Patrick “Rick” J. McAuley

Patrick (“Rick”) McAuley focuses his practice on legal issues that arise out of the acquisition and sale of properties, municipal land use law, the creation of redevelopment areas, the use of eminent domain and construction financing. Throughout his career, he has assisted in obtaining subdivision, site plan and related permits and approvals for mixed-use retail, office and residential spaces, hotels, a baseball stadium, an aquarium and other significant projects throughout New Jersey.

Since 1995, Rick has served as outside counsel to the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA). Among other responsibilities, he initiated and oversaw condemnation proceedings to acquire several hundred sites for redevelopment for various types of commercial, industrial, residential and recreational improvements, including supporting infrastructure. He has also negotiated complex cross-easement and air rights agreements with New Jersey Transit and the Turnpike Authority related to development within the air rights at the Frank Lautenberg Rail Station in Secaucus.

More recently, in connection with Connell Foley LLP’s representation of one of the country’s largest real estate investment trusts (REITs), Rick assisted a developer joint venture entity in successfully closing the $190 million construction financing of a 69-story residential tower in Jersey City. Rick also recently assisted other co-developers with closing the construction financing for Jersey City’s first mixed-income residential waterfront development in nearly three decades.

Rick also has substantial knowledge of solar power systems and has advised owners and installers of photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, primarily on rooftops, in a multitude of commercial locations throughout New Jersey, ranging from less than 100 kWs up to 8 MWs in size. He is experienced in the preparation of engineering, procurement and construction contracts (EPCs), purchase and sale agreements, roof site leases, power purchase agreements (PPAs) and operation and maintenance agreements (O&Ms).

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.

Representative Experience
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.

• Successfully closed a financing transaction on behalf of the developer/owner of a mixed-use development in Hoboken, New Jersey, including 35 residential rental units and one commercial unit, converting a $9.5 million construction loan to a $16.5 million term loan
• Represented the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, as one of multiple lenders, in closing complex loan transactions in connection with a mixed-use development project in the heart of downtown Newark known as Teachers Village. The project is comprised of eight buildings, including three charter schools, a daycare center, more than 200 apartments for teachers, and 70,000 square feet of street-level retail and restaurant space.
• Represented the owner of the Secaucus, New Jersey site on which a portion of the Frank Lautenberg Rail Station has been constructed. Succeeded in obtaining development approvals for construction of office towers, hotels and retail space totaling approximately 3.7 million square feet and negotiated complex air rights agreements with NJ Transit and NJ Turnpike Authority
• Represented the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority in connection with a mixed-use rehabilitation and development project in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, including drafting and negotiating an umbrella cross-easement agreement
• Represented owners of a regional mall in land acquisition, site plan approval and environmental (wetlands) permitting for initial construction and subsequent expansions of a 2 million square foot mall
• Represented Enron N.A. Corp. in connection with its disposition of the company’s assets in New Jersey, including a recycling facility, a paper products manufacturing facility and related real estate holdings
• Represented a state redevelopment agency in acquisition, reconfiguration and subdivision of a six-block area of development in a major city, including street and utility relocations
• Represented an international company in connection with an application for a casino service industry license
• Represented one of three designated redevelopers in complex land swap and related transactions in connection with the Prudential Arena
• Handled scores of acquisitions of properties through the exercise of the power of eminent domain for a redevelopment authority. Work included filing complaints, drafting orders to show cause, declarations of takings, commissioner’s hearings, appeals and jury trials

Professional and Community Affiliations

• New Jersey State Bar Association
  • Member, Land Use Law Section
  • Member, Environmental Section
  • Member, Civil Litigation Section
  • Member, Casino Law Section
• Member and Panelist, RealShare New Jersey Conference Advisory Board (2007-2008)
• Speaker, "Navigating Eminent Domain and Urban Redevelopment Issues in the New Jersey Market" (2007)
• Associate Member, New Jersey Builders Association
• Associate Member, New Jersey Community Builders Association
• Secretary, Supreme Court of New Jersey District V-C Ethics Committee (1987-1992)
• Member and President, Board of Trustees of the Beacon Hill Club in Summit, New Jersey
• American Bar Association, Litigation Section and Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section  

Best Lawyers in America (2025)

• Commerical Litigation
• Real Estate Law

"New Jersey's Top Rated Lawyers" (2012), a list compiled by Martindale-Hubbell.

^{Please see Honor and Award Methodology. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.}