CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Review and Approval of Related Person Transactions
We review all relationships and transactions in which the Company and our significant stockholders, directors and our executive officers or their respective immediate family members are participants to determine whether such persons have a direct or indirect material interest. The Company’s legal and financial staff are primarily responsible for the development and implementation of processes and controls to obtain information from our significant stockholders, directors and our executive officers with respect to related-person transactions and for then determining, based on the facts and circumstances, whether the Company or a related person has a direct or indirect material interest in the transaction. As required under SEC rules, transactions that are determined to be directly or indirectly material to the Company or a related person are disclosed in our Proxy Statement. In addition, our Audit Committee reviews and approves or ratifies any related-person transaction that is required to be disclosed. The Committee, in the course of its review of a disclosable related-party transaction, considers: (1) the nature of the related person’s interest in the transaction; (2) the material terms of the transaction; (3) the importance of the transaction to the related person; (4) the importance of the transaction to the Company; (5) whether the transaction would impair the judgment of a director or executive officer to act in the best interest of the Company; and (6) any other matters the Committee deems appropriate.
Relationship with Vornado
As of March 20, 2023, Vornado owned approximately 32% of the Company’s outstanding Shares. We are managed by, and our properties are leased and developed by, Vornado, pursuant to the agreements described below, which expire in March of each year and are automatically renewable.
Steven Roth is the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, the Managing General Partner of Interstate, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Vornado and its Chief Executive Officer. As of March 20, 2023, Mr. Roth, Interstate and its two other general partners, David Mandelbaum and Russell B. Wight, Jr. (who are also directors of the Company and trustees of Vornado) owned, in the aggregate, approximately 26% of the outstanding Shares of the Company, and approximately 7% of the outstanding common shares of beneficial interest of Vornado. Gary Hansen, our Chief Financial Officer, is a Senior Vice President of Vornado. Of our other directors, Ms. Silverstein was an employee of Vornado until 2015, and Ms. Puri serves as a trustee of Vornado. Dr. West served as a trustee of Vornado until 2022.
Management and Development Agreements
Pursuant to our management and development agreement with Vornado, we pay Vornado an annual management fee equal to the sum of (i) $2,800,000, (ii) 2% of gross revenue from the Rego Park II shopping center, (iii) $0.50 per square foot of the tenant-occupied office and retail space at 731 Lexington Avenue and (iv) $354,000, escalating at 3% per annum, for managing the common area of 731 Lexington Avenue. Vornado is also entitled to a development fee of 6% of development costs, as defined.
Leasing and Other Agreements
Vornado also provides us with leasing services for a fee of 3% of rent for the first ten years of a lease term, 2% of rent for the eleventh through the twentieth year of a lease term, and 1% of rent for the twenty-first through thirtieth year of a lease term, subject to the payment of rents by tenants. In the event third-party real estate brokers are used, the fees to Vornado increase by 1% and Vornado is responsible for the fees to the third-party real estate brokers. Vornado is also entitled to a commission upon the sale of any of our assets equal to 3% of gross proceeds, as defined, for asset sales less than $50,000,000 and 1% of gross proceeds, as defined, for asset sales of $50,000,000 or more.
We also have agreements with Building Maintenance Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vornado, to supervise (i) cleaning, engineering and security services at our Lexington Avenue property and (ii) security services at our Rego Park I and Rego Park II properties and The Alexander apartment tower.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we incurred $2,800,000 in management fees, $3,000 in development fees, $1,378,000 in leasing fees and $5,912,000 in property management and other fees under our agreements with Vornado. At December 31, 2022, we owed Vornado $742,000 for management, property management and other fees and $59,000 for leasing fees.
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