Real Estate, Redevelopment & Land Use

The firm provides comprehensive guidance on complex real estate and redevelopment matters, particularly those involving regulatory, governmental, and litigation components. We help clients navigate every state of a project —from planning and financing to compliance and dispute resolution.

Key areas of focus include:

Redevelopment – Advising on urban and community redevelopment projects, including public-private partnerships and revitalization initiatives.
Commercial real estate and land use – Supporting zoning, permitting, and development strategy for commercial and industrial projects.
Redevelopment and long-term tax exemptions – Advising on incentives, exemptions, and benefits associated with redevelopment initiatives.
Commercial real estate and leasing – Handling acquisitions, sales, leases, and property management matters.
Project finance – Structuring financing for real estate and redevelopment projects, including public-private partnerships.
Affordable housing initiatives – Supporting projects that expand housing access while ensuring compliance with applicable programs and regulations.
Eminent domain and condemnation matters – Representing property owners and developers in matters involving government takings and compensation.
Real estate appraisal and valuation services – Providing guidance on property valuation, market analysis, and investment assessment.

Featured Attorneys

Michael R. DeCotiis

Managing Partner

Michael R. DeCotiis

Managing Partner

Biography

Michael R. DeCotiis is a Managing Partner of the ﬁrm. In that role, Mr. DeCotiis develops and implements ﬁrm strategy and manages the day-to-day operations of the ﬁrm. He presently represents numerous public and private clients, real estate and business transactions including redevelopment of blighted properties, brownﬁelds, transit oriented development, opportunity zones, and waterfront development. Mr. DeCotiis regularly oversees complex business transactions including corporate organizations, Financing, contract negotiations, Leasing and strategic business advice. Mr. DeCotiis has a blend of public and private transactional experience having served in various high level capacities in state and local, and regional government entities. Mr. DeCotiis has also served as general and special counsel to various utility agencies throughout the state, including North Jersey District Water Supply Authority, Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties, Edgewater Municipal Utilities Authority and Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority. This unique experience allows Mr. DeCotiis to provide both substantive and public policy to his Firm clients where government and business interests routinely intersect. Mr. DeCotiis is routinely listed as one of the most inﬂuential attorneys in the State of New Jersey, including over 15 Top 100 Power Rankings.

From May 2002 to March 2003, Mr. DeCotiis served as Deputy Executive Director to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he oversaw the administration of the New York/New Jersey regions 3 airports, seaports, tunnels and bridges, and the PATH commuter train system. From March 2003 to September 2004, Mr. DeCotiis served as Chief Counsel to the Governor of New Jersey providing legal advice on numerous aspects of state government and the legislative process, and oversight of over 40 Independent Agencies, Boards and Commissions of the state.

He served as a member of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority from November, 2004 through August, 2010.

Prior to May 2002, Mr. DeCotiis practiced law, focusing on Environmental Law, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Public Procurement and Contracting. He has participated in planning and obtaining various regulatory approvals, including environmental permits for manufacturing facilities, solid waste and recycling facilities and wastewater and sludge treatment facilities. He has also provided counsel and participated in negotiations on matters concerning wastewater discharge, water quality, sludge treatment handling, air emissions, underground storage tanks, and property transfer, development and remediation.

Mr. DeCotiis also provided counsel to public sector clients on various matters including open public meetings, local public contracts law, redevelopment and housing law, municipal utility authorities law and local lands and building law. He also served on numerous transition teams as both chair and a committee member for both local and state government transitions. Since 2013, Mr. DeCotiis was the primary person responsible for compiling information and drafting transition team reports for 3 large New Jersey cities.

Mr. DeCotiis also is a founder of the Dearheart Charitable Foundation, Inc. - a charitable organization that assists cancer patients as they undergo treatment and recovery and serving the under privileged with their needs that many take for granted such as clothing, holiday food and gifts.

Mr. DeCotiis received his B.A. from Clarion University in 1988 and his J.D. from Seton Hall University Law School in 1991.

Education

Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey

J.D. - 1991

Clarion University, Clarion, Pennsylvania

B.A. - 1988

Bar Admissions

New Jersey, 1991
Pennsylvania, 1991

Past Positions

Governor of New Jersey, Chief Counsel, 2002 to 2003
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Deputy Executive Director

Professional Associations

New Jersey Bar Association
Bergen County Bar Association
American Bar Association
Pennsylvania Bar Association (Inactive)

Ratings

Martindale Hubbel, Preeminent Rating

Practice Areas

Redevelopment
Government and Regulatory Affairs
Public Procurement and Contracting
Corporate Law

Contact

Email: mdecotiis@decotiisdoyle.com
Office: (973) 582-9002
Direct Dial: (973) 582-9005

Douglas F. Doyle

Founding Equity Partner

Douglas F. Doyle

Founding Equity Partner

Biography

Douglas Doyle is a founding Equity Partner at DeCotiis Doyle. He is a member of the Real Estate, Redevelopment & Land Use, Litigation, and Business Law practice groups.

Mr. Doyle represents local and county public agencies, as well as private developers in development and redevelopment projects throughout New Jersey. Mr. Doyle’s practice ranges from consultation on the initial identification of potential redevelopment sites and redevelopment areas, redevelopment area designations, preparation and adoption of redevelopment plans, property acquisition, contract negotiations, project financing and construction required to implement redevelopment projects. Mr. Doyle currently serves as Redevelopment Counsel for the City of Newark, Township of Woodbridge, the Borough of Lincoln Park, the Borough of North Haledon, the Borough of Lodi, the Town of Newton, the City of Linden and the City of Newark in various aspects of redevelopment projects, including redeveloper selection, negotiation of redevelopment agreements and property acquisition.

Mr. Doyle has also represented numerous generic pharmaceutical and corporate clients in IP matters, anti-trust matters, including multidistrict defense and class action matters, employment-related matters, including litigation against national companies, restrictive covenants, non-compete agreements and long-term employment contracts. He now tries cases on behalf of his corporate clients, an example of which was a $1 million jury verdict for the breach of a stock purchase agreement in New Jersey Federal District Court.

His corporate work includes drafting and negotiating manufacturing agreements, raw material supply agreements and licensing agreements. Mr. Doyle has counseled corporate clients through their merger or acquisitions of other corporate entities, both nationally and globally. Mr. Doyle's corporate counseling extends to representing companies before New Jersey and federal regulatory agencies, including the NJDOT, NJDEP, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, OSHA, and FEMA.

He has appeared and commented on TV concerning legal, political and government related issues.

Mr. Doyle received his B.A. in Modern Language from Villanova University in 1987, concentrating in Spanish, Chinese and Russian. He is fluent in Spanish. He was awarded his J.D. by Temple University Law School.

Education

Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

J.D. - 1990
Honors: cum laude

Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania

B.A. - 1987
Major: Modern Language

Bar Admissions

New Jersey, 1991
New York, 1991

Past Positions

Edwards & Caldwell, LLC, Owner
DeCotiis, FitzPatrick, Cole & Giblin, LLP, Equity Partner

Languages

Fluent Spanish

Practice Areas

Land Use Planning and Redevelopment
Corporate Law
Litigation
White Collar Criminal Defense
Environmental Permitting
Department of Transportation-Permitting

Contact

Email: ddoyle@decotiisdoyle.com
Office: (973) 582-9002
Direct Dial: (973) 582-9003
Cell: (973) 803-1213

Guenther Waldow, Jr.

Partner

Guenther Waldow, Jr.

Partner

Biography

Guenther Waldow, Jr., is a partner at DeCotiis Doyle. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate, Redevelopment and Land Use Practice Group.

Mr. Waldow is a seasoned redevelopment attorney with more than 18 years of experience guiding municipalities through complex, high-impact development initiatives. His practice is dedicated to helping public entities strategically utilize New Jersey’s redevelopment laws to drive economic growth, revitalize communities, and deliver long-term public benefits.

He has deep experience at every stage of the redevelopment process — from conducting and advising on redevelopment area designations, to drafting and negotiating comprehensive redevelopment agreements, to structuring and negotiating financial agreements and long-term tax exemption (PILOT) arrangements. Mr. Waldow is highly skilled in crafting and negotiating redevelopment and PILOT agreements that balance municipal objectives with market realities, ensuring projects are both legally sound and financially viable. His work frequently involves sophisticated public-private partnerships, incentive structuring, and the coordination of multiple stakeholders in complex, time-sensitive transactions.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Waldow served for fifteen years as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Newark, one of New Jersey’s most active and transformative redevelopment environments. There, he was deeply involved in commercial, industrial, mixed-use, and multi-family redevelopment projects, including large-scale affordable housing initiatives. Acting as primary counsel to the City’s Department of Economic and Housing Development, he advised on headline redevelopment projects, negotiated complex agreements, and helped implement policy-driven development strategies that reshaped the City’s economic landscape.

Education

Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center

J.D. - 1999
Honors: Cali Excellence for the Future Award

Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, New Jersey

B.A. - 1994
Major: Political Science
Minor: English

Bar Admissions

New Jersey
United States District Court of New Jersey

Practice Areas

Redevelopment
Long Term Tax Exemption
Public Entity Law and General Government Services
Real Estate Transactions and Leasing
Government Procurement and Contract Services
Municipal Creditor’s Rights
Affordable Housing
Eminent Domain/Condemnation

Contact

Email: gwaldow@decotiisdoyle.com
Office: (973) 582-9002
Direct Dial: (973) 582-9012

AnnaMaria Squiccimarri

Associate

AnnaMaria Squiccimarri

Associate

Biography

AnnaMaria Squiccimarri is an Associate at Decotiis Doyle LLP. She is a member of the firm’s Real Estate, Redevelopment & Land Use and Litigation Groups.

AnnaMaria has extensive experience in redevelopment and related litigation, including negotiating and drafting redevelopment agreements and addressing redevelopment needs, and representing municipalities in disputes arising from redevelopment projects. Anna currently serves as Redevelopment Counsel in the City of Newark, Newton, Lodi, and Linden. Prior to joining the firm as an attorney, AnnaMaria served as an intern in 2019 while she was attending law school. She gained experience working on a wide range of labor and employment matters. In 2020 and 2021, AnnaMaria also did an externship with Rockland County District Attorney’s Office and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, respectively, where she had the opportunity to participate in the daily preparation, representation and prosecution of criminal cases under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys.

Education

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Pace University, White Plains, New York

J.D., 2021
Honors: cum laude

Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut

B.S. in Political Science, 2017
Minor: Human Rights and Social Justice

Bar Admissions

New Jersey
New York

Contact

Email: asquiccimarri@decotiisdoyle.com
Office: (973) 582-9002
Direct Dial: (973) 582-9016

Anthony J. Arnone

Of Counsel

Anthony J. Arnone

Of Counsel

Biography

Anthony J. Arnone is Of-Counsel in the Real Estate, Redevelopment & Land Use and practice group.

Anthony practices real estate, redevelopment, land use, and banking law and his experience includes representing both public and private sector clients. He has counseled clients in the closing of commercial real estate purchases and sales and represented lenders with corporate finance and other creditors’ rights matters. He has experience negotiating with private sector clients and public sector officials and closing the sale of both developed and undeveloped properties. Some recent matters included the representation of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority in the acquisition of property for a major road widening project, the acquisition of over 100 acres of open space in Princeton, and the representation of a national developer for proposed commercial office space in Hoboken.

Anthony also has served as prosecutor for local municipalities and other public entities. In addition, he represented the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in New Jersey and has served as counsel to Town of Guttenberg Rent Control Board and the Guttenberg Housing Authority.

Education

Seton Hall University School of Law

J.D. , 2001

Seton Hall University

Bachelor of Science in Finance, 2001

Bar Admissions

New Jersey, 2001
New York, 2005

Practice Areas

Real Estate
Housing
Banking

Contact

Email: aarnone@decotiisdoyle.com
Office: (973) 582-9002

Aaron Wilson

Of Counsel

Aaron Wilson

Of Counsel

Biography

Aaron Wilson is Of Counsel at DeCotiis Doyle. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate/Redevelopment and Land Use Law and Litigation Practice Group.

Mr. Wilson has over fifteen years of experience with the New Jersey property tax bar, having successfully represented public and private sector clients before state courts and agencies in New Jersey including all New Jersey County Boards of Taxation, the New Jersey Tax Court, the New Jersey Superior Court – Law, Chancery, and Appellate Divisions. His practice encompasses all elements of property taxation, exemption, and valuation issues.

Mr. Wilson holds professional licenses for Property Appraisal as a State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, and Tax Assessing as a Certified Tax Assessor. Mr. Wilson has written reports for public and private clients on properties ranging in valuation from $100,000.00 to over $100,000,000.00 and currently practices as a Tax Assessor in the Township of Morris as well as the Borough of High Bridge. Mr. Wilson was also the Tax Assessor for the City of Newark from 2018-2023 where he was responsible for saving or creating approximately $75,000,000.00 per year for the City through numerous initiatives. Mr. Wilson has successfully negotiated thousands of dockets to settlement involving billions of dollars in valuation for both private and public clients.

He has extensive experience from successful practice on all sides of property tax disputes. He is also one of very few, if not the only, holder of all three New Jersey State licenses relevant to property taxation. He is responsible for providing legal representation to the City of Newark on tax appeal matters.

Education

St. Thomas University – Miami College of Law School

J.D. – 2011

Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham Campus, Madison, New Jersey

B.A. – 2008
Major: History

Bar Admissions

New Jersey

Practice Areas

Real Estate Taxation
Affordable Housing
Eminent Domain/Condemnation
Long Term Tax Exemption

Contact

Email: awilson@decotiisdoyle.com
Office: (973) 582-9002
Direct Dial: (973) 513-6566

Let's Work Together

DeCotiis Doyle is committed to integrity, honesty, and transparency.