Joe Borton wanted to eliminate the time Treasure Valley real estate developers were wasting running from one specialized real estate law office to another.
So the Meridian zoning lawyer wasted no time in agreeing when approached last year by Arizona-based Rose Law to replicate a business model that had succeeded in the Scottsdale area.
The concept: Have all the legal and planning talent a real estate developer might need under one roof.
The result: Rose Law Group Borton, where developers can get expert legal and planning advice on land acquisition, zoning issues, obtaining entitlements and businesses litigation.
Borton said his firm can help a developer navigate the political red tape that often slows a project, thanks to his experience as a member of the Meridian City Council and the presence of Shawn Nickel, a former Ada County planner, and Todd Lakey, a former Canyon County commissioner.
"Our job is to worry so that these guys don't have to," Borton said. "We're available 24/7, whether it's a corner grocery store or a 2,000-acre planned community. So it's important that we know about any regulatory changes, and that our clients know that we're going to keep them informed every step of the way."
Among the projects the firm is handling is the 4,300-home, 1,414-acre Dry Creek planned community east of Idaho 55 along Brookside Lane and Dry Creek Road north of Eagle.
The firm is also helping the North Star Charter School make plans for a new building on 14.9 acres at Linder Road and West Sagurio Drive in Eagle.
Joe de Vera, chairman of the school's board of trustees, said the firm has helped find a construction management team as well as an architect. Nickel is preparing to help the school through the planning, zoning and design-review process with the city of Eagle. The firm will also counsel the school on its upcoming bond sale through Wachovia Securities.
"Trying to go around and find all those different people would have been very difficult for us," de Vera said.
Joe Estrella: 377-6465
