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Richard A. Morehouse
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216.736.7292
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Richard A. Morehouse

Partner
216.736.7292
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OVERVIEW & EXPERIENCE

Richard Morehouse is an attorney in KJK’s Real Estate practice group with a background that includes over two decades of experience working in commercial real estate. Rich brings a unique perspective that combines years of data fueled real estate market research and analysis, valuation expertise, multi-state property tax and incentives experience and skilled legal knowledge that allows him to achieve favorable results for clients. Rich is valued for his distinctive blend of legal and quantitative analysis skills that give him an understanding not only of what is legally permissible, but also physically and financially feasible while maximizing productivity for real estate development opportunities. Rich leverages his ability to analyze opportunities from numerous angles – development, economic, legal, and other legal perspectives – and deliver excellent results for clients.

Prior to his law practice Richard worked in the public sector as an analyst with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and in real estate as an analyst, consultant and licensed commercial real estate appraiser with regional and national valuation and advisory firms. He has operated as a property tax and development incentives professional with a national publicly traded real estate development and management company with a penchant for public-private partnership projects.

Richard is experienced with a wide array of real estate asset types and has worked with a variety of professionals including architects, engineers, construction contractors, state and local government economic development agencies, appraisers and historic preservation professionals on construction, design, development, valuation, finance and zoning.

Understanding the opportunities in brownfields, Richard has had success in working with many state and local development and brownfield remediation incentive programs in Ohio. He also has decades of experience with historic preservation, rehabilitation and other incentive programs in communities across the United States.

Richard is also experienced as counsel on community development, small business, contract, copyright and trademark, non-profit and other matters.

A real estate developer himself, Rich is passionate about helping developers understand and unlock the opportunities that so many historic buildings hold for communities throughout Ohio.

Representative Experience
  • Drafted and negotiated various proposals and agreements for the development of the City of Cleveland’s Division of Police headquarters.
  • Assisted developer with construction oversight and incentives for the conversion of a historic 160,000 square foot industrial facility to office use in Cleveland.
  • Developed and led team in creating real estate vision for multiblock area in the Cleveland CBD.
  • Participated in the completion of over 60 multi-million-dollar historic tax credit fueled property transactions.
  • Managed property tax compliance, incentives, forecasting and research for NYSE traded real estate company with a $10 billion commercial real estate portfolio consisting of 30,000,000 square feet of retail or office space and 30,000 apartments units.
  • As lead attorney, reduced the annual tax liability of a $65M office and hotel complex by $500K.
AWARDS
  • JD Supra Readers’ Choice Awards, Top Author, Real Estate, 2023
  • CALI Award for Mergers & Acquisitions
BAR / COURT ADMISSIONS
  • Ohio
PROFESSIONAL & CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • Akron Bar Association
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
  • Urban Land Institute, Associate Member
  • Progress Through Preservation of Greater Akron, 2017 – Present
    • Board Member
    • Past Finance Committee Chair
  • Akron Municipal Court
    • Online Dispute Resolution Mediator, 2021
  • West Akron Baseball League, 2015 – 2020
    • Board Member
  • Business Volunteers United, 2013 – 2015
    • Pro Bono Consultant
MEDIA MENTIONS
PRESENTATIONS & PUBLICATIONS

Publications

  • “Investment Value v. Market Value,” Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT) Property Tax Symposium, 2010

Presentations

  • “Real Property Tax Appeals & Valuation,” Manufacturer’s Education Council – Ohio Tax Conference, Jan. 2014
  • “The REIT Effect – Inflating Market Values,” Institute for Professionals in Taxation, Oct. 2013
  • “Investment Value v. Market Value,” Institute for Professionals in Taxation, Oct. 2010

PRACTICE AREAS

EDUCATION

  • University of Akron School of Law, J.D., 2010
  • University of Akron, B.S., Business Administration/Finance, 2000, magna cum laude

RECENT KJK INSIGHTS

Emerging Business Opportunities in Renewable Energy

Emerging Business Opportunities in Renewable Energy

The generators providing electricity to a 13-state grid stretching from New Jersey to Illinois, including Ohio, will get a record $269.92 per megawatt-day from utilities to provide capacity over a 12-month period, which is over nine times the $28.92 price from last...

Ohio: A Rising Hub for Data Centers and Technological Growth

Ohio: A Rising Hub for Data Centers and Technological Growth

Ohio has emerged as a key player in the Midwest’s economic development, particularly in the realms of technology and infrastructure. A standout feature of the state's growth is the rise of data centers, which have become central to the modern digital economy. These...

“I went into law to help make a difference in the real estate community for the benefit of Northeast Ohio. As I travelled across the state and across the country, I was struck by the disparity in real estate impacted economic activity between Ohio markets and several non-Ohio markets. I thought that we could do better in Ohio – we just had to figure out the way to do it.”

Richard A. Morehouse
Partner