Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The risks and uncertainties described below are those that we deem currently to be material, and do not represent all of the risks that we face. You should carefully consider the following risks and uncertainties, in addition to the other information contained in this Annual Report and the other documents we file with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently do not consider material may in the future become material and impair our business operations. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business could be materially harmed, our financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected, and the value of our securities could decline significantly.
Risk Factors Summary
An investment in shares of our common stock is subject to a number of risks, including risks relating to the separation, the successful implementation of our strategy and the ability to grow our business. The following list of risk factors is not exhaustive. See “Risk Factors” for a more thorough description of these and other risks.
Risks Related to Our Business and Our Industry
● Our portfolio has experienced, and is expected to continue to experience, significant negative operating cash flow for the foreseeable future, along with net losses. We require substantial cash, and, in the event that our management team is unsuccessful in achieving its business plan quickly enough, we may be forced to change our business plan, dispose of assets and/or take other actions, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Such actions could also affect the tax treatment of the distribution to HHH and its stockholders, which could result in a material indemnification obligation pursuant to the tax matters agreement.
● Our business is dependent on discretionary consumer spending patterns and, as a result, could be materially, adversely impacted by an economic downturn, recession, financial instability, inflation or changes in consumer tastes and preferences.
● Downturn in tenants’ businesses may reduce our revenues and cash flows.
● We may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-lease space as leases expire.
● The operational results of some of our assets may be volatile, especially the Seaport, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
● Significant competition could have an adverse effect on our business.
● The concentration of our properties in New York City and Las Vegas exposes our revenues and the value of our assets to adverse changes in local economic conditions.
● Some of our properties are subject to potential natural or other disasters.
● Climate change, as well as scrutiny of climate change and other environmental or social matters may adversely affect our business.
● Several of our properties and our tenants depend on frequent deliveries of food, alcohol and other supplies, which subjects us to risks of shortages, interruptions and price fluctuations for those goods.
● We are exposed to risks associated with the development, redevelopment or construction of our properties, including the potential redevelopment at 250 Water Street and in connection with our Fashion Show Mall Air Rights.
16
Table of Contents
● Our development projects may subject us to certain liabilities.
● Government housing regulations may limit opportunities at 250 Water Street and any future communities in which we invest, and failure to comply with resident qualification requirements may result in financial penalties or loss of benefits.
Risks Related to Our Sports Assets
● Our sports assets face intense and wide-ranging competition, which may have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations.
● Our business is substantially dependent on the continued popularity and/or competitive success of the Aviators, which cannot be assured.
Financial Risks
● We will be unable to develop, redevelop or expand our properties without sufficient capital or financing.
● As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding indebtedness of approximately $101.6 million, and in the future we may incur additional indebtedness. This indebtedness and changing interest rates could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations and prevent us from fulfilling our financial obligations.
● Inflation has adversely affected us and may continue to adversely affect us by increasing costs beyond what we can recover through price increases.
Regulatory, Legal and Environmental Risks
● Development of properties entails a lengthy, uncertain and costly entitlement process.
● Government regulations and legal challenges may delay the start or completion of the development of our properties, increase our expenses or limit our building or other activities.
Risks Related to Our Separation From and Relationship with HHH
● Prior to the Spin-Off, we had no history of operating as a separate, publicly traded company, and our historical financial information is not necessarily representative of the results that we would have achieved as a separate, publicly traded company and may not be a reliable indicator of our future results.
● We may not achieve some or all of the expected benefits of the separation, and the separation may adversely affect our business.
● If the Spin-Off failed to qualify as a distribution under Section 355 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), HHH stockholders could incur significant adverse tax consequences, and we could be required to indemnify HHH for certain tax consequences that could be material pursuant to indemnification obligations under the tax matters agreement.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
● We cannot be certain that an active trading market for our common stock will be sustained, and the price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.
17
Table of Contents
Risks Related to Our Business and Our Industry
Our portfolio has experienced, and is expected to continue to experience, significant negative operating cash flow for the foreseeable future, along with net losses. We require substantial cash, and, in the event that our management team is unsuccessful in achieving its business plan quickly enough, we may be forced to change our business plan, dispose of assets and/or take other actions, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Such actions could also affect the tax treatment of the distribution to HHH and its stockholders, which could result in a material indemnification obligation pursuant to the tax matters agreement.
We have a history of incurring net losses, and we currently expect to experience negative operating cash flow for the foreseeable future. For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we incurred net losses of $153.3 million, $838.1 million ($128.6 million excluding an impairment charge of $672.5 million for our assets and $37.0 million for unconsolidated ventures) and $111.3 million, respectively. We had negative operating cash flows of $52.6 million, $50.8 million and $29.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Historically, our portfolio required support in the form of contributions from HHH to fund our operations and meet our obligations, with net transfers from HHH of $169.5 million, $125.3 million and $239.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Following our Spin-Off from HHH, we no longer receive funding from HHH.
Additionally, our business model is cash intensive. The campus nature of our Seaport portfolio requires a higher level of overhead because expenses like cleaning and security are not directly correlated to the occupancy in one building. Instead, overhead costs are largely correlated to the activation of the entire district for retail, events, sponsorships and food and beverage operations. In addition, our management’s business plan depends significantly on leasing up our existing Seaport assets, which we expect will involve significant capital expenditures. For instance, the portfolio of assets within Landlord Operations at the Seaport was 64% leased and 61% occupied as of December 31, 2024, and we are focused on leasing this space. As of December 31, 2024, approximately 50% of our existing office space was leased and occupied in the Seaport. In January 2025, we entered into a lease agreement with a tenant to occupy approximately 74,000 square feet of space in Pier 17. We are actively seeking to lease the remaining vacant space, which may involve converting space from office to hospitality uses. We are also focused on leasing other available retail space at the Seaport, of which 73% was leased and 68% was occupied as of the same period-end. Such leasing activities will require significant capital expenditures in addition to the substantial capital expenditures necessary or the ongoing operation of our portfolio.
We cannot offer any assurance as to our future financial results, and, as noted above, we currently expect to experience significant negative operating cash flow and net losses for the foreseeable future. While we believe that our existing cash balances and restricted cash balances will provide adequate liquidity to meet all of our current and long-term obligations when due, including our third-party mortgages payable, and adequate liquidity to fund capital expenditures and redevelopment projects, including our working capital and capital expenditure needs for the next twelve months, we cannot provide assurances that we will be able to secure additional funding on terms acceptable to us, or at all, if and when needed. Our inability to achieve positive cash flow from our current operating plans over time or to raise capital to cover anticipated shortfall would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to implement our business plan, and could have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our obligations as they become due, which could force us to change our business plans, dispose of assets and/or take other action in order to continue to operate. In addition, such actions could affect the tax treatment of the distribution to HHH and its stockholders, and if so, we could be required to indemnify HHH for certain tax consequences that could be material pursuant to indemnification obligations under the tax matters agreement. See “—Risks Related to the Separation From and Our Relationship with HHH.”
18
Table of Contents
Our business is dependent on discretionary consumer spending patterns and, as a result, could be materially, adversely impacted by an economic downturn, recession, financial instability, inflation or changes in consumer tastes and preferences.
Our business depends in part on consumers spending discretionary dollars at our assets. Consumer spending has in the past declined, and may in the future decline at any time, for reasons beyond our control, including as a result of economic downturns or recessions, unemployment and consumer income levels, financial market volatility, credit conditions and availability, inflation, rising interest rates, tariffs, increases in theft or other crime, pandemics or other public health concerns and changes in consumer preferences. The risks associated with our businesses and described herein may become more acute in periods of a slowing economy or recession. In addition, instability and weakness in the U.S. and global economies, including due to the effects caused by disruptions to financial markets, high inflation, high interest rates, tariffs, recession, high unemployment, geopolitical events and the negative effects on consumer confidence and consumers’ discretionary spending, have in the past negatively affected, and may in the future materially negatively affect, our business and operations. For example, the restaurant and hospitality industries are highly dependent on consumer confidence and discretionary spending. Economic, political or social conditions or events that adversely impact consumers’ ability or willingness to dine out could, in turn, adversely impact our revenues related to JG and the Seaport. If such conditions or events were to persist for an extended period of time or worsen, our overall business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Downturn in tenants’ businesses may reduce our revenues and cash flows.
A tenant may experience a downturn in its business, due to a variety of factors including rising inflation or interest rates or supply chain issues, including those potentially caused from global trade uncertainty or tariffs, which may weaken its financial condition and result in its failure to make timely rental payments or result in defaults under our leases. The rate of defaults may increase from historical levels due to tenants’ businesses being negatively impacted by higher interest rates. In the event of default by a tenant, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as the landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment.
We may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-lease space as leases expire.
We cannot provide any assurance that existing leases will be renewed, that we will be able to lease vacant space or re-lease space as leases expire or that our rental rates will be equal to or above the current rental rates previously negotiated by HHH. Subsequent to year-end 2024, we entered into a lease with a new tenant to occupy approximately 74,000 square feet of space in Pier 17, comprised of existing vacant space as well as space currently occupied by one tenant whose lease is set to expire in December 2025 and who represented approximately 11% of our total 2024 revenues. The assets within Landlord Operations at the Seaport were 64% leased as of December 31, 2024, and we are focused on improving occupancy levels at these assets; however, no assurance can be given that we will be successful in leasing this space. If the average rental rates for our properties decrease, existing tenants do not renew their leases, vacant space is not leased or available space is not re-leased as leases expire, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, the quoted trading price of our securities and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations at the affected properties could be adversely affected.
The operational results of some of our assets may be volatile, especially the Seaport, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The Seaport’s operational results have been and may in the future be volatile. The volatility is largely the result of: (i) seasonality; (ii) potential sponsorship revenue; (iii) potential event revenue; (iv) demand for rentable space; and (v) business operating risks from various start-up businesses. We own, either wholly or through joint ventures, and in some instances operate, several start-up businesses in the Seaport. As a result, the revenues and expenses of these businesses directly impact the net operating income of the Seaport, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
19
Table of Contents
For example, seasonality has a significant impact on our Seaport business due to weather conditions, New York City tourism and other factors, with the majority of Seaport’s revenue generated between May and October. Similarly, in Las Vegas, we are significantly impacted by the baseball season, with a significant portion of our Sponsorship, Events, and Entertainment segment revenue generated between April and September. As a result, our total revenues tend to be higher in the second and third quarters, and our quarterly results for any one quarter or in any given fiscal year may not be indicative of results to be expected for any other quarter or year. Additionally, during periods of extreme temperatures (either hot or cold) or precipitation, we may experience significant reductions in consumer traffic, which could adversely affect our assets and our business as a whole.
Additionally, our investment in JG and the related development of the Tin Building are both relatively new, and uncertainty around those investments could also contribute to volatile results.
Significant competition could have an adverse effect on our business.
The nature and extent of the competition we face depend on the type of property. Because our existing portfolio consists of entertainment-related assets, these properties compete for consumers and their discretionary dollars with other forms of entertainment, leisure and recreational activities. This competition is particularly intense in Manhattan and in the Las Vegas area, where all of our assets are located. The success of our business depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond quickly to changing consumer tastes, preferences and purchasing habits. Many of the entities operating competing businesses are larger and have greater financial resources, have been in business longer, or have greater name recognition, and as a result may be able to invest greater resources than we can in attracting consumers to our properties. Certain of our assets will depend on our ability to attract concerts and other events to our venues, and in turn the ability of performers to attract strong attendance.
JG, in which we own a 25% stake, competes in the restaurant industry with national, regional and locally-owned or operated restaurants, an industry characterized by the continual introduction of new concepts and subject to rapidly changing consumer preferences, tastes, trends and eating and purchasing habits. A substantial number of restaurants compete with JG for customers, consumer dollars, restaurant locations and qualified management and other restaurant staff.
Numerous residential and commercial developers, some with greater financial and other resources, compete with us in seeking resources for development and prospective purchasers and tenants. Competition from other real estate developers may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain experienced real estate development personnel or obtain construction materials and labor. These competitive conditions can adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Additionally, there are numerous shopping facilities that compete with our operating retail properties in attracting retailers to lease space. In addition, retailers at these properties face continued competition from other retailers, including internet retailers. Competition of this type could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we compete with other major real estate investors and developers, many of whom have lower costs of, and superior access, to capital for attractive investment and development opportunities.
The concentration of our properties in New York City and Las Vegas exposes our revenues and the value of our assets to adverse changes in local economic conditions.
The properties we own are located in the same or a limited number of geographic regions, largely Manhattan and the Las Vegas area. Our current and future operations at the properties in these areas are generally subject to significant fluctuations caused by various factors that are beyond our control such as the regional and local economies, which may be negatively impacted by material relocation by residents, industry slowdowns, increased unemployment, lack of availability of consumer credit, levels of consumer debt, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, climate change and other factors, as well as the local real estate conditions, such as an oversupply of, or a reduction in demand for, retail space or retail goods and the availability and creditworthiness of current and prospective tenants.
20
Table of Contents
In addition, some of our properties are subject to various other factors specific to those geographic areas. For example, tourism is a major component of the local economies in lower Manhattan and in the Las Vegas area, so our properties in those areas are susceptible to factors that affect travel and tourism related to these areas, including cost and availability of air services and the impact of any events that disrupt air travel to and from these regions. Moreover, these properties may be affected by risks such as acts of terrorism and natural disasters, including major wildfires, floods, droughts and heat waves, as well as severe or inclement weather, which could also decrease tourism activity.
Given that the majority of our revenue comes from the Seaport in New York City, we are also particularly vulnerable to adverse events (including acts of terrorism, threats to public safety, natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics, weather conditions, labor market disruptions and government actions) and economic conditions in New York City and the surrounding areas. For example, the Seaport’s operations and operating results were materially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and New York state and city laws and regulations regarding lockdowns and capacity restrictions. Declines or disruptions in certain industries—for example, the financial services or media sectors—may also have a significant adverse effect on the New York City economy or real estate market, which could disproportionately impact on our business.
Further, our assets in the Las Vegas area are to some degree dependent on the gaming industry, which could be adversely affected by changes in consumer trends and preferences and other factors over which we have no control. The gaming industry is characterized by an increasingly high degree of competition among a large number of participants, including land-based casinos, video lottery, sweepstakes and poker machines, many of which are located outside of Las Vegas. Such increased competition could have a negative impact on the local Las Vegas economy and result in an adverse effect on our assets in the Las Vegas area. The success of our assets in the Las Vegas area may also be negatively impacted by changes in temperature due to climate change, increased stress on water supplies caused by climate change and population growth and other factors over which we have no control.
If any or all of the factors discussed above were to occur and result in a decrease in the revenue derived from assets in any of these geographic regions, it would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Some of our properties are subject to potential natural or other disasters.
Our properties are located in areas which are subject to natural or other disasters, including hurricanes, floods, wildfires, heat waves and droughts. We cannot predict the extent of damage that may result from such adverse weather events, which depend on a variety of factors beyond our control. Whether such events are caused or exacerbated by global climate changes or other factors, our properties in Manhattan, a coastal region, could be affected by increases in sea levels, the frequency or severity of hurricanes and tropical storms, or environmental disasters, and our properties in the Las Vegas area could be negatively impacted by changes in temperature or increased stress on water supplies. Additionally, adverse weather events can cause widespread property damage and significantly depress the local economies in which we operate and have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and operations.
Climate change, as well as scrutiny of climate change and other environmental or social matters may adversely affect our business.
As a result of climate change, we may experience extreme weather and changes in precipitation and temperature, all of which may result in physical damage or a decrease in demand for our properties located in the areas affected by these conditions. Should the impact of climate change be material in nature or occur for lengthy periods of time, our financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected. In addition, many state and local governments are adopting or considering adopting regulations requiring that property owners and developers include in their development or redevelopment plans resiliency measures to address climate-change or other environmental or social risks. We may be required to incur substantial costs if such regulations apply to any of our properties. There is also increasing scrutiny of climate, human capital and other sustainability matters from various investors, consumers and other stakeholders, and our actual or perceived sustainability performance and disclosures may impact these stakeholders’ interest in our company or our real estate. Moreover, various policymakers, including the State of New York, have adopted or are considering adopting laws requiring disclosure of certain climate-related information, which may require additional costs for us to
21
Table of Contents
comply. However stakeholder, including regulator, expectations are not uniform and, at times, conflict. Any failure to successfully navigate stakeholder expectations, including compliance with laws or interpretations of such requirements, may result in reputational harm, loss of customers or employees, investor or regulatory engagement, or other adverse business impacts. Our tenants and suppliers may be subject to similar risks, which may indirectly impact us as well.
Water and electricity shortages could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Drought conditions and increased temperature—particularly in Las Vegas—could cause our assets to experience water and electricity shortages. The lack or reduced availability of electricity or water may make it more difficult or expensive for us to operate our businesses and obtain approvals for new developments and could limit, impair or delay our ability to develop or sell, or increase the cost of developing, our assets in the relevant areas.
If we are unable to make strategic acquisitions and develop and maintain strategic partnerships, our growth may be adversely affected, and we may not realize the expected benefit from acquisitions and partnerships.
As part of our long-term business strategy, we intend to opportunistically seek out acquisitions and utilize strategic partnerships. There are no assurances, however, that attractive acquisition or strategic partnership opportunities will arise, or if they do, that they will be consummated, or that any needed additional financing for such opportunities will be available on satisfactory terms when required. We cannot provide assurances that acquired assets will be successfully integrated into our operations or that they will perform in accordance with our expectations, nor can we provide assurances that strategic partnerships will be successful or that our relationships with our partners will continue to be mutually beneficial. If attractive acquisitions cannot be identified and successfully consummated, or if strategic partnerships cannot be established or successfully maintained, it could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are party to numerous joint venture arrangements with strategic partners, and our business strategy may include seeking to enter into new joint venture arrangements, as well as expanding relationships with our existing strategic partners. Our strategic partners may have interests that are different from ours. Furthermore, we rely on certain of our joint venture partners to provide management services at certain of our restaurants and operations, and if we were no longer able to rely on such partnerships for those services, we would be required to find an alternative; we can provide no assurances as to our success in finding a new management partner or providing such services internally.
We currently have entered and may intend to enter into additional joint venture partnerships, such as with respect to (a) our 25% interest in JG and (b) the Fashion Show Mall Air Rights. Our joint venture partners may bring local market knowledge and relationships, development experience, industry expertise, financial resources, financing capabilities, brand recognition and credibility or other competitive advantages. In the future, we may not have sufficient resources, experience and/or skills to locate desirable partners, including in the event that we determine to expand our operations outside of our current locations in New York and Las Vegas. We also may not be able to identify and attract partners who want to conduct business in the locations where our properties are located or may be located in the future, and who have the assets, reputation or other characteristics that would enhance our growth strategies.
While we generally participate in making decisions for our jointly owned properties and assets, we might not always have the same objectives as the partner in relation to a particular asset, and we might not be able to formally resolve any issues that arise. In addition, actions by a partner may subject property owned by the joint venture to liabilities greater than those contemplated by the joint venture agreements, be contrary to our instructions or requests or result in adverse consequences. In many instances we do not exercise control over decisions made with respect to our joint ventures or their assets, and decisions may be made that are detrimental to our interests. Furthermore, we have made, and expect to continue to seek to make, investments in unconsolidated ventures that we do not control and account for under the equity method. We rely on the information, including financial information, prepared by these ventures to monitor our investments and prepare our financial statements. Errors in the financial statements or other information provided to us could lead to errors in our financial statements.
22
Table of Contents
The bankruptcy or, to a lesser extent, financial distress of any of our joint venture partners could materially and adversely affect the relevant property or properties. If this occurred, we would be precluded from taking some actions affecting the estate of the other investor without prior court approval which would, in most cases, entail prior notice to other parties and a hearing. At a minimum, the requirement to obtain court approval may delay the actions we would or might want to take. If the relevant joint venture through which we have invested in a property has incurred recourse obligations, the discharge in bankruptcy of one of the other partners might result in our ultimate liability for a greater portion of those obligations than would otherwise be required.
Several of our properties and our tenants depend on frequent deliveries of food, alcohol and other supplies, which subjects us to risks of shortages, interruptions and price fluctuations for those goods.
The ability of several of our properties, including JG, and some of our tenants to maintain consistent quality service depends in part on their ability to acquire fresh, quality products from reliable sources. If there were any major shortages, interruptions or significant price fluctuations for certain fresh, quality products or if suppliers were unable to perform adequately or fail to distribute products or supplies to our properties or the properties of our tenants, or terminate or refuse to renew any contract with them, this could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
In addition, certain of our tenants purchase beer, wine and spirits from distributors who own the exclusive rights to sell such alcoholic beverage products in the geographic areas in which we are located. The continued ability to purchase certain brands of alcoholic beverages depends upon maintaining relationships with those distributors, of which there can be no assurance. If any of our or our tenants’ alcohol beverage distributors cease to supply them, they may be forced to offer brands of alcoholic beverage which have less consumer appeal, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We are exposed to risks associated with the development, redevelopment or construction of our properties, including the potential redevelopment at 250 Water Street and in connection with our Fashion Show Mall Air Rights.
Two of our current assets are in pre- or early-development stages. Seaport includes 250 Water Street, a one-acre development site approved for 547,000 zoning square feet of market rate and affordable housing, office, retail and community gathering space. Building of the foundation at 250 Water Street commenced in the second quarter of 2022. In the final quarter of 2023, the State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation issued a certificate of completion for the site stating that site clean-up had been completed to a level consistent with planned site uses. Site development will need to include certain environmental measures, including to mitigate vapor intrusion and address noise attenuation. For additional details, see “—Regulatory, Legal and Environmental Risks—We may be subject to potential costs to comply with environmental laws.” Another of our assets is the Fashion Show Mall Air Rights, which is a contractual right to form a joint venture to hold an 80% managing member interest in a to-be-formed entity that would own the air rights above the Fashion Show mall in Las Vegas, as well as the exclusive right to develop such air rights. Various local, state and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning building, health and safety, site and building design, environment, zoning, sales and similar matters apply to and/or affect the real estate development industry. Completion of development activities at 250 Water Street and initiation of development activities in connection with Fashion Show Mall Air Rights are complex processes and subject to numerous factors and contingencies, including market conditions, financing and additional approvals. We are currently evaluating all strategic alternatives before proceeding further with any development activities. There can be no guarantee of when or if either of these potential developments will be completed or, if they are completed, reach subsequent stabilization or achieve profitability.
Our development, redevelopment and construction activities, including at 250 Water Street and in connection with our Fashion Show Mall Air Rights, expose us to risks such as:
● inability to obtain construction financing for the development or redevelopment of properties;
● inability to obtain or renew permits or approvals, and the continued effectiveness of permits already granted or approvals already obtained;
23
Table of Contents
● increased construction costs for a project that exceeded our original estimates due to increases in materials, labor or other costs, which could make completion of the project less profitable because market rents may not increase sufficiently to compensate for the increased construction costs;
● supply chain issues and increased difficulty for workforce recruitment which may lead to construction delays and increased project development costs;
● costs and delays associated with compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
● claims for construction defects after a property has been developed;
● poor performance or nonperformance by any of our joint venture partners or other third parties on whom we rely;
● health and safety incidents and site accidents;
● compliance with environmental laws and land use controls;
● easement restrictions which may impact our development costs and timing;
● compliance with building codes and other local regulations;
● delays and increased expenses as a result of legal challenges, whether brought by governmental authorities, our competitors, local residents or private parties;
● changes to tax rules, regulations and/or incentives; and
● the inability to secure tenants necessary to support commercial projects.
For example, we were subject to various lawsuits challenging the development approvals we obtained for our 250 Water Street development project, which have since reached resolution. Although, the lawsuits did not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations, we cannot guarantee that the outcome of any future litigation related to 250 Water Street, or any of our other development, redevelopment and construction activities, will not result in substantial costs or delays, divert our management’s attention and resources or otherwise harm our business. For additional information, see Note 8 – Commitments and Contingencies to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.
In connection with any pursuit of development of the Fashion Show Mall Air Rights, we may encounter additional risks in addition to the foregoing risks. These additional risks may include, among others: the inability to reach agreement with our counterparty on the contractual terms of the proposed joint venture that would formalize the ownership structure of the air rights; unwillingness of the owner of the Fashion Show mall to comply with the terms of existing contractual agreements and/or cooperate with such development; the inability to develop such rights based upon then-existing conditions relating to the structure of the existing Fashion Show mall, rights or potential rights (whether known or unknown) of tenants or other parties in possession of any portion of the Fashion Show mall or otherwise, which may require negotiation and further costs; costs and delays associated with the required cooperation between the parties, which may contribute to potential development being considered economically infeasible; and costs and delays associated with, or the inability to successfully obtain, the legal subdivision of the development rights from the fee ownership interest in the real property.
If any of the aforementioned risks were to occur during the development, redevelopment or construction of our properties, including at 250 Water Street and in connection with our Fashion Show Mall Air Rights, it could have a substantial negative impact on the project’s success and result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
24
Table of Contents
Our development projects may subject us to certain liabilities.
We may hire and supervise third-party contractors to provide construction, engineering and various other services for wholly-owned development projects or development projects undertaken by real estate ventures in which we hold an equity interest. Certain of these contracts are structured such that we are the principal rather than the agent. As a result, we may assume liabilities in the course of the project and be subjected to, or become liable for, claims for construction defects, negligent performance of work or other similar actions by third parties we have engaged.
Adverse outcomes of disputes or litigation could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition, particularly if we have not limited the extent of the damages to which we may be liable, or if our liabilities exceed the amounts of the insurance that we carry. Moreover, our tenants may seek to hold us accountable for the actions of contractors because of our role even if we have technically disclaimed liability as a legal matter, in which case we may determine it necessary to participate in a financial settlement for purposes of preserving the tenant or customer relationship or to protect our corporate brand. Acting as a principal may also mean that we pay a contractor before we have been reimbursed by our tenants or have received the entire purchase price of a condominium unit from the purchaser. This exposes us to additional risks of collection in the event of a bankruptcy, insolvency or a default by a tenant, contractor or vendor. The reverse can occur as well, where a contractor we have paid files for bankruptcy protection or commits fraud with the funds before completing a project which we have funded in part or in full.
Government housing regulations may limit opportunities at 250 Water Street and any future communities in which we invest, and failure to comply with resident qualification requirements may result in financial penalties or loss of benefits.
Our 250 Water Street development site is approved for affordable housing and other benefits from governmental programs intended to provide housing to individuals with low or moderate incomes. These programs, which are typically administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) or state housing finance agencies, typically provide mortgage insurance, favorable financing terms, tax credits or rental assistance payments to property owners. As a condition of the receipt of assistance under these programs, 250 Water Street and any future qualifying properties we may development must comply with various requirements, which typically limit rents to pre-approved amounts and impose restrictions on resident incomes. Failure to comply with these requirements and restrictions may result in financial penalties or loss of benefits. In addition, we will typically need to obtain the approval of HUD in order to acquire or dispose of a significant interest in or manage a HUD-assisted property. We may not always receive such approval.
Cybersecurity risks and incidents, such as a breach of the Company’s privacy or information security systems, or those of our vendors or other third parties, could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our tenants and business partners and personally identifiable information of our employees on our networks. The collection and use of personally identifiable information are governed by federal and state laws and regulations. Privacy and information security laws continue to evolve and may be inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another. Compliance with all such laws and regulations may increase our operating costs and adversely impact our ability to market our properties and services.
Additionally, we rely on our information technology systems to be able to monitor and control our operations, adjust to changing market conditions and implement strategic initiatives. We own and manage some of these systems but also rely on third parties for a range of products and services. Any disruptions in or the failure of our own systems, or those managed and operated by third parties, to operate as expected could adversely affect our ability to access and use certain applications and could, depending on the nature and magnitude of the problem, adversely affect our operating results by limiting our ability to effectively monitor and control our operations, adjust to changing market conditions and implement strategic initiatives. The security measures that we and our vendors put in place cannot provide absolute security, and the information technology infrastructure we and our vendors use may be vulnerable to criminal cyber-attacks or data security incidents.
25
Table of Contents
Any such incident could compromise our networks or our vendors’ networks (or the networks or systems of third parties that facilitate our business activities or our vendors’ business activities), and the information we or our vendors store could be accessed, misused, publicly disclosed, corrupted, lost or stolen, resulting in fraud, including wire fraud related to our assets, or other harm. Moreover, if a data security incident or breach affects our systems or our vendors’ systems, whether through a breach of our systems or a breach of the systems of third parties, or results in the unauthorized release of personally identifiable information, our reputation and brand could be materially damaged and we may be exposed to a risk of loss or litigation and possible liability, including, without limitation, loss related to the fact that agreements with our vendors, or our vendors’ financial condition, may not allow us to recover all costs related to a cyber-breach for which they alone are responsible or for which we are jointly responsible, which could result in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Like many companies, we and our third-party vendors have been impacted by security incidents in the past and will likely experience security incidents of varying degrees. While we do not believe these incidents have had a material impact to date, privacy and information security risks have generally increased in recent years because of the proliferation of new technologies, such as ransomware, and the increased sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyber-attacks. Further, there has been a surge in widespread cyber-attacks during and since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the use of remote work environments and virtual platforms may increase our risk of cyber-attack or data security breaches. In light of the increased risks, we have dedicated substantial additional resources of expense, labor and time to strengthening the security of our computer systems. In the future, we may expend additional resources to continue to enhance our information security measures and/or to investigate and attempt to remediate any information security vulnerabilities. Despite these steps, there can be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls and procedures, will be fully implemented, complied with or effective in protecting our systems and information, and that we will not suffer a significant data security incident in the future, that unauthorized parties will not gain access to sensitive data stored on our systems or that any such incident will be discovered in a timely manner. Any failure in or breach of our information security systems, those of third-party service providers or a breach of other third-party systems that ultimately impacts our operational or information security systems as a result of cyber-attacks or information security breaches could result in a wide range of potentially serious harm to our business and results of operations.
Additionally, cyber-attacks perpetrated against our tenants, including unauthorized access to customers’ credit card data and other confidential information, could diminish consumer confidence and spending at our tenants, or negatively impact consumer perception of shopping at, dining at and otherwise utilizing our properties, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Global economic and political instability and conflicts, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine or in the Middle East, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our business could be adversely affected by unstable economic and political conditions within the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions and geopolitical conflicts, such as the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and in the Middle East. While we do not have any customer or direct supplier relationships in these regions, the current military conflict, and related sanctions, as well as export controls or actions that may be initiated by nations (e.g., potential cyberattacks, disruption of energy flows, etc.) and other potential uncertainties could adversely affect our supply chain by causing shortages or increases in costs for materials necessary for construction and/or increases to the price of gasoline and other fuels. In addition, such events could cause higher interest rates, inflation or general economic uncertainty, which could negatively impact our business partners, employees or customers, or otherwise adversely impact our business.
Some of our directors are involved in other businesses including real estate activities and public and/or private investments and, therefore, may have competing or conflicting interests with us.
Certain of our directors have and may in the future have interests in other real estate business activities and may have control or influence over these activities or may serve as investment advisors to, or directors or officers of other businesses. These interests and activities, and any duties to third parties arising from such interests and activities, could divert the attention of such directors from our operations. Additionally, certain of our directors are engaged in investment and other activities in which they may learn of real estate and other related opportunities in their non-director capacities. Our Code
26
Table of Contents
of Business Conduct and Ethics expressly provides, as permitted by Section 122(17) of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), that our non-employee directors are not obligated to limit their interests or activities in their non-director capacities or to notify us of any opportunities that may arise in connection therewith, even if the opportunities are complementary to our businesses, provided that such opportunities are not in direct competition with our businesses. Accordingly, we have no expectation that we will be able to learn of or participate in such opportunities. If any potential business opportunity is expressly presented to a director exclusively in his or her director capacity, the director will not be permitted to pursue the opportunity, directly or indirectly through a controlled affiliate in which the director has an ownership interest, without the approval of the independent members of our board of directors.
Pershing Square is our largest stockholder and may exert influence over us that may be adverse to our best interests and those of our other stockholders.
As of December 31, 2024, Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P. (“Pershing Square”), through investment funds advised by it, beneficially owned approximately 39.5% of our outstanding common stock based on their Schedule 13D/A filed on October 22, 2024. Accordingly, Pershing Square has the ability to influence our policies and operations, including the appointment of management, future issuances of our common stock or other securities, the payment of dividends, if any, on our common stock, the incurrence or modification of debt by us, amendments to our Certificate of Incorporation and amended and restated bylaws (the “Bylaws”) and the entering into of extraordinary transactions, and its interests may not in all cases be aligned with other stockholders’ interests.
In the future, Pershing Square could acquire additional shares of our common stock. If Pershing Square’s ownership of our common stock increases to more than 50%, we would be considered a “controlled company” under the corporate governance rules of NYSE American, which would allow us to opt out of certain NYSE American corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that: (1) a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors; (2) the compensation of our officers be determined or recommended to the board of directors by a majority of its independent directors or by a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors; and (3) director nominees be selected or recommended by a majority of the independent directors or by a nominating committee composed solely of independent directors. In addition, Pershing Square would be able to control virtually all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of our directors.
Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, as long as Pershing Square owns at least 10% of the total outstanding shares of our common stock, Pershing Square will be entitled to nominate at least one director to our board of directors and, if we increase the size of the board to larger than five directors, as many nominees as represent at least 20% of the total number of directors then on the board. These board nomination rights are also contained in our Certificate of Incorporation. Additionally, we have granted a waiver of the applicability of the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL such that Pershing Square, which owned approximately 39.5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of December 31, 2024, may increase its position in our common stock without being subject to Section 203’s restrictions on business combinations. See “—Risks Related to Our Common Stock—Anti-takeover provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation, our Bylaws, Delaware law, the Investor Rights Agreement and certain other agreements may prevent or delay an acquisition of us, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock.”
This concentration of ownership, and the potential for further concentration of ownership, of our outstanding common stock held by Pershing Square, as well as its rights under the Investor Rights Agreement and the Certificate of Incorporation, will potentially make some transactions more difficult or impossible without its support. The interests of Pershing Square, or any of its respective affiliates could conflict with or differ from the interests of our other stockholders. For example, the concentration of ownership held by Pershing Square could allow it to influence our policies and strategy and could delay, defer or prevent a change of control or impede a merger, takeover or other business combination that may otherwise be favorable to us and our other stockholders. Pershing Square or an affiliate thereof may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. This control may also adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
27
Table of Contents
Our business is subject to risks associated with our investments in real estate assets and with trends in the real estate industry.
Our economic performance and the value of our real estate assets are subject to the risk that our properties may not in the future generate revenues sufficient to meet our operating expenses or other obligations, which has been the case with our portfolio in recent years. A future deficiency of this nature would adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, the quoted trading price of our securities and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations.
Because real estate is illiquid, we may not be able to sell properties when in our best interest.
Real estate investments generally cannot be sold quickly. The capitalization rates at which properties may be sold could be higher than historic rates, thereby reducing our potential proceeds from the sale. Consequently, we may not be able to alter our portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions. All of these factors reduce our ability to respond to changes in the performance of our investments and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our business and a resurgence of the pandemic, or another pandemic, epidemic or health crisis, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and condition, operating results and cash flows.
Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our business, as well as the businesses of our tenants, and a resurgence of COVID-19, or any other future pandemic, epidemic or similar health crisis, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted our business in 2020 across all of our operations. Landlord Operations were negatively impacted by delayed leasing of vacant space as well as rental abatements from existing tenants. Additionally, certain of our tenants were forced to permanently close. Our Sponsorship, Events, and Entertainment and Hospitality segments were significantly impacted by measures put in place by New York City that were intended to control the spread of disease, including mandated closures and restrictions upon opening, and the timing of the peak of the pandemic resulted in the full cancellation of our Summer Concert Series in 2020. Our sponsorship business was also negatively impacted by disruptions to our hospitality and events businesses, as sponsors were unable to fulfill their contractual obligations. As a result, many agreements were negotiated and extended during this time.
Our sports operations were also materially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken in response by governmental authorities and MLB. The success of our baseball operations relies heavily on ticket sales and attendance figures. Attendance further impacts our concession and merchandise revenue and indirectly influences the number of events hosted at the Las Vegas Ballpark, as well as sponsor growth and engagement. MLB first postponed and eventually cancelled the minor league baseball season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and, as a result, our business operations related to the Aviators were suspended. Our related special events and sponsorships were also negatively impacted. Our sports operations continued to be impacted by government-mandated assembly restrictions during fiscal year 2021 and temporary declines in attendance related to COVID-19 during certain months of fiscal year 2022.
Our and our tenants’ businesses have been, and could in the future be, materially and adversely affected by the risks, or the public perception of the risks, related to pandemics or other health emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government’s reaction thereto, especially if there is a negative impact on customers’ willingness or ability to frequent such businesses. Our business is also particularly sensitive to discretionary business and consumer spending. A pandemic such as COVID-19, or the fear of another pandemic or other public health emergency, has in the past, and could in the future, impede economic activity in impacted regions or globally over the long-term, leading to a decline in discretionary spending on entertainment and leisure activities, including declines in domestic and international tourism, which would result in long-term effects on our business. To the extent a pandemic, epidemic or other similar health crisis adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risks Factors” section and elsewhere in this Annual Report.
28
Table of Contents
Risks Related to Our Sports Assets
Our sports assets face intense and wide-ranging competition, which may have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations.
The success of a sports business, like baseball-related assets, is dependent upon the performance and/or popularity of its franchise. The Aviators compete, in varying respects and degrees, with other live sporting events, and with sporting events delivered over television networks, radio, the internet and online services, streaming devices and applications and other alternative sources. For example, the Aviators compete for attendance and advertising with a wide range of alternatives available in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. During some or all of the baseball season, the Aviators face competition, in varying respects and degrees, from professional football (including the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders), professional hockey (including the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights), professional soccer (including the USL’s Las Vegas Lights), collegiate sporting events such as UNLV athletic teams and other NCAA competitions, women’s professional basketball (including the WNBA Las Vegas Aces), other sporting events held in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and other leisure-time activities and entertainment options in Las Vegas (including concerts, music festivals and other live performances).
As a result of the large number of options available, we face strong competition for the Las Vegas metropolitan area sports fan base. We must compete with these other sports teams and sporting events, in varying respects and degrees, including on the basis of the quality of the teams we field, its success in the leagues in which it competes, our ability to provide an entertaining environment at our games, prices we charge for tickets and the viewing availability of our team’s games on multiple media alternatives. Given the nature of sports, there can be no assurance that we will be able to compete effectively, including with companies that may have greater resources than us, and as a consequence, our business and results of operations may be materially negatively affected.
Additionally, on November 16, 2023, the thirty owners of MLB teams unanimously voted to approve the move by the Athletics to Las Vegas in 2028. In April 2024, the Athletics announced that they had signed a lease to play the 2025 through 2027 seasons in Sacramento before their planned move to Las Vegas beginning in the 2028 season. There can be no assurance that the Athletics will move to Las Vegas at all or that we will achieve any potential benefits of such a move. A major league baseball team located in Las Vegas or Summerlin could also compete with the Aviators for their existing fans. As a result, the Athletics’ move could even result in a material negative impact on the Aviators if this competition results in a decline in Aviators attendance.
The success of our business is dependent on our ability to attract attendance to the Aviators’ home games. Our business also competes with other leisure-time activities and entertainment options in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, such as television, motion pictures, concerts, music festivals and other live performances, restaurants and nightlife venues, casinos, the internet, social media and social networking platforms and online and mobile services, including sites for online content distribution, video on demand and other alternative sources of entertainment.
Our business is substantially dependent on the continued popularity and/or competitive success of the Aviators, which cannot be assured.
Our financial results depend in part on the Aviators remaining popular with their fan base, and, in varying degrees, on the team achieving on-field success, which can generate fan enthusiasm that results in sustained ticket, premium seating, suite, sponsorship, food and beverage and merchandise sales during the season. In addition, success in the regular season may qualify the Aviators for participation in post-season playoffs, which provides us with additional revenue by increasing the number of games played by the Aviators and, more importantly, by generating increased excitement and interest in the Aviators, which can help drive a number of our revenue streams, including by improving attendance and sponsorships, in subsequent seasons. In addition, league, team and/or player actions or inactions, including protests, may impact the popularity of the Aviators or the league in which it plays. There can be no assurance that the Aviators will maintain continued popularity or compete in post-season play in the future.
29
Table of Contents
Baseball decisions made by the parent club, especially those concerning player selection and salaries, may have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations .
Creating and maintaining the Aviators’ popularity and/or on-field competitiveness is relevant to the success of our business. The Aviators are an affiliate of the Athletics and get their players designated to them by the Athletics (as the parent club) from among the various players under contract with the parent club. Accordingly, efforts to improve our revenues and earnings from operations from period-to-period may be secondary to actions that the parent club’s management believes will generate long-term growth and asset value creation. The competitive position of the Aviators depends primarily on the Athletics’ ability to obtain, develop and retain talented players, coaches and team executives, for whom it competes with other MLB team and over which the Aviators have no control. The Athletics’ efforts in this regard may include, among other things, trading for highly compensated players, signing draft picks, free agents or current players to new contracts, engaging in salary arbitration or contract renegotiation with existing players, terminating and waiving players and replacing coaches and team executives, and any of these actions can impact the competitive strength of the Aviators.
There can be no assurance that the Aviators (or their parent club) will be able to retain players upon expiration of their contracts or sign and develop talented players to replace those who are called up to the parent club, leave for other teams, retire or are injured, traded or released. Additionally, there can be no assurance that any actions taken by the Athletics will successfully generate and increase long-term growth and asset value creation for the Aviators.
The actions of MLB Professional Development Leagues (“MLB PDL”) may have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations.
The governing body of minor league baseball, MLB Professional Development Leagues, has certain rights under certain circumstances to take actions that they deem to be in the best interests of the league, which may not necessarily be consistent with maximizing our results of operations. Decisions by MLB PDL could have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations. For example:
● The Aviators’ affiliation with the Athletics is dependent on maintaining a license from MLB PDL. The current license with MLB PDL expires after the 2030 minor league baseball season, and there is no guarantee that MLB PDL will offer the Aviators an opportunity to renew that license.
● MLB PDL may assert control over certain matters, under certain circumstances, that may affect our revenues such as ticket tax, advertising inventory, and the licensing of (and royalty rates paid for) the rights to produce and sell merchandise bearing the logos and/or other intellectual property of the Aviators and the league.
● MLB PDL imposes certain rules that define, under certain circumstances, the territories in which the Aviators operate. MLB and MLB PDL have also asserted control over other important decisions, such as the length and format of, and the number of games in, the playing season, preseason and playoff schedules, admission of new members, franchise relocations, labor relations with the players associations, etc. Changes to these matters could have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations.
● MLB PDL imposes certain restrictions on the ability of owners to undertake certain types of transactions in respect of teams, including a change in ownership. In certain instances, these restrictions could impair our ability to proceed with a transaction that is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders if we were unable to obtain any required league approvals in a timely manner or at all.
● MLB PDL has imposed a number of rules, regulations, guidelines, bulletins, directives, policies and agreements upon its teams. Changes to these provisions may apply to the Aviators and its personnel, and/or the Company as a whole, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with such changes, have voted against such changes or have challenged them through other means. It is possible that any such changes could materially negatively affect our business and results of operations to the extent they are ultimately determined to bind the Aviators. MLB PDL asserts significant authority to take certain actions under certain circumstances. Decisions by MLB PDL, including on the matters described above, may materially negatively affect our business and results of operations.
30
Table of Contents
MLB PDL’s governing documents and our agreements with MLB PDL purport to limit the manner in which we may challenge decisions and actions.
Injuries to, and illness of, players on our sports team could hinder our success.
To the degree that our financial results are dependent on the Aviators’ popularity and/or on-field success, the likelihood of achieving such popularity or competitive success may be substantially impacted by serious and/or untimely injuries to or illness of key players. Even if we take health and safety precautions and comply with government protocols, our players may nevertheless contract serious illness, such as COVID-19 and, as a result, the Aviators’ ability to participate in games may be substantially impacted.
Financial Risks
We will be unable to develop, redevelop or expand our properties without sufficient capital or financing.
Our business objectives include potential development, redevelopment and expansion opportunities, including potential significant future development activity at our 250 Water Street property and in connection with the Fashion Show Mall Air Rights. We will not be able to pursue these initiatives if we cannot obtain sufficient capital or financing, which may include debt capital from lenders or the capital markets (which may be secured or unsecured), additional equity capital, cash from asset sales or government incentives, such as tax increment financing. We may be unable to obtain financing, or obtain financing on economically attractive terms, due to numerous factors, including our financial condition, results of operations or market volatility and uncertainty. Similarly, we may be unable to obtain mortgage lender and property partner approvals that may be required for any such development, redevelopment or expansion opportunity. We may abandon development, redevelopment or expansion activities already underway if we are unable to secure additional attractively priced capital to finance the completion of such activities. This may result in charge-offs of costs previously capitalized. In addition, if development, redevelopment, expansion or reinvestment projects are unsuccessful, our investments in such projects may not be recoverable, in full or in part, from future operations or sales resulting in impairment charges.
As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding indebtedness of approximately $102.4 million, and in the future we may incur additional indebtedness. This indebtedness and changing interest rates could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations and prevent us from fulfilling our financial obligations.
As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding indebtedness of approximately $102.4 million. This indebtedness, and any future indebtedness could have the following consequences:
● limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, execution of our business strategy or finance other general corporate requirements;
● requiring us to make non-strategic divestitures, particularly when the availability of financing in the capital markets is limited;
● requiring a substantial portion of our cash flow to be allocated to debt service payments instead of other business purposes, thereby reducing the amount of cash flow available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, dividends and other general corporate purposes;
● increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions, including decreases in the market value of pledged assets as well as increases in interest rates, particularly with respect to any variable rate indebtedness;
● limiting our ability to capitalize on business opportunities, reinvest in and develop properties and to react to competitive pressures and adverse changes in government regulations;
31
Table of Contents
● placing us at a disadvantage compared to other less leveraged competitors;
● limiting our ability, or increasing the costs, to refinance our indebtedness;
● restricting our ability to operate our business due to certain restrictions in the debt agreements; and
● resulting in an event of default if we fail to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which default could result in all or part of our indebtedness becoming immediately due and payable and, in the case of any secured debt, could permit the lenders to foreclose on our assets securing such debt.
In 2023, our subsidiary 250 Seaport District, LLC (“250 Water Street Borrower,” then a subsidiary of HHH), the fee owner of 250 Water Street, entered into a term loan agreement (the “Existing 250 Water Street Term Loan”) with Mizuho Capital Markets (“MCM”), as agent, and certain lenders. In connection with the separation, we caused 250 Water Street Borrower to enter into certain agreements (collectively, the “Refinanced 250 Water Street Term Loan”) with MCM pursuant to which we refinanced the Existing 250 Water Street Term Loan to reduce our outstanding indebtedness and provide us with greater financial flexibility. In connection with the Refinanced 250 Water Street Term Loan, we entered into a total return swap with MCM to provide credit support for the 250 Water Street Borrower’s obligations under the Refinanced 250 Water Street Term Loan (the “250 Water Street TRS”). The Refinanced 250 Water Street Term Loan bears interest at a variable rate. During periods of rising interest rates, such as have been experienced in the recent past, interest expense on our variable rate debt will increase unless we effectively hedge our interest rate exposure. Such increases could be significant, particularly if we incur substantially more variable rate debt, and could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to service our debt, invest in our business or access additional capital. For additional information about our debt agreements, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
The agreements governing our existing indebtedness contain restrictions that may limit our ability to operate our business.
In addition to our Refinanced 250 Water Street Term Loan and our 250 Water Street TRS, we are also party to a mortgage with respect to the ballpark. In 2018, in order to finance the Las Vegas Ballpark, Clark County Las Vegas Stadium, LLC (“CCLVS”), then a subsidiary of HHH, entered into a note purchase agreement pursuant to which it issued a 4.92% senior secured note to Wells Fargo Trust Company, National Association, as trustee, in the principal amount of $51.2 million (the “Las Vegas Note Purchase Agreement”). The Las Vegas Note Purchase Agreement is secured by a deed of trust (the “Las Vegas Ballpark Deed of Trust”) and, among other things, a lien on the Las Vegas Ballpark (pursuant to the Las Vegas Ballpark Deed of Trust) and certain of CCLVS’s interests in agreements related to the Las Vegas Ballpark.
Our Refinanced 250 Water Street Term Loan, our Las Vegas Ballpark Deed of Trust and our 250 Water Street TRS contain certain restrictions that may limit our ability to operate our business as well as representations and covenants customary for agreements of these types, including financial covenants related to maintenance of loan-to-value ratios with respect to the collateral. These agreements also contain customary events of default and termination events. These restrictions limit our ability, or the ability of certain of our subsidiaries, to, among other things:
● incur indebtedness or issue equity;
● create certain liens;
● pay dividends on, redeem or repurchase capital stock or make other restricted payments;
● make investments;
● consolidate, merge or transfer all, or substantially all, of our assets;
● sell-transfer, exchange, assign, pledge or otherwise dispose of equity;
32
Table of Contents
● enter into or amend lease or other agreements or transactions without consent;
● enter into transactions with our affiliates; and
● create, organize or establish subsidiaries.
Additionally, our debt agreements also contain various restrictive covenants, including minimum net worth requirements, minimum liquidity requirements, maximum leverage ratios, limitations on our ability to form subsidiaries and limitations on our ability to amend our governing documents. The restrictions under the debt agreements could limit our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs, make acquisitions or pursue available business opportunities.
We may be required to take action to reduce our debt or act in a manner inconsistent with our business objectives and strategies to meet such ratios and satisfy such covenants. Events beyond our control, such as changes in economic and business conditions, may affect our ability to do so. We may not be able to meet the ratios or satisfy the covenants in our debt agreements, and we cannot provide any assurance that our lenders will waive any failure to do so. A breach of any of the covenants in, or our inability to maintain the required financial ratios under, our debt agreements would likely result in a default under such debt agreements, which may accelerate the principal and interest payments of the debt and, if such debt is secured, result in the foreclosure on certain of our assets that secure such debt. Any such defaults could materially impair our financial condition and liquidity. In addition, if the lenders under any of our debt agreements or other obligations accelerate the maturity of those obligations, we cannot assure that we will have sufficient assets to satisfy our obligations under such obligations.
Inflation has adversely affected us and may continue to adversely affect us by increasing costs beyond what we can recover through price increases.
The U.S. economy has experienced elevated inflation recently. Inflation can adversely affect us by increasing, among other things, the cost of land, and materials and labor, which we have experienced in fiscal year 2024 due to elevated inflation rates. Although we believe that sources of supply for raw materials and components are generally adequate, it is difficult to predict what effects price increases may have in the future. In recent years we have been experiencing increases in the prices of labor and materials above the general inflation rate, especially in New York City with respect to labor costs. Our inability to offset increasing costs due to inflation through price increases to customers could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial conditions and cash flows.
Some potential losses are not insured.
We carry comprehensive liability, fire, flood, earthquake, terrorism, cyber, extended coverage and rental loss insurance on all of our properties. We believe the policy specifications and insured limits of these policies are adequate and appropriate. There are some types of losses, including lease and other contract claims, which generally are not insured. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occurs, we could lose all or a portion of the capital invested in a property, as well as the anticipated future revenue from the property. If this happens, we might remain obligated for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the property.
We are subject to risks associated with hedging arrangements.
We may enter into interest rate swap agreements and other interest rate hedging contracts, including caps and cash settled forward starting swaps, to mitigate or reduce our exposure to interest rate volatility or to satisfy lender requirements. These agreements expose us to additional risks, including a risk that counterparties of these hedging and swap agreements will not perform. There also could be significant costs and cash requirements involved to fulfill our obligations under a hedging agreement. In addition, our hedging activities may not have the desired beneficial impact on interest rate exposure and have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
33
Table of Contents
Regulatory, Legal and Environmental Risks
Development of properties entails a lengthy, uncertain and costly entitlement process.
Approval to develop real property sometimes requires political support and generally entails an extensive entitlement process involving multiple and overlapping regulatory jurisdictions and often requires discretionary action by local governments. Real estate projects must generally comply with local land development regulations, as well as any applicable state and federal regulations. We incur substantial costs to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. An increase in legal and regulatory requirements may cause us to incur substantial additional costs, or in some cases cause us to determine that the property is not feasible for development. In addition, our competitors and local residents may challenge our efforts to obtain entitlements and permits for the development of properties. The process to comply with these regulations is usually lengthy and costly, may not result in the approvals we seek and can be expected to materially affect our development activities. Our potential development at 250 Water Street received approvals to potentially develop 547,000 zoning square feet of market rate and affordable housing, office, retail and community-oriented gathering space; however, any actual development of this project will require, among other things, final resolution of any challenges to existing approvals and related ancillary approvals.
Similarly, any future exercise our right to develop, together with an interest in and to 80% of, the air rights above the Fashion Show mall would require, among other things, numerous approvals, and would likely involve an extensive process with substantial costs, and no assurance can be given that we would be successful in obtaining the necessary approvals to develop such rights.
Government regulations and legal challenges may delay the start or completion of the development of our properties, increase our expenses or limit our building or other activities.
Various local, state and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning building, health and safety, site and building design, environment, zoning, sales and similar matters apply to and/or affect the real estate development industry. In addition, our ability to obtain or renew permits or approvals and the continued effectiveness of permits already granted or approvals already obtained depends on factors beyond our control, such as changes in federal, state and local policies, rules and regulations and their interpretations and application.
Municipalities may restrict or place moratoriums on the availability of utilities, such as water and sewer taps. If municipalities in which we operate take such actions, it could have an adverse effect on our business by causing delays, increasing our costs or limiting our ability to operate in those municipalities. These measures may reduce our ability to build and sell real estate development projects in the affected markets, including with respect to land we may already own, and create additional costs and administration requirements, which in turn may harm our future results of operations.
Governmental regulation affects numerous aspects of our business and industry, including construction, sales and lending activities and other dealings with consumers and tenants. Further, government agencies routinely initiate audits, reviews or investigations of our business practices to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, which can cause us to incur costs or create other disruptions in our business that can be significant. Further, we may experience delays and increased expenses as a result of legal challenges to our proposed communities, whether brought by governmental authorities or private parties.
34
Table of Contents
We may be subject to increased compliance costs to comply with new and contemplated government regulations relating to energy standards and climate change.
A variety of legislation is being enacted, or considered for enactment, at the federal, state and local levels relating to energy and climate change. This legislation relates to items such as carbon dioxide emissions control and building codes that impose energy efficiency standards. For example, New York City has adopted Local Law 97, which requires individual, or certain groups of, buildings over a certain size to meet new energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions limits as of 2024, with stricter limits coming into effect in 2030. New building code requirements that impose stricter energy efficiency standards could significantly increase our cost to construct buildings. Such environmental laws may affect, for example, how we manage storm water runoff, wastewater discharges and dust; how we develop or operate on properties on or affecting resources such as wetlands, endangered species, cultural resources, or areas subject to preservation laws; and how we address contamination. As climate change concerns continue to grow among certain constituencies, legislation and regulations of this nature may continue and may make compliance more costly. In addition, it is possible that some form of expanded energy or water efficiency legislation may be passed by certain bodies, which may, despite being phased in over time, significantly increase our costs of building properties. We may be required to apply for additional approvals or modify our existing approvals because of changes in local circumstances or applicable law.
Energy-and water-related initiatives affect a wide variety of companies throughout the U.S. and the world. Because our potential future development activities could be heavily dependent on significant amounts of raw materials, such as lumber, steel and concrete, energy-related initiatives could have an indirect adverse impact on our operations to the extent the manufacturers and suppliers of our materials are burdened with expensive cap and trade and similar energy-related taxes and regulations. Noncompliance with environmental laws could result in fines and penalties, obligations to remediate, permit revocations and other sanctions.
We may be subject to potential costs to comply with environmental laws.
Future development and redevelopment opportunities may require additional capital and other expenditures to comply with laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment. Under various federal, state or local laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of real estate may be required to investigate and clean up hazardous or toxic substances released at a property and may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage or personal injuries and for investigation and clean-up costs incurred by the parties in connection with the contamination. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release of the hazardous or toxic substances, or the legality of disposal or classification of the material at the time. The presence of contamination or the failure to remediate contamination may adversely affect the owner’s ability to sell or lease real estate or to borrow using the real estate as collateral, and may expose us to tort or common law liability to neighbors, employees, site visitors, or others. It may also prevent new construction or changes in land use prior to remediation, such as sites in New York City that have been placed under an “E” designation. For instance, there is known contamination at the 250 Water Street site. In 2023, the State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation (the “DEC”) issued a certificate of completion for the site, which provides certain liability protections relating to residual hazardous substances at the site. The site is subject to an environmental easement and a site management plan (the “SMP”) prepared under the oversight of the DEC, which impose certain requirements and restrictions with respect to the property, including, among other things: a requirement that any disturbance of the subsurface be conducted in accordance with the SMP, a prohibition against use of groundwater without treatment, a requirement to conduct periodic groundwater monitoring and a requirement to evaluate the potential for vapor intrusion and implement mitigation measures. Noncompliance with these requirements could result in an obligation to conduct further remediation, revocation of the certificate of completion or revocation of tax credits received in connection with site remediation. The 250 Water Street site is also subject to an “E” designation, which imposes certain requirements on development of the property, including, among other things, a requirement to have in place an approved Remedial Action Work Plan and a Construction Health and Safety Plan prior to issuance of a construction permit involving subsurface disturbance, a requirement to locate heating and hot water system stacks at least 335 feet above grade and a requirement to comply with noise attenuation standards. Other federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations require abatement or removal of asbestos-containing materials in the event of demolition or certain renovations or remodeling, the cost of which may be substantial for certain redevelopments, and also govern emissions of and exposure to asbestos fibers in the air. Federal and state laws
35
Table of Contents
also regulate the operation and removal of underground storage tanks. In connection with our ownership, operation and management of certain properties, we could be held liable for the costs of remedial action with respect to these regulated substances or tanks or related claims.
We cannot predict with any certainty the magnitude of any expenditures relating to the environmental compliance or the long-range effect, if any, on our operations. Compliance with such laws has not had a material adverse effect on our operating results or competitive position in the past but could have such an effect on our operating results and competitive position in the future.
Tax increases, changes in tax rules and challenges by tax authorities to our tax positions may adversely affect our financial results.
As a company conducting business with physical operations in the United States, we are exposed, both directly and indirectly, to the effects of changes in U.S., state and local tax rules. Taxes for financial reporting purposes and cash tax liabilities in the future may be adversely affected by changes in such tax rules. The taxing rules of the various jurisdictions in which we operate or do business often are complex and subject to varying interpretations. Tax authorities may challenge tax positions that we take or historically have taken and may assess taxes where we have not made tax filings or may audit the tax filings we have made and assess additional taxes. Some of these assessments may be substantial, and also may involve the imposition of penalties and interest.
In addition, governments could change their existing tax laws, impose new taxes on us or increase the rates at which we are taxed in the future. The payment of substantial additional taxes, penalties or interest resulting from tax assessments, or the imposition of any new taxes, could materially and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
Our ability to utilize our net operating loss and credit carryovers depends on generating future federal and state taxable income. Consequently, certain net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards presented in our financial statements may not ultimately be utilized. Additionally, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to utilize its pre-change net operating losses and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its future post-change taxable income and taxes may be limited. In general, an “ownership change” occurs if there is a cumulative change in ownership by “5% shareholders” that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws.
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act may be a significant cost for us.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (the “ADA”), requires that all public accommodations and commercial facilities, including office buildings, meet certain federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Other federal, state and local laws may require modifications to or restrict further renovations of our properties with respect to such accesses. Noncompliance with the ADA or similar or related laws or regulations could result in the U.S. government imposing fines or private litigants being awarded damages against us. Such costs may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
36
Table of Contents
Risks Related to Our Separation From and Our Relationship with HHH
Prior to the Spin-Off, we had no history of operating as a separate, publicly traded company, and our historical financial information is not necessarily representative of the results that we would have achieved as a separate, publicly traded company and may not be a reliable indicator of our future results.
The historical information about us prior to August 1, 2024 in this Annual Report refers to our business as operated by and integrated with HHH. Our historical financial information included in this Annual Report is derived from the consolidated financial statements and accounting records of HHH. Accordingly, the historical financial information included in this Annual Report does not necessarily reflect the financial condition, results of operations or cash flows that we would have achieved as a separate, publicly traded company during the periods presented or those that we will achieve in the future primarily as a result of the factors described below:
● prior to the separation, our business was operated by HHH as part of its broader corporate organization, rather than as a separate, publicly traded company. HHH or one of its affiliates performed various corporate functions for us such as legal, treasury, accounting, internal audit, human resources and finance. Our historical financial results reflect allocations of corporate expenses from HHH for such functions and are likely to be less than the expenses we would have incurred had we operated as a separate publicly traded company. Following the separation, our costs related to such functions previously performed by HHH may therefore increase;
● prior to the separation, our business was integrated with the other businesses of HHH. Historically, we shared economies of scope and scale in costs, employees, vendor relationships and customer relationships. Although we entered into transition agreements with HHH, these arrangements may not fully capture the benefits that we enjoyed as a result of being integrated with HHH and may result in us paying higher charges than in the past for these services. This could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition;
● generally, our working capital requirements and capital for our general corporate purposes, including acquisitions and capital expenditures, were historically satisfied as part of the corporate-wide cash management policies of HHH. We expect that from time to time we will seek to obtain financing from banks, through public offerings or private placements of debt or equity securities, strategic relationships or other arrangements; and
● the cost of capital for our business may be higher than HHH’s cost of capital prior to the separation.
Other significant changes may occur in our cost structure, management, financing and business operations as a result of operating as a company separate from HHH. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements and notes thereto included in this Annual Report.
As a separate, publicly traded company, we may not enjoy the same benefits that we did as a part of HHH.
There is a risk that, by separating from HHH, we became more susceptible to market fluctuations and other adverse events than we would have been if we had remained a part of the current HHH organizational structure. As part of HHH, we were able to enjoy certain benefits from HHH’s operating diversity, purchasing power and opportunities to pursue integrated strategies with HHH’s other businesses. As a separate, publicly traded company, we do not have similar diversity or integration opportunities and may not have similar purchasing power or access to capital markets.
Future sales of our common stock, or the perception that such sales may occur, could depress our common stock price.
Except as otherwise described herein, all of our outstanding shares of common stock are freely tradable without restriction, other than those shares held by our affiliates. In connection with the Spin-Off, we filed a registration statement on Form S-8 registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) our common stock reserved for issuance under our equity incentive plan. If equity securities granted under such plan are sold or it is perceived that they will be sold in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline substantially. Actual or potential
37
Table of Contents
sales of our common stock made pursuant to registration rights could similarly cause the trading price of our common stock to drop significantly. Any of the foregoing also could impede our ability to raise future capital.
As of December 31, 2024, Pershing Square owns approximately 39.5% of our outstanding common stock. Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, upon Pershing Square’s request we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to effect a registration under applicable federal and state securities laws for shares of our common stock held by Pershing Square. Registration of any of these outstanding shares of common stock would result in such shares becoming freely tradable without the need for compliance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Any disposition by Pershing Square, or any of our substantial stockholders, of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such dispositions could occur, could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock.
In addition, our Certificate of Incorporation provides that we may issue up to 480,000,000 shares of common stock and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share. Future issuances of shares of our common stock or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock may dilute the ownership interest of our common stockholders. Because our decision to issue additional equity or convertible or exchangeable securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future issuances. In addition, we are not required to offer any such securities to existing stockholders on a preemptive basis. Therefore, it may not be possible for existing stockholders to participate in such future issuances, which may dilute the existing stockholders’ interests in us.
Our suppliers or other companies with whom we conduct business may conclude that our financial stability as a separate, publicly traded company is insufficient to satisfy their requirements for doing or continuing to do business with them.
Some of our suppliers or other companies with whom we conduct business may conclude that our financial stability as a separate, publicly traded company is insufficient to satisfy their requirements for doing or continuing to do business with them, or may require us to provide additional credit support, such as letters of credit or other financial guarantees. Any failure of parties to be satisfied with our financial stability could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Potential indemnification obligations to HHH pursuant to the Separation Agreement (as defined herein) could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
In connection with the Spin-Off, we entered into a separation agreement with HHH (the “Separation Agreement”). The Separation Agreement, among other things, provides for indemnification obligations (for uncapped amounts) designed to make us financially responsible for all liabilities that HHH may incur relating to our business activities (as currently and historically conducted), whether incurred prior to or after the separation. If we are required to indemnify HHH under the circumstances set forth in the Separation Agreement, we may be subject to substantial liabilities.
In connection with our separation from HHH, HHH agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities. However, there can be no assurance that such indemnity will be sufficient to insure us against the full amount of such liabilities, or that HHH’s ability to satisfy its indemnification obligations will not be impaired in the future.
Pursuant to the Separation Agreement and certain other agreements with HHH, HHH has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities. However, third parties could also seek to hold us responsible for any of the liabilities that HHH has agreed to retain, and there can be no assurance that the indemnity from HHH will be sufficient to protect us against the full amount of such liabilities, or that HHH will be able to fully satisfy its indemnification obligations. In addition, HHH’s insurance will not necessarily be available to us for liabilities associated with occurrences of indemnified liabilities prior to the separation, and in any event HHH’s insurers may deny coverage to us for liabilities associated with certain occurrences of indemnified liabilities prior to the separation.
Moreover, even if we ultimately succeed in recovering from HHH or such insurance providers any amounts for which we are held liable, we may be temporarily required to bear these losses. Each of these risks could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
38
Table of Contents
Certain of our executive officers and directors may have actual or potential conflicts of interest because of their equity interests in HHH.
Our board of directors currently consists of a majority of directors who are independent, and our executive officers are prior employees of HHH. As of December 31, 2024, one of our directors owns equity interests in HHH. Such ownership, or any future ownership, of common stock of HHH by our executive officers or directors could create, or appear to create, potential conflicts of interest if we and HHH face decisions that could have implications for both HHH and us. For example, potential conflicts of interest could arise in connection with the resolution of any dispute between us and HHH regarding the terms of the agreements governing the Spin-Off and our separation from and relationship with HHH following the Spin-Off. Potential conflicts of interest may also arise out of any commercial arrangements that we or HHH may enter into in the future.
HHH may compete with us.
HHH is not restricted from competing with us. If HHH in the future decides to engage in the type of business we conduct, it may have a competitive advantage over us, which may cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to be materially adversely affected.
We may not achieve some or all of the expected benefits of the separation, and the separation may adversely affect our business.
We may not be able to achieve the full strategic and financial benefits expected to result from the separation, or such benefits may be delayed or not occur at all, for a variety of reasons, including, among others:
·
as part of HHH prior to the separation, we were able to enjoy certain benefits from HHH’s operating diversity, purchasing power and opportunities to pursue integrated strategies with HHH’s other businesses. As a separate, publicly traded company, we do not have similar diversity or integration opportunities and may not have similar purchasing power or access to capital markets. We may also incur costs for certain functions previously performed by HHH, such as accounting, tax, legal, human resources and other general administrative functions that are higher than the amounts reflected in our historical financial statements, which could impact our cash flows profitability;
·
certain costs and liabilities that were less significant to HHH prior to the separation are more significant for us as a separate company after the separation;
·
following the separation, our business is less diversified than HHH’s businesses prior to the separation; we have and will continue to incur costs in connection with our transition to being a separate, publicly traded company that may include accounting, tax, legal and other professional services costs, recruiting and relocation costs associated with hiring or reassigning our personnel and costs to separate information systems; and
·
following the separation, we are more susceptible to market fluctuations and other adverse events than if we were still a part of HHH.
If we fail to achieve some or all of the benefits expected to result from the separation, or if such benefits are delayed, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.
We may have received better terms from unaffiliated third parties than the terms we will receive in our agreements with HHH.
The agreements we entered into with HHH in connection with the separation, including the Separation Agreement, transition services agreement, employee matters agreement, tax matters agreement and other commercial agreements, were prepared in the context of our separation from HHH while we were still a wholly-owned subsidiary of HHH. Accordingly, during the period in which the terms of those agreements were prepared, we did not have a separate or independent board of directors or a management team that was separate from or independent of HHH. As a result, the terms of those
39
Table of Contents
agreements may not reflect terms that would have resulted from arm’s-length negotiations between unaffiliated third parties. Arm’s-length negotiations between HHH and an unaffiliated third party in another form of transaction, such as a buyer in a sale of a business transaction, may have resulted in more favorable terms to the unaffiliated third party.
We or HHH may fail to perform under the various agreements we executed as part of the separation or we may fail to have necessary systems and services in place when certain of the agreements expire.
The Separation Agreement and other agreements we entered into with HHH in connection with the separation determine the allocation of assets and liabilities between the companies following the separation and include indemnifications related to liabilities and obligations. The transition services agreement provides for the performance of certain services by HHH for our benefit for a period of time after the separation. We will rely on HHH to satisfy its performance obligations under these agreements. If HHH is unable to satisfy its obligations under these agreements, including its indemnification obligations, we could incur operational difficulties or losses. If we do not have in place our own systems and services, or if we do not have agreements with other providers of these services once certain transaction agreements expire, we may not be able to operate our business effectively. We are in the process of creating our own, or engaging third parties to provide, systems and services to replace many of the systems and services that HHH currently provides to us. However, we may not be successful in implementing these systems and services or in transitioning data from HHH’s systems to us.
We are also establishing or expanding our own tax, internal audit, investor relations, corporate governance and public company compliance and other corporate functions. We expect to incur one-time costs to replicate, or outsource from other providers, these corporate functions to replace the corporate services that HHH historically provided us prior to the separation. Any failure or significant downtime in our own financial, administrative or other support systems or in the HHH financial, administrative or other support systems during the transitional period during which HHH provides us with support could negatively impact our results of operations or prevent us from paying our suppliers and employees, executing business combinations and foreign currency transactions or performing administrative or other services on a timely basis, which could negatively affect our results of operations.
In particular, our day-to-day business operations rely on information technology systems. A significant portion of the communications among our personnel, customers and suppliers take place on information technology platforms. We expect the transfer of information technology systems from HHH to us to be complex, time consuming and costly. There is also a risk of data loss in the process of transferring information technology. As a result of our reliance on information technology systems, the cost of such information technology integration and transfer and any such loss of key data could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Following the Spin-Off, we are dependent on HHH to provide us with certain transition services, which may be insufficient to meet our needs, and we may have difficulty finding replacement services or be required to pay increased costs to replace these services after our transition services agreement with HHH expires.
Prior to the Spin-Off, HHH provided significant corporate and shared services related to corporate functions such as property management, executive oversight, treasury, accounting, finance, internal audit, legal, information technology, human resources, communications, facilities and risk management. Following the separation, HHH is continuing to provide some of these services on a transitional basis for a fee. While these services are being provided to us by HHH, we are dependent on HHH for services that are critical to our operation as a separate, publicly traded company, and our operational flexibility to modify or implement changes with respect to such services and the amounts we pay for them is limited. After the expiration of the transition services agreement, we may not be able to replace these services or enter into appropriate third-party agreements on terms and conditions, including cost and quality of service, comparable to those that we receive from HHH under the transition services agreement.
Although we intend to replace portions of the services currently provided by HHH, we may encounter difficulties replacing certain services or be unable to negotiate pricing or other terms as favorable as those we currently have in effect.
40
Table of Contents
If the Spin-Off failed to qualify as a distribution under Section 355 of the Code, HHH stockholders could incur significant adverse tax consequences, and we could be required to indemnify HHH for certain tax consequences that could be material pursuant to indemnification obligations under the tax matters agreement.
In connection with the Spin-Off, HHH received an opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, tax counsel to HHH, regarding the qualification of the distribution as a distribution under Section 355 of the Code. There is no administrative or judicial authority that directly addresses facts that are substantially similar to those of the Spin-Off, and the opinion of tax counsel is therefore not free from doubt. Moreover, the opinion of tax counsel was based on, among other things, certain factual assumptions, representations and undertakings from HHH and us, including those regarding the past and future conduct of the companies’ respective businesses and other matters. If any of these factual assumptions, representations, or undertakings is incorrect or not satisfied, HHH may not be able to rely on the opinion, and HHH and its stockholders could incur significant adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. In addition, the opinion of tax counsel is not binding on the IRS or the courts, and, notwithstanding the opinion of tax counsel, the IRS could determine that the Spin-Off did not so qualify or that the Spin-Off should be taxable for other reasons, including as a result of a significant change in stock or asset ownership after the distribution.
If the Spin-Off is ultimately determined not to have qualified as a distribution under Section 355 of the Code, the distribution could be treated as a taxable disposition of common shares of Seaport Entertainment by HHH and as a taxable distribution to HHH stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In such case, HHH stockholders that are subject to U.S. federal income tax could incur significant adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
Under the tax matters agreement that we have entered into with HHH, we are generally required to indemnify HHH against taxes incurred by HHH that arise as a result of certain acts or omissions by us, inaccuracies, misrepresentations or misstatements relating to us or events involving our stock or assets that prevent the distribution from qualifying as a distribution under Section 355 of the Code, except that we will generally not bear any such taxes resulting from corporate-level taxable gain to HHH under Section 355(e) of the Code. If we are required to pay any liabilities under the circumstances set forth in the tax matters agreement, the amounts may be significant.
To comply with the tax matters agreement, we might not be able to engage in certain transactions.
Under the tax matters agreement that we entered into with HHH, we are required to comply with the representations and undertakings made to legal counsel in connection with the tax opinion HHH received regarding the intended tax treatment of the Spin-Off and certain related transactions. The tax matters agreement also restricts our ability to take or fail to take any action if such action or failure to act could adversely affect the intended tax treatment, except that we are generally not prohibited from entering into equity transactions that result in corporate-level taxable gain to HHH under Section 355(e) of the Code. In particular, except in specific circumstances, in the two years following the distribution, we will be restricted from, among other things, (i) ceasing to actively conduct certain elements of our business, and (ii) selling, transferring or otherwise disposing of, 30% or more of the gross assets of certain of our businesses. These restrictions may limit for a period of time our ability to pursue certain transactions that we may believe to be in the best interests of our stockholders or that might increase the value of our business.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
We cannot be certain that an active trading market for our common stock will be sustained, and the price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.
Prior to the Spin-Off, there was no public market for our common stock. We cannot guarantee that an active trading market will be sustained for our common stock. If an active trading market is not sustained, you may have difficulty selling your Company common stock at an attractive price, or at all. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly due to a number of factors, some of which may be beyond our control and/or unrelated to our operating performance, including:
● our quarterly or annual earnings, or those of other companies in our industry;
41
Table of Contents
● the failure of securities analysts to cover our common stock;
● actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;
● changes in earnings estimated by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates;
● the operating and stock price performance of other comparable companies;
● publication of research reports about our industry;
● announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
● changes to the regulatory and legal environment in which we operate;
● changes in interest or inflation rates;
● overall market fluctuations and domestic and worldwide economic conditions; and
● other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this Annual Report.
In the past few years, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. In the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.
We are an emerging growth company and the information we provide stockholders may be different from information provided by other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). We will continue to be an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of the following:
● the last day of the fiscal year in which our total annual gross revenues first meet or exceed $1.235 billion (as adjusted for inflation);
● the date on which we have, during the prior three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt;
● the last day of the fiscal year in which we (i) have an aggregate worldwide market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more (measured at the end of each fiscal year) as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter and (ii) have been a reporting company under the Exchange Act for at least one year (and filed at least one annual report under the Exchange Act); or
● the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of our separation from HHH.
For as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to:
● not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;
42
Table of Contents
● exemption from new or revised financial accounting standards applicable to public companies until such standards are also applicable to private companies;
● reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements; and
● exemptions from the requirement of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval on golden parachute compensation not previously approved.
We may choose to take advantage of some or all of these reduced burdens. For example, we expect to take advantage of the reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our proxy statements. For as long as we take advantage of the reduced reporting obligations, the information we provide stockholders may be different from information provided by other public companies. In addition, it is possible that some investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result of these elections, which may result in a less active trading market for our common stock and higher volatility in our stock price.
In addition, we have elected to not take advantage of the extended transition period that allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies, which means that the financial statements included in this Annual Report, as well as financial statements we file in the future, will be subject to all new or revised accounting standards generally applicable to public companies. Our election not to take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable.
If we are unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock may be negatively affected.
As a public company, we are required to maintain internal controls over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. In addition, beginning with our second annual report on Form 10-K, we expect we will be required to furnish annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, while we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to include a report by our independent registered public accounting firm addressing these assessments pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. These reporting and other obligations may place significant demands on management, and administrative and operational resources, including accounting systems and resources.
The process of designing, implementing and testing the internal control over financial reporting required to comply with this obligation is time consuming, costly and complicated. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, if we are unable to comply with the applicable requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner or to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or, when applicable, if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are then listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
We do not expect to pay any dividends for the foreseeable future.
You should not rely on our common stock to provide dividend income. We do not anticipate that we will pay any dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Instead, we plan to retain any earnings to maintain and expand our existing operations. In addition, any future credit facility or debt securities may contain terms prohibiting or limiting the amount of dividends that may be declared or paid on our common stock.
43
Table of Contents
Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted in the future.
In the future, your percentage ownership in us may be diluted because of equity issuances for acquisitions, capital market transactions or otherwise, including equity awards that we will be granting to our directors, officers and employees. It is anticipated that our Compensation Committee will grant additional equity awards to our employees and directors from time to time under our employee benefits plans. These additional awards will have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share of common stock, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
In addition, our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred shares having such designation, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, including preferences over our common stock respecting dividends and distributions, as the Board generally may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred shares could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock. For example, we could grant the holders of preferred shares the right to elect some number of our directors in all events or on the happening of specified events or the right to veto specified transactions. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences that we could assign to holders of preferred shares could affect the residual value of the common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation, our Bylaws, Delaware law, the Investor Rights Agreement and certain other agreements may prevent or delay an acquisition of us, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock.
Our Certificate of Incorporation, our Bylaws, the Investor Rights Agreement and Delaware law, among other things, contain provisions that could have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying or preventing an acquisition deemed undesirable by our board of directors. For example, our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws contain the following limitations:
● the inability of our stockholders to act by written consent;
● restrictions on the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting without 20% or more of the voting power of the issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote generally in the election of our directors;
● requirements stockholders must comply with for nominating individuals for election as directors or for proposing business to be considered at stockholder meetings;
● the right of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval;
● a requirement that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, certain proceedings against or involving us or our directors or officers be brought exclusively in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware;
● that certain provisions may be amended only by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the shares of common stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; and
● the limitations described in “—MLB rules require that any person or group seeking to acquire a controlling interest in us or the Aviators must receive the prior approval of MLB. Such limitations and approval requirements may restrict any change of control or business combination opportunities in which our stockholders might receive a premium for shares of our common stock.”
On October 17, 2024, we entered into the Investor Rights Agreement with Pershing Square, pursuant to which Pershing Square is entitled to designate at least one individual as a nominee for election to our board of directors as long as it owns at least 10% of the total outstanding shares of our common stock. If we increase the size of the board to larger than five directors, the Investor Rights Agreement entitles Pershing Square to nominate individuals representing at least 20% of the total number of our directors, which could allow Pershing Square to exercise additional influence over certain
44
Table of Contents
of our corporate and governance matters. The board designation and related rights are also contained in our Certificate of Incorporation.
In addition, we are a Delaware corporation, and Section 203 of the DGCL applies to us. In general, Section 203 prevents an interested stockholder from engaging in certain business combinations with us for three years following the time that person becomes an interested stockholder subject to certain exceptions. The statute generally defines an interested stockholder as any person that is the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock or is our affiliate or associate and was the owner of 15% or more of outstanding voting stock at any time within the three-year period immediately before the date of determination.
We have granted a waiver of the applicability of the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL such that Pershing Square, which as of December 31, 2024 owned approximately 39.5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock, may increase its position in our common stock without being subject to Section 203’s restrictions on business combinations. As such, Pershing Square, through its ability to accumulate more common stock than would otherwise be permitted under Section 203, has the ability to become a large holder group that would be able to affect matters requiring approval by Company stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of mergers or other business combination transactions.
These anti-takeover provisions could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third-party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders. As a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares. These provisions could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. There also may be dilution of our common stock from the exercise of any future outstanding warrants, which may materially adversely affect the market price and negatively impact a holder’s investment.
MLB rules require that any person or group seeking to acquire a controlling interest in us or the Aviators must receive the prior approval of MLB. Such limitations and approval requirements may restrict any change of control or business combination opportunities in which our stockholders might receive a premium for shares of our common stock.
To comply with the policies of MLB, our Certificate of Incorporation provides that, as long as we have an ownership interest in the professional baseball club currently known as the Aviators, and subject to certain exceptions, no person may acquire shares of our common stock if, after such acquisition, that person would (i) own at least 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock or at least 50% of the total voting power of our then-outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or (ii) have the ability to appoint at least a majority of the members of our board, unless, in each case, such person is approved by MLB or qualifies as an exempt person (which includes Pershing Square or any person approved by MLB as the “control person” of the Aviators). In the event that a person attempts to acquire shares of our common stock in violation of these restrictions, the applicable excess shares would automatically be transferred to a trust and held for the benefit of the excess share transferor, and such excess shares may be sold for cash, on the open market, in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. No assurance can be given that the trust will be able to sell the shares at a price that is equal to or greater than the price paid by the person who attempted to acquire the shares. In addition, such person’s right to receive the net proceeds of the sale, as well as any dividends or other distributions to which such person would otherwise be entitled, will be subject to their compliance with the applicable mechanics included in the Certificate of Incorporation.
In addition to the influence Pershing Square could exercise in respect of its voting power (see “—Pershing Square is our largest stockholder and may exert influence over us that may be adverse to our best interests and those of our other stockholders”), the share ownership limitations and required MLB approvals could have an anti-takeover effect, potentially discouraging third parties from making proposals for certain acquisitions of our common stock or a change of control transaction. In addition, if MLB does not provide approval of a specific transaction, these provisions could prevent a transaction in which holders of our common stock might receive a premium for their shares over the then-prevailing market price or which our board of directors or stockholders might believe to be otherwise in the best interest of us and our stockholders.
45
Table of Contents
General Risks
Loss of key personnel could adversely affect our business and operations.
We depend on the efforts of key executive personnel. The loss of the services of any key executive personnel could adversely affect our business and operations. While we believe we have proper succession planning and are confident we could attract and train new personnel, if necessary, this could impose additional costs and hinder our business strategy.
Actual or threatened terrorist activity and other acts of violence or civil unrest, or the perception of a heightened threat of such risks, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Future actual or threatened terrorist attacks or other acts of violence or civil unrest in the areas in which we conduct our business, or the perception of a heightened threat of such risks, may result in reduced economic activity, which could harm the demand for goods and services offered by tenants, revenue from our properties and the success of our entertainment offerings. Such a resulting decrease in consumer demand could also make it difficult to renew or re-lease properties at lease rates equal to or above historical rates. Terrorist activities or other acts of violence or civil unrest, or the perception of a heightened threat of such risks, also could directly affect the value of our properties and events—particularly because they are open to the public. Any such incidents could cause material physical or reputational damage to our properties and business or destruction or loss, and the availability of insurance for such incidents, or of insurance generally, might be lower or cost more, which could increase our operating expenses and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. To the extent that our tenants are affected by real or perceived physical safety concerns stemming from such incidents, their businesses similarly could be adversely affected, including their ability to continue to meet their obligations under their existing leases. Such incidents, or the fear of such incidents, could decrease consumer demand for our assets and offerings, decrease or delay the occupancy of new or redeveloped properties and limit our access to capital or increase our cost of capital.
Weakness or instability in the general economy, our markets or our results of operations could result in future asset impairments, which would increase our reported loss or reduce our reported earnings and net worth.
Economic conditions remain fragile in some markets and the possibility remains that the domestic or global economies, or certain industry sectors that are key to our revenue, may deteriorate. If certain aspects of our operations are adversely affected by challenging economic and financial conditions, we may be required to record future impairments, which would negatively impact our results of operations.
We are, and may in the future be, subject to legal proceedings or investigations, the resolution of which could negatively affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our business exposes us to significant potential risk from lawsuits, investigations and other legal proceedings. We are, and may in the future be, subject to a variety of proceedings, including, among others, litigation regarding our properties and offerings and ordinary course employment litigation. For example, we have been and may again in the future be subject to various lawsuits challenging the development approvals we obtained for our 250 Water Street development project. Although the lawsuits did not, individually or in the aggregate, had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations, we cannot guarantee that the outcome of any future litigation related to 250 Water Street, or the outcome of any other litigation, will not result in substantial costs or delays, divert our management’s attention and resources or otherwise harm our business. For additional information, see Note 8 – Commitments and Contingencies to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.
In litigation, plaintiffs may seek various remedies, including declaratory or injunctive relief; compensatory or punitive damages; restitution, disgorgement, civil penalties, abatement, attorneys’ fees, costs or other relief. Settlement demands may seek significant monetary and other remedies, or otherwise be on terms that we do not consider reasonable under the circumstances. In some instances, even if we have complied with applicable laws, regulations and terms of contracts, an adverse judgment or outcome may occur based on other applicable laws or principles of common law, including negligence and strict liability, and result in significant liability and reputational damage for us. We may also be subject to claims in addition to those described above by similar groups of plaintiffs in the future relating to our current or former properties
46
Table of Contents
or activities. In addition, awards against and settlements by our competitors or publicity associated with our current litigation could incentivize parties to bring additional claims against us.
Any claim brought against us, regardless of its merits, could be costly to defend and could result in an increase of our insurance premiums and exhaust our available insurance coverage. The financial impact of litigation is difficult to assess or quantify. Some claims brought against us might not be covered by our insurance policies or might exhaust our available insurance coverage for such occurrences. To the extent our insurance coverage is inadequate and we are not successful in identifying or purchasing additional coverage for such claims, we would have to pay the amount of any settlement or judgment that is in excess of policy limits. Claims against us that result in entry of a judgment or that we settle that are not covered or not sufficiently covered by insurance policies could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.