Veteran Real Estate Attorneys Join Snell & Wilmer

ORANGE COUNTY, CA–Steven A. McHolm and Daniel K. Winton have joined the Irvine office of Snell & Wilmer as partners in the Commercial Finance and Real Estate Group. Both were previously partners with Paone, Callahan, McHolm & Winton.

A 25-year real estate veteran, McHolm represents industrial, commercial and retail clients, including institutional owners and investors, public and private companies, and individuals. His practice involves acquisitions and sales; industrial, commercial and retail leasing; large-scale, build-to-suit transactions; matters related to construction, real property development and finance; and formation of limited-liability companies.

McHolm is an active member of the National Association of Industrial Office Properties (NAIOP), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ISCS) and the Building Industry Association of Orange County.

Discussing trends in the county’s commercial real estate market, McHolm says, “I would say it’s more R&D, flex-tech; that kind of product is certainly hotter and certainly growing more [in Orange County]. We have had a few office buildings built in past few years, and they’ve filled up well. But the real kind of backbone of the industry is the kind of product you see in the Irvine Spectrum and the Pacific Commerce Center,” he adds. “In one deal, the client’s biggest concern was the ability to expand. It is the one thing tenants want to be sure of if they make a large investment in a facility or a campus-like facility…if they need more space they can find it.”

Winton is a 27-year veteran in handling complex real estate matters, including the sale, purchase, leasing and development of commercial, industrial, retail and residential properties. He serves on the board of directors of the Orange County Business Council, and on the board of the Southern California chapter of NAIOP and the California Business Properties Association.

“The problem we have as companies look to locate or expand in Orange County is a lack of affordable housing,” Winton says. “If a company is looking to relocate here there is sticker shock over housing. Also the entitlement process and regulatory environment has become much more complex and lengthy. With things like the Greenlight Initiative in Newport Beach on the ballot, it’s becoming more difficult.”

Winton, who represents primarily developers, believes that when people are secure in their jobs, quality-of-life becomes their primary focus. And that, he says, is the real driving force behind the agenda people have regarding the El Toro airport controversy, the Greenlight Initiative, and other controversial issues in Orange County affecting development.