12.  COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES



TAX ABATEMENT AGREEMENTS

Pursuant to agreements with certain municipalities, the Company is required to make payments in lieu of property taxes (“PILOT”) on certain of its properties and has tax abatement agreements on other properties, as follows: 



The Harborside Plaza 4-A agreement with the City of Jersey City, as amended, which commenced in 2002, is for a term of 20 years.  The annual PILOT is equal to two percent of Total Project Costs, as defined.  Total Project Costs are $49.5 million.  The PILOT totaled $1.1 million, $1.1 million and $990,000 for the years ended December 31, 2017,  2016 and 2015, respectively. 



The Harborside Plaza 5 agreement, also with the City of Jersey City, as amended, which commenced in 2002, is for a term of 20 years.  The annual PILOT is equal to two percent of Total Project Costs, as defined.  Total Project Costs are $170.9 million.  The PILOT totaled $3.9 million, $3.9 million and $3.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2017,  2016 and 2015, respectively.



The Port Imperial 4/5 Garage development project agreement with the City of Weehawken has a term of five years beginning when the project is substantially complete, which occurred in the third quarter of 2013.  The agreement provides that real estate taxes be paid initially on the land value of the project only and allows for a phase in of real estate taxes on the value of the improvements at zero percent year one and 80 percent in years two through five.



The Port Imperial South 1/3 Garage development project agreement with the City of Weehawken has a term of five years beginning when the project is substantially complete, which occurred in the fourth quarter of 2015.  The agreement provides that real estate taxes be paid at 100 percent on the land value of the project only over the five year period and allows for a phase in of real estate taxes on the building improvement value at zero percent in year one and 95 percent in years two through five.



The Port Imperial Hotel development project agreement with the City of Weehawken is for a term of 15 years following substantial completion, which is anticipated to be in the second quarter 2018.  The annual PILOT is equal to two percent of Total Project Costs, as defined. 



The Port Imperial South 11 development project agreement with the City of Weehawken is for a term of 15 years following substantial completion, which is anticipated to be in the first quarter 2018.  The annual PILOT is equal to 10 percent of Gross Revenues, as defined.



The 111 River Realty agreement with the City of Hoboken, which commenced on October 1, 2001 expires in April 2022.  The PILOT payment equals $1,227,708 annually through April 2017 and then increases to $1,406,064 annually until expiration.  The PILOT totaled $1.3 million and $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.



The Monaco Towers agreement with the City of Jersey City, which commenced in 2011, is for a term of 10 years.  The annual PILOT is equal to 10 percent of gross revenues, as defined.  The PILOT totaled $1,643,522 for the period from acquisition (April 2017) through December 31, 2017.



At the conclusion of the above-referenced agreements, it is expected that the properties will be assessed by the municipality and be subject to real estate taxes at the then prevailing rates.



LITIGATION

The Company is a defendant in litigation arising in the normal course of its business activities.  Management does not believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will have a materially adverse effect upon the Company’s financial condition taken as whole.



GROUND LEASE AGREEMENTS

Future minimum rental payments under the terms of all non-cancelable ground leases under which the Company is the lessee, as of December 31, 2017, are as follows: (dollars in thousands)



Ground lease expense incurred by the Company during the years ended December 31, 2017,  2016 and 2015 amounted to $2.6 million, $1.5 million and $406,000, respectively. 



CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

In 2015, the Company commenced development of a two-phase multi-family development of the CitySquare project in Worcester, Massachusetts.  The first phase, with 237 units, is under construction with anticipated initial deliveries in the first quarter 2018.  The second phase, with 128 units, started construction in the third quarter 2016 with anticipated initial deliveries in the third quarter 2018.  Total development costs for both phases are estimated to be $92.7 million with development costs of $86.9 million incurred through December 31, 2017.  The Company has a construction loan with a maximum borrowing amount of $58 million (with $37.8 million outstanding as of December 31, 2017), which is expected to fund the remaining costs to complete the project.  



In 2015, the Company entered into a 90-percent owned consolidated joint venture with XS Port Imperial Hotel, LLC to form XS Hotel Urban Renewal Associates LLC, which is developing a 372-key hotel in Weehawken, New Jersey.  The project is expected to be ready for occupancy by second quarter 2018.  The construction of the project is estimated to cost $139.4 million, with development costs of $101.7 million incurred by the venture through December 31, 2017.  The venture has a $94 million construction loan (with $43.7 million outstanding as of December 31, 2017), which is expected to fund the remaining costs to complete the project.



In 2016, the Company commenced the repurposing of a former office property site located at 250 Johnson Road in Morris Plains, New Jersey into a 197-unit multi-family development project.  The project, which is estimated to cost $58.7 million (of which development costs of 53.9 million have been incurred through December 31, 2017), is expected to be ready for occupancy by the first quarter 2018.   The remaining costs to complete the project are expected to be funded primarily from a $42 million construction loan (with $32.5 million outstanding as of December 31, 2017).    



In 2016, the Company started construction of a 296-unit multi-family project known as Portside 5/6 in East Boston, Massachusetts.  The project is expected to be ready for occupancy by second quarter 2018 and is estimated to cost $111.4 million (of which $101.3 million have been incurred through December 31, 2017).  The remaining costs to complete the project are expected to be funded primarily from a $73 million construction loan (with $45.8 million outstanding as of December 31, 2017). 



The Company is developing a 295-unit multi-family project in Weehawken, New Jersey, which began construction in first quarter 2016.  The project, known as Port Imperial South 11, which is expected to be ready for occupancy by second quarter 2018, is estimated to cost $125 million (of which development costs of $83.6 million have been incurred through December 31, 2017).  The project costs are expected to be funded from a $78 million construction loan (with $46.1 million outstanding as of December 31, 2017). The Company expects to fund $47 million for the development of the project, of which the Company has funded $37.5 million as of December 31, 2017.



CHANGES IN EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

On January 29, 2018, the Company announced the appointment of David J. Smetana as chief financial officer and Nicholas Hilton as executive vice president of leasing of the General Partner. Mr. Smetana will begin to perform his duties as chief financial officer and Anthony Krug shall cease to serve as chief financial officer immediately following the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.  Mr. Krug will remain an employee of the General Partner and will provide transition services through March 31, 2018.  Mr. Hilton’s employment commenced on February 12, 2018 following the departure of Christopher DeLorenzo.  In connection with these management changes, on January 26, 2018, the General Partner entered into a separation agreement and release with each of Messrs. Krug and DeLorenzo.

 

Under the terms of the Krug separation agreement, Mr. Krug will receive the following severance benefits:



Under the terms of the DeLorenzo separation agreement, Mr. DeLorenzo will receive the following severance benefits:



OTHER

Through February 2016, the Company could not dispose of or distribute certain of its properties, which were originally contributed by certain unrelated common unitholders of the Operating Partnership, without the express written consent of such common unitholders, as applicable, except in a manner which did not result in recognition of any built-in-gain (which may result in an income tax liability) or which reimbursed the appropriate specific common unitholders for the tax consequences of the recognition of such built-in-gains (collectively, the “Property Lock-Ups”).  Upon the expiration in February 2016 of the Property Lock-Ups, the Company is generally required to use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent any sale, transfer or other disposition of the subject properties from resulting in the recognition of built-in gain to the specific common unitholders, which include members of the Mack Group (which includes William L. Mack, Chairman of the General Partner’s Board of Directors; David S. Mack, director; and Earle I. Mack, a former director), the Robert Martin Group (which includes Robert F. Weinberg, a former director and current member of the General Partner's Advisory Board), and the Cali Group (which includes John R. Cali, a former director and current member of the General Partner's Advisory Board). As of December 31, 2017, 80 of the Company’s properties, primarily a portfolio of flex properties in Westchester County, New York with an aggregate carrying value of approximately $1.0 billion, are subject to these conditions.



In August 2017,  the Company acquired an existing mortgage note receivable encumbering a vacant developable land parcel located in Jersey City, New Jersey (the “Land Property”) with a balance of $44.7 million (the “Land Note Receivable”).  The Land Note Receivable matures in July 2019 and earns interest at an annual rate of 5.85 percent which accrues monthly and is payable at maturity.  The Land Property is currently an unimproved land parcel which operates as a surface parking facility.  Additionally, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire the Land Property, subject to the Company's ability to obtain all necessary development rights and entitlements to develop an apartment building on the land, and other related conditions to ensure that the Company can develop the project. The purchase price is $73 million, subject to adjustment based on the level of development rights obtained for the construction of a multifamily apartment building.