Why would Hines enter such a deal?
They have no interest in developing the land. In fact, they will never touch the land at all. But they will make money if the final amount is over that $25 million. And the farther over, the more they make. Ah, the pieces are starting to fall into place. 3. What does Hines have that LPII doesn’t have? Expertise at maximizing land value in condemnation proceedings, and a ton of expensive lawyers. So, maybe I’m the last one in town to figure this out, but what’s essentially going on here is that LPII has hired Hines Interests to shake down the county for as much money as they can get. It explains why the land deal couldn’t happen earlier, and why the asking price is so high. Hines Interests is speculating here, and they may be doing it with Hennepin County taxpayer money (the county is on the hook for Hines’s legal fees if the final amount is more than 40% greater than the county’s initial offer). LPII, for their part, can pretty much sit back and watch how it turns out — which is exact
