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Related Party Transactions
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions

14. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Lease for Corporate Headquarters

The Company has a lease for its corporate headquarters from an affiliate wholly-owned by our CEO. Future minimum lease payments under this lease, which expires on September 30, 2020, is $0.4 million.

For each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, total rental payments made were $0.6 million and $0.4 million, respectively. Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $0.6 million and $0.4 million, respectively.

Asset Management Agreement

On March 30, 2018, CDS Asset Management, L.C. (“CAM”), an entity wholly owned by the Company, entered into a master asset management agreement (the “AMA”) with Comstock Development Services LC (“CDS”), an entity wholly owned by Christopher Clemente, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The effective date of this Agreement is January 2, 2018. Pursuant to the AMA, CDS has engaged CAM to manage and administer the CDS’ commercial real estate portfolio and the day to-day operations of CDS and each property-owning subsidiary of CDS. Pursuant to the terms of the AMA, CAM will provide investment advisory, development and asset management services necessary to build out, stabilize and manage certain assets.

Pursuant to the AMA, CDS will pay CAM an annual cost-plus fee (the “Annual Fee”) in an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (i) the employment expenses of personnel dedicated to providing services to the Comstock Real Estate Portfolio pursuant to the AMA, (ii) the costs and expenses of the Company related to maintaining the listing of its shares on a securities exchange and complying with regulatory and reporting obligations as a public company, and (iii) a fixed annual payment of $1,000,000. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded revenue of $12.0 million which is included in ‘Revenue-asset management’ in the Consolidated Statement of Operations).    

2019 Amended Asset Management Agreement

On April 30, 2019, CAM entered into the 2019 AMA with CDS, which amends and restates in its entirety the asset management agreement between the parties dated March 30, 2018 with an effective date as of January 1, 2018. Pursuant to the 2019 AMA, CDS will engage CAM to manage and administer the Anchor Portfolio and the day to-day operations of CDS and each property-owning subsidiary of CDS (collectively, the “CDS Entities”).

Pursuant to the 2019 AMA, the Company provides asset management services related to the build out, lease-up and stabilization, and management of the Anchor Portfolio. CDS pays the Company and its subsidiaries annual fees equal to the greater of either (i) an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (a) an asset management fee equal to 2.5% of revenues generated by properties included in the Anchor Portfolio; (b) a construction management fee equal to 4% of all costs associated with Anchor Portfolio projects in development; (c) a property management fee equal to 1% of the Anchor Portfolio revenues, (d) an acquisition fee equal to up to 0.5% of the purchase price of acquired assets; and (f) a disposition fee equal to 0.5% of the sales price of an asset on disposition; or (ii) an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (x) the employment expenses of personnel dedicated to providing services to the Anchor Portfolio pursuant to the 2019 AMA, (y) the costs and expenses of the Company related to maintaining the public listing of its shares and complying with related regulatory and reporting obligations, and (z) a fixed annual payment of $1,000,000.  

In addition to the annual payment of the greater of either the Market Rate Fee or the Cost Plus Fee, the Company  also is entitled on an annual basis to the following additional fees: (i) an incentive fee equal to 10% of the free cash flow of each of the real estate assets comprising the Anchor Portfolio after calculating a compounding preferred return of 8% on CDS invested capital (ii) an investment origination fee equal to 1% of raised capital, (iii) a leasing fee equal to $1.00/sf for new leases and $0.50/sf for renewals; and (iv) mutually agreeable loan origination fees related to the Anchor Portfolio.

The 2019 AMA will terminate on December 31, 2027 (“Initial Term”), an extension from the original termination date of December 31, 2022, and will automatically renew for successive additional one-year terms (each an “Extension Term”) unless CDS delivers written notice of non-renewal of the 2019 AMA at least 180 days prior to the termination date of the Initial Term or any Extension Term. Twenty-four months after the effective date of the 2019 AMA, CDS is entitled to terminate the 2019 AMA without cause upon 180 days advance written notice to CAM. In the event of such a termination and in addition to the payment of any accrued annual fees due and payable as of the termination date under the 2019 AMA, CDS is required to pay a termination fee equal to (i) the Market Rate Fee or the Cost Plus Fee paid to CAM for the calendar year immediately preceding the termination , and (ii) a one-time payment of the Incentive Fee as if the CRE Portfolio were liquidated for fair market value as of the termination date; or the continued payment of the Incentive Fee as if a termination had not occurred.

Residential, Commercial and Parking Property Management Agreements

In December 2017 and January 2018, the Company entered into separate residential property management agreements with two properties owned by CDS Entities under which the Company receives fees to manage and operate the properties including tenant communications, leasing of apartment units, rent collections, building maintenance and day-to-day operations, engagement and supervision of contractors and vendors providing services for the buildings, and budget preparation and oversight.

During the period of May through and including December 2019, the Company entered into separate commercial property and parking management agreements with several properties owned by CDS Entities under which the Company receives fees to manage and operate the office and retail portions of the properties, including tenant communications, rent collections, building maintenance and day-to-day operations, engagement and supervision of contractors and vendors providing services for the buildings, and budget preparation and oversight.

These property management agreements are each for one (1) year initial terms with successive, automatic one (1) year renewal terms, unless sooner terminated. The Company generally receives base management fees under these agreements based upon a percentage of gross rental revenues for the portions of the buildings being managed in addition to reimbursement of specified expenses, including employment expenses of personnel employed by the Company in the management and operation of each property.

Construction Management Agreements

On January 1, 2019, the Company entered into a construction management agreement for two properties owned by CDS Entities under which the Company receives fees to provide certain construction management and supervision services, including construction supervision and management of the buildout of certain tenant premises.  The Company receives a flat construction management fee for each engagement under a work authorization based upon the construction management or supervision fee set forth in the applicable tenant’s lease, which fee is generally one percent (1%) to four percent (4%) of the total costs (or total hard costs) of construction of the tenant’s improvements in its premises, or as otherwise agreed to by the parties.

Business Management Agreements

On April 30, 2019, CAM entered into a Business Management Agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with Investors X, whereby CAM will provide Investors X with asset and professional services related to the wind down of the Company’s divested homebuilding operations and the continuation of services related to the Company’s divested land development activities. The aggregate fee payable to CAM from Investors X under the Management Agreement is $937,500, payable in fifteen quarterly installments of $62,500 each.

The Hartford Investment

On December 30, 2019 the Company made an investment related to the purchase of the Hartford, a stabilized commercial office building located at 3101 Wilson Boulevard in the Clarendon area of Arlington County, Virginia. The Company’s maximum amount of investment related to the purchase of the Hartford is $1.2 million.    

In conjunction with the investment, the Company entered into an operating agreement with Partners to form Comstock 3101 Wilson, LC, to purchase the Hartford. Pursuant to the Operating Agreement, the Company holds a minority membership interest of the Hartford and the remaining membership interests of the Hartford are held by Partners. Partners is the manager of the Hartford. At the closing of the acquisition of the Hartford, the Company received an acquisition fee of $500 thousand and is entitled to asset management, property management, construction management  and leasing fees for its management of the Property pursuant to separate agreements between the Hartford, or its affiliates, and the Company, or its affiliates. The Company is also entitled to an incentive fee related to the performance of the investment.

See Note 21 – Subsequent Events for further discussion of the Hartford investment.

Private Placements and Promissory Notes            

On December 29, 2015, Comstock Growth Fund II, L.C. (“CGF II”), an administrative entity managed by the Company, was created for the purpose of extending loans to the Company. CGF II entered into a subscription agreement with CDS pursuant to which CDS purchased membership interests in CGF II for an initial aggregate principal amount of $5.0 million (the “CGF II Private Placement”). Also on December 29, 2015, the Company entered into a revolving line of credit promissory note with CGF II whereby CGF II made a loan to the Company in the initial principal amount of $5.0 million. On May 23, 2018, the Company entered into a Note Exchange and Subscription Agreement (the “Note Exchange Agreement”) in which a note (“CGF2 Note”) with an outstanding principal and accrued interest balance of $3.7 million was exchanged for 738,390 shares of the Company’s Series C Non-Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share and a stated liquidation value of $5.00 per share (the “Series C Preferred Stock”), issued by the Company to CGF II, a Company wholly owned by our Chief Executive Officer. The CGF2 Note was cancelled in its entirety effective as of the Effective Date.

See Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further description of the CGF Private Placement.

Revenues from Related Parties

The following table details the revenue earned from related parties.

 

 

Years ended December 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Related party revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asset management

 

$

19,370

 

 

$

13,273

 

Real estate services

 

 

1,192

 

 

 

570

 

Total Related Party Revenue

 

$

20,562

 

 

$

13,843