Practice Areas - Real Property and Land

Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing

The Affordable Housing and Public Housing Authority Practice group at Cauley Pridgen, P.A. has extensive experience with representation of public housing authorities, local governments, and nonprofit, public and private entities. We handle issues involving affordable housing transactions, fair housing issues, development and redevelopment projects, administrative law, land uses, zoning and commercial real estate as well as serving as general counsel and special counsel for public housing authorities, local governments and cities, towns, and counties across North Carolina.  Our job is to understand the client’s goals and to help to achieve them. We help our clients to strategically plan and then implement our work to obtain the best possible result at the lowest cost. Understanding the needs of our clients has permitted us to be effective problem solvers, negotiators, facilitators and litigators for nearly 100 years.

Services We Provide

  • General Counsel and Special Counsel Representation for Public Housing Authorities, Local Governments and Nonprofit Entities
  • Negotiation and closing services for affordable housing development projects
  • Public Housing and Section 8 lease drafting and program compliance auditing
  • Advising and closing services for conversion of public housing units to the RAD program
  • HUD Grant review and compliance matters
  • Fair Housing advising and claim representation
  • Advising, negotiation and closing services for LIHTC and Bond Financing, affordable and senior housing projects

Environmental Law

Environmental Law

RCRA, CERCLA, EPA, DENR, DWQ—the abbreviations alone are confusing. Whether you are a local government, a business owner or a real estate developer, you are affected by the complex and myriad environmental laws that affect everything we do as citizens of the United States. Cauley Pridgen, P.A. has experience in everything from the most simple sedimentation and erosion control violation to complex issues regarding wetlands and mitigation of hazardous waste spills.  We have represented local governments, businesses and individual landowners in addressing their environmental problems and we can apply that same knowledge and skill to representing you.

Condemnation/Eminent Domain

Condemnation/Eminent Domain

The right of eminent domain, also known as condemnation, exists not only for state government (most frequently seen through the Department of Transportation) but is also possessed by local governments and is authorized for certain private entities in North Carolina such as utility companies.

Cauley Pridgen, P.A. has been involved in hundreds of North Carolina condemnation cases. We represent both private landowners and condemnors and our clients range from individuals and businesses to utility companies and municipalities. When governments or private condemnors such as power companies condemn land, property owners are entitled to ‘just compensation.’ Compensation must be based on the fair market value of the property, taking into account its highest and best use. While there are few reasons to prevent condemnation, a property owner can contest the amount of the initial offer and attempt to establish a higher value for the property.

The key to any condemnation case is ensuring that the condemnee is compensated appropriately. We work with appraisers, engineers, surveyors and others to determine the true fair market value of the property taken. If you have been contacted by a government agency or utility company regarding their intention to take your property by condemnation, call us. We typically represent landowners on the basis of a percentage of the amount recovered. You do not pay an attorney fee unless the firm receives a recovery for you.

Land Use and Zoning

Land Use and Zoning

Cauley Pridgen, P.A. has an active practice in the area of land use and zoning law. Our attorneys regularly advise municipalities and counties on land use issues and handle zoning, subdivision, and board of adjustment matters on behalf of property owners and developers.  Our attorneys also assist commercial and residential developers in obtaining or opposing local government decisions relating to zoning, permitting, variances, annexations, special use permits, site plan approvals, subdivisions and road closings. Our attorneys represent municipalities, counties, private landowners and developers in a variety of litigation matters involving land use issues in state and federal courts. These issues include, among other things, vested rights, constitutional matters, zoning ordinance interpretations, re-zonings, variances and special use permits.