Anne S. Babineau

As a shareholder on the Real Estate team, Ms. Babineau represents developers, investors, owners, tenants, and governmental entities, structuring transactions, obtaining government approvals, and counseling clients regarding tax abatement and property acquisitions and sales -- all often in the context of public-private redevelopment partnerships.

For over 30 years, clients have relied on Ms. Babineau to handle some of the most iconic and challenging projects in New Jersey, including:

• revitalization of the industrial port area of Newark with multiple large warehouse logistics centers,
• transformation of a former General Dynamics factory in Woodbridge with an arts-focused redevelopment project featuring 500 residential units, a publically operated performance space, and retail and restaurant space, immediately adjacent to a train line to New York City,
• a mixed-use project on a former 60-acre golf course, featuring a privately owned but publically accessible park,
• an 850-unit transit-oriented community on the site of a former GM plant in Ewing,
• deployment of NJEIT/RAB financing to transform three landfills in Carteret into an over one million square foot commercial ratable,
• leveraging the opportunity presented by Post-Superstorm Sandy Funding to finance a mixed-use project with affordable housing in Pleasantville,
• creating a master planned community in Verona on the site of the former Essex County Hospital Center, and
• structuring a payment in lieu of tax agreement that allowed one of the nation’s largest wholesale food distributors to remain in Elizabeth in a state-of-the-art facility.

Leveraging the strengths of Wilentz’s resources in land use, environmental, public finance, real property, and governmental entities law, and her substantial experience working with public and private entities, Ms. Babineau has achieved a strong record of successful outcomes on behalf of her clients on redevelopment related projects.

Widely recognized as a leader in real estate, Ms. Babineau has been consistently ranked by Chambers USA since 2011 and has been distinguished with a Band 1 ranking since 2014.  Chambers sources describe her as displaying a "mastery of redevelopment law" recognizing her ability to be thorough, "asking questions to get to the client's intent, is candid about whether or not the client's chosen path is doable, and she is creative in finding solutions to solve the client's ultimate goals."

She has received numerous recognitions, honors, and awards, including:

• A Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers since 2008
• Appointment to the Executive Committee at The Center for Real Estate in 2017
• Land Use Legacy Award from Urban Land Institute in 2013
• Smart Growth Leadership Award from New Jersey Future in 2015
• Best Fifty Women in Business by NJBIZ in 2017
• Women of Influence list by Real Estate Forum in 2010
• Recognition in Best Lawyers in America since 2005 for Real Estate Law and Administrative/Regulatory Law, in 2022 for Land Use and Zoning Law, and as "Lawyer of the Year" in 2020 for Real Estate Law

Ms. Babineau has served as an Officer and Executive Board Member of New Jersey Future, is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and New Jersey Builders Association.  She has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Institute of Technology and on the boards of other civic and not-for-profit organizations, including an affordable housing nonprofit.

Ms. Babineau is also a frequent lecturer on redevelopment-related issues for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and New Jersey Future's Redevelopment Forum. She is also a regular speaker at professional forums on redevelopment. For over 20 years Ms. Babineau taught Rutgers/DCA’s Principles of Redevelopment for Redevelopment Agency Executive Directors. She has also been called upon to testify on redevelopment issues before the N.J. State Legislature.

Earlier in her career, in addition to her redevelopment work, Ms. Babineau has represented:

• Public Utility Service Electric & Gas Co.
• Verizon New Jersey
• N.J. American
• Elizabethtown Water Company
• Thames Water Holdings Incorporated and RWE