Jenn focuses her practice on real estate and land-use law on complex mixed-use development and specializes in permitting with the majority of her projects located in Boston and Somerville. In Boston, she regularly appears before the Boston Planning and Development Agency, the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal and Zoning Commission, the Boston Air Pollution Control Commission, the Public Improvement Commission and Boston Landmarks Commission, and in Somerville she works closely with the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, and appears regularly before the Planning Board, Historic Commission, and Zoning Board. Jenn also regularly advises on investments inside and outside Boston for development deals and conducts large-scale diligence of all permitting items including local, state and federal. Additionally, she advises on and negotiates land-use agreements including purchases and sales, long-term ground leases, and development, abutter and reciprocal easement agreements. Jenn previously also concentrated on land-use litigation including zoning disputes and contract disputes related to land-use. She represents developers, REITs, REIMs, universities/colleges, hospitals, hotel owners and managers and land-centric nonprofits.

Representative Client Work

BOSTON

  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for a single client relating to the development of three life science buildings on a 4.5 acre site in the South Boston Marine Park, multiple life science buildings on a 16.5 acre site in Dorchester, a single 400,000 square foot life science building in Downtown Boston, and a single 350,000 square foot life science building in South Boston
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for the master planning of 7.5 acres in Dorchester for mixed use including life science, residential, and retail
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for the master planning and design impact review of a 25.5 acre site in Charlestown including life science, office, residential, hotel, retail and significant open space and resiliency measures
  • Ongoing permitting and project-management work for a local university for a new ten-year master plan, redevelopment of an athletics field and complex, and a new dormitory and student center
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for the master planning of a 6.5 acre site in the LMA/Fenway neighborhoods including life science/office, residential and retail uses
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for the permitting of a 625,000 square foot office building in Back Bay
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for a single client relating to multiple development sites for life science developments in Allston/Brighton and Fenway
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for the master planning and tax incentive financing of a 7.5 acre site in Allston/Brighton including a significant affordable housing component
  • Permitting, land-use, and legislative advice for a 100+ acre future development site in Boston
  • All permitting work for an international development and construction company of a 300,000+ square foot office building in the Seaport neighborhood of Boston including resolution of complex easement issues
  • All permitting work for a publicly traded developer for an addition to a pre-existing nonconforming office-building in downtown Boston
  • Permitting and land-use work for a +1 million square foot, five-building development in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston including negotiation of article 80 agreements, PIC licenses, agreements and easements and zoning opinion for lender
  • Permitting diligence during purchase and permitting work post-purchase for the redevelopment of a downtown Boston office building into a boutique hotel
  • Zoning and development analysis and permitting work for a publicly traded developer of a wholesale redevelopment of 1.8 million square feet of mixed uses including office, hotel, residential, recreation and retail, including negotiation of Section 6 agreements under c. 121A for tax relief
  • All permitting work and zoning and development analysis and advice for a private developer of over 360 units of workforce housing, 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space including space for a grocery store, and a parking structure for over 400 spaces on a five-acre site in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston; advice included tax-incentive program availability and negotiation of sale and joint-venture/development agreement

SOMERVILLE

  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work relating to the development of a 315,000 square foot life science building in Boynton Yards
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work relating to the development of a 250,000 square foot life science building in Davis Square
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for a single client relating to multiple life science/office/industrial buildings within 14 acres of land straddling Brickbottom and Inner Belt
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use work for a single client relating to a multi-family residential building and a life science project in the East Somerville neighborhood

GREATER BOSTON

  • Ongoing permitting representation of a private developer/family office and successful negotiation of land disposition agreement with the city for redevelopment or urban renewal of a 2+ acre parcel in Quincy Center, MA, including the development of a 240,000+ square foot life science/medical office building
  • Ongoing permitting representation of a private developer/family office for redevelopment of 14+ acre former hospital site in Quincy, MA into nearly 500 units of multi-family housing mixed-use project
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use representation of a private developer/family office for redevelopment of former historic Masonic Temple in Quincy Center, MA into multi-family housing mixed-use project
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use representation of affordable housing developer for projects located in Cambridge and Templeton
  • Ongoing permitting and land-use representation of private development of multiple large-scale multi-family housing developments in Everett
  • Zoning and development analysis and permitting work for a private developer of mixed-use projects in Needham, Massachusetts, on multiple adjacent parcels for a 1.15 million square-foot development including Tripadvisor’s corporate headquarters, office/laboratory buildings, residential, hotel, parking structures and 40B (affordable housing)

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

Education

  • J.D., Harvard Law School
  • B.A., magna cum laude, Middlebury College

Community Engagement

  • Chair, Massachusetts Bar Association Education/MCLE Committee
  • Member, Board & Steering Committee, Massachusetts Bar Association Chapter on Development & Construction Law
  • Board Member, ULI Women's Leadership Initiative Product Council
  • Member, Massachusetts Chapter of NAIOP
  • Member, CREW Boston
  • Former Board Member, Cohasset Zoning Board of Appeals

Awards & Honors

  • Next Generation Partner, The Legal 500 U.S. (2022)
  • Boston Magazine Top Lawyers, Land Use Environment (2021, 2022)
  • Chambers USA, Recognized Practitioner in Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use (2021-2022)
  • "Rising Star," The Legal 500 U.S. (2021)
  • "Rising Star," Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2019, 2021)

  • "Up & Coming Lawyer" in Real Estate Development Law and recipient of "Legal Excellence" award, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2017)

Seminars & Presentations

Practices

Industries

Jump to Page