Paul R. Dimond

As board chair for a major private real estate firm and a former economic adviser to a U.S. president, two Michigan governors and two mayors of major Michigan cities as well as counsel to numerous partnerships, Paul R. Dimond is in a strategic position to help his clients frame and achieve their goals in complex real estate transactions. These include acquisition, development, approvals and entitlements, private and public financing, federal, state and local tax, leasing and reorganization, refinancing, sale or exchange. In addition to real estate finance, Paul’s practice areas include public law, corporate and securities, and product litigation and torts.

Paul represented Rick Perlman, founder and CEO of Chicago-based Zaragon, who wanted to develop a first-class residential and retail mid-rise tower adjacent to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor’s deteriorating “South U” neighborhood. The property was not zoned to permit this development. To go forward, the project also required razing a house the city had wrongfully tried to zone as historic and needed the approval of a skeptical City Council. Working closely with the South U neighborhood association and the city attorney, Paul and his team helped secure City Council approval of a new zoning for the entire area that would permit such revitalization. They then helped Perlman present to the City Council the outstanding architectural plan for his development and its significance as a model for realizing the potential of this key commercial and residential neighborhood located within walking distance to the main U-M campus. Ultimately, the City Council gave its unanimous approval to the project.

“Today, Zaragon Place stands as a beacon to a brighter future for the community, and Rick Perlman, a U-M alumnus, is prepared to invest much more in Ann Arbor.”

In a similar case, Mark Hodesh, long-time owner of Downtown Home and Garden in Ann Arbor, came to Paul with a problem. He wanted to expand his operations, trade land with the city and support new development that would continue his legacy of revitalizing his key mixed-use neighborhood on the west side of downtown, but the city and the neighbors couldn’t agree. Paul helped Hodesh organize his specific short-term goals, negotiated with the city and his neighbors, and secured the necessary exchange of land, approvals and mutual support to move forward.

“Miller Canfield is now helping Mark Hodesh determine how best to achieve his goals of revitalizing his key neighborhood and assuring his financial goals for his retirement and for his family.”