John D. Petersen Shareholder/Practice Group Chair Polsinelli Overland Park, Kansas
Coupled with his prior senior governmental work experience at both the national and state levels, John Petersen has a unique perspective from which to assist clients in dealing with governmental bodies.
Petersen has been lead counsel on some of the most influential and significant commercial real estate deals in the Kansas City region over the last two decades. One emphasis of his practice has been his ability to bring incentivized financing into significant real estate deals in and around the Kansas City area through the private/public sectors and special tax districts. Additionally, he has been integrally involved in drafting and facilitating legislation creating economic development tools beneficial to the industry.
Petersen was involved in the original Sales Tax Revenue (STAR) Bond legislation in the State of Kansas, which is one of the most prolific incentives in the country allowing not only local sales tax but also state sales tax to be captured for purposes of special obligation bonds. The bonds provide Kansas municipalities the opportunity to issue bonds to finance the development of major commercial, entertainment and tourism areas and use the sales tax revenue generated by the development to pay off the bonds. Additionally, Petersen led the effort to pass the Kansas version of the Community Improvement District (CID) concept.
As chair of the Real Estate Development and Transactions Practice Group, Petersen has been instrumental in growing the group from a regional practice into a 55-plus attorney national practice with members in nine cities across the country. Most recently, he has led the charge within the group to develop and grow a Health Care Real Estate Team.
Petersen also draws on more than five years of senior governmental experience as deputy chief counsel to U.S. Sen. Bob Dole and chief counsel to former Kansas Gov. Mike Hayden. He is a member of the Kansas Bar Association, Kansas City Area Development Council Board of Directors and Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board of Directors.
