Howard Gelt is a shareholder in the Denver office with an extensive business and real estate practice.
Real Estate
Mr. Gelt’s clients are principally developers, most of whom require experience on real estate acquisitions, public and private financing, entitlement, leasing, sales and development, restrictive covenants and conditions, annexation and/or development agreements, special district issues, 1031 transactions and tenancies in common. Significant projects where Mr. Gelt has been lead counsel include the acquisition and entitlement of the 2,500 acre Prairie Center project in Brighton; the acquisition and entitlement of the 2,000 acre Sandstone Ranch in Douglas County; the construction, development and financing of the One Lincoln project in downtown Denver; the acquisition and then sale of the 3,000+ acre Block Ranch in eastern Arapahoe County; the acquisition, financing and entitlement of the Brighton Pavilions project; and the structuring of ownership and financing of Medical Office Buildings in Oregon and Washington. He also served as Colorado counsel for Fairfield Residential, a multi-family development client based in San Diego. In that capacity Mr. Gelt assisted with acquisitions, entitlements, financing, construction, operations and sales.
In addition to and in conjunction with his work for developers Mr. Gelt represents a number of landlords and tenants, most of whom require expertise on lease transactions, property management, listing agreements, broker registration, tenant improvement contracts, build-to-suit leases, commercial and retail leases, renewals, sublease and assignment transactions, lease takeovers, ground leases, property management agreements and parking agreements.
Corporate Representation
Mr. Gelt has served as outside general counsel and a member of the Board of Directors for a number of small to medium size companies in a variety of industries. He is very skilled in entity formation, merger and sales transactions, non-compete agreements, employment contracts, private funding and other needs of his corporate clients.
Other Experience
At the outset of his private practice career Mr. Gelt was an active member of the trial bar. He represented clients in civil litigation in state and federal courts, and represented secured and unsecured creditors, creditor committees and debtors in bankruptcy proceedings in Colorado, California and Texas.
Mr. Gelt has extensive background in transportation issues in the metro Denver area. He is a past member of the State Highway Commission, Chairman of the Coalition for Smart Transit, a member of the State Economic Development Commission, and on the transition team for newly elected Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. His service as Chairman of the Board of the Metro North Chamber and the North Area Transportation Alliance (NATA), has solidified his relationships with key elected officials and business leaders in the metro north area.
Background
Mr. Gelt graduated with a B.S.B.A. from the University of Arizona in 1966, and received his J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law in 1969. Mr. Gelt began his legal career as an educator, teaching civil and criminal trial practice at the University of Denver College of Law, as the Assistant Director of the Clinical Education Program (from 1969–1973) and at the Duke University College of Law as a Clinical Instructor (from 1973–1975), where he began the first clinical program in the country on the subject of law and aging. From 1975–1978, Mr. Gelt was a senior staff member for then Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm. Following his service with Governor Lamm, Mr. Gelt entered private practice.
In addition to his private business, economic development and civic activities, Mr. Gelt has been active in a variety of political activities. Besides serving on the senior staff of Governor Richard D. Lamm, he also served as the Chairman of the Political Action Committee for Mayor Federico Pena, the Chairman of the finance committee for Governor Roy Romer, and the Chairman of the Colorado State Democratic party and a key member of the Clinton for Colorado Committee. He is currently a member of the Finance Committee for U.S. Senator Mark Udall and a member of the Obama Leadership Circle for Colorado.