughout Pennsylvania and elsewhere
  • Represented landlord of a large office building and several small office buildings in downtown Pittsburgh in new leases, lease amendments and lease terminations
  • Represented a landlord and management company in general leasing and landlord tenant matters for retail and office properties throughout Pennsylvania

Land Use, Zoning, Land Development and Entitlements

  • Represented a major national retailer in the development of new and expanded stores throughout Pennsylvania, handling all aspects, including acquisition, land-use and zoning approvals, and entitlement and permitting issues
  • Represents property owners and developers in obtaining subdivision approvals, land development plan approvals and zoning variances
  • Represents property owners and developers in zoning ordinance text amendment requests
  • Represented developer of regional healthcare facility in obtaining PennDOT HOP Agreements of Release and related documentation required for the development of project
  • Represented national pharmacy-chain developer in obtaining local and highway occupancy permit approvals
  • Represented owner of an adult cabaret in obtaining local land-use approvals for the operation of the business
  • Represented owner of a limited use bed and breakfast facility in obtaining land-use approvals and the financing of the project with Federal historic tax credits

Real Estate and Corporate Transactions

  • Represented seller group in sale of $25,000,000 in stock and reorganization of business structure for diversified multifamily real estate company that owned and managed approximately 90 projects in multiple states and managed over 200 third party multifamily projects in multiple states
  • Represented the company in the settlement of a dispute among the family shareholders, including negotiating the settlement agreement and closing the refinancing of the company’s real estate

Receiverships

  • Represented receiver of 1 million square foot super-regional mall, including handling vendor contracts, leasing, evictions and landlord-tenant issues, and conducting the receiver’s sale of the property
  • Represented receiver of 1.1 million square foot two story shopping mall
  • Represented receiver of local shopping mall in central Pennsylvania owned by TIC ownership group

Real Estate Finance

  • Represented owner of hotel in $6,750,000 mortgage loan refinancing and subsequent loan modification
  • Represented owner of commercial warehouse property in $6,700,000 mortgage loan refinancing of and subsequent loan modification and second mortgage loan
  • Regularly represents borrowers in commercial real estate mortgage loan financing and refinancing transactions

HUD Financing and Affordable Housing

  • Acted as local and special counsel to the owner in the tax credit financed restructuring and redevelopment of a HUD-insured subsidized senior housing project
  • Represented owner/borrower in $36,260,600 HUD-insured Section 221(d)(4) financing of a 282 unit multifamily project to be constructed and subsequent modified TPA (transfer of physical assets) for ownership restructuring
  • Represented buyer in the acquisition and HUD-approval of the transfer of physical assets (TPA) of a 200-unit apartment complex in Western Pennsylvania
  • Handled more than 20 HUD Mark-to-Market closings, from both the owner and PAE sides
  • Represented borrowers in numerous refinancings of HUD-insured projects under various HUD loan programs, including Section 236 “decouplings,” and Sections 223(a)(7), 221(d)(3) and 223(d)(4)
  • Negotiated numerous management agreements for the management of tax-credit-financed and other subsidized housing projects
  • Obtained HUD approval of Ground Lease of part of parking lot of HUD-insured project in connection with renovation and expansion of historic theater

Expert Witness

  • Acted as an expert witness regarding real estate title issues in federal court litigation
  • Testified as an expert witness regarding real estate title issues in state court litigation
  • Testified as an expert witness in local Zoning Hearing Board zoning variance hearing

Education

  • J.D., Penn State Dickinson Law, 1992
  • B.A., Colgate University, 1989

Awards/Honors

  • Rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Selected to Super Lawyers® Rising Stars 2005