With more than 20 years’ experience in commercial and residential real estate development, Ralph Bellar represents developers of national and regional companies, tenants, and retailers in a variety of real estate matters. He handles construction, leasing, land acquisition and use, purchase and sale contracts, development and easement agreements, financing, bond financing and zoning, and plotting matters.
Mr. Bellar has extensive experience assisting developers and companies obtain economic development incentives such as tax increment financing, Chapter 99 and Chapter 353 real property tax abatements, Enhanced Enterprise Zone tax credits, Chapter 100 bonds, and the formation of community and neighborhood improvement districts. While representing clients on zoning, platting, subdivision, land use, special benefit districts, and related development matters, he regularly appears before city councils, plan commissions, tax increment financing commissions, and zoning boards in both Missouri and Kansas.
Mr. Bellar has been involved in many large projects in the Kansas City metropolitan area including three of the largest office buildings in Kansas City, the Town Pavilion (38 story office/retail building), the 1201 Walnut Building, and One Kansas City Place; the representation of one of the nation’s largest retailers in acquiring property to open their first stores in the Kansas City metropolitan area; the development of Barry Towne (346 acre mixed use development); the sale of the historic Boley Building to a company for use as its corporate headquarters; the Plaza Colonnade project (a $72 million public/private venture with the public library resulting in a new library, office building, retail, and parking garage); and Summit Fair (a 500,000 square foot retail development in Lee’s Summit, MO).
Chair of the Recruiting Committee for the Kansas City office since 1995, Mr. Bellar has also run the summer associate program since the same year. He is a member of the Missouri Bar as well as the Kansas Bar and Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association where he was the Chairman of the Real Estate Law Committee. Other accolades include The Best Lawyers in America® 2009-2012, Ingram's Best Lawyers in Kansas City® 2008-2012, and AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Bellar is actively involved in a number of community organizations and charitable activities.