Laws and regulations governing commercial real estate development and commercial lease agreements have become increasingly complex in recent years. The increasing value of land, contested zoning laws, and environmental issues has caused these laws to evolve quickly over time.

Earlier this month, three Friendly's restaurants closed in Pennsylvania because the company could not renegotiate acceptable leases, according to a statement issued by the company last week. The restaurants were in Cumberland, Lebanon and York counties.

The company said that the rent rates offered did not reflect the current market conditions. In total, the Friendly Ice Cream Corp. closed 37 Friendly's locations throughout the country.

The Friendly Ice Cream Corp. had filed for bankruptcy in October, and it just recently emerged from this after selling the restaurant chain to Friendly's Ice Cream LLC and its subsidiaries.

It was during this period of restructuring that the company attempted to renegotiate many of its lease agreements, according to a news report. Many were successfully renegotiated; but those that could not be - including the Pennsylvania locations - were closed on Jan. 8.

It has not been reported whether Friendly's will seek out any other commercial properties to open replacement locations for those that closed.

Those involved in commercial property disputes often benefit from the legal advice of a business and commercial real estate attorney. Sometimes, disputes about commercial real estate or leased commercial property can be resolved with mediation. In mediation, each party is represented by their own attorneys, and a trained attorney acts as an unbiased mediator. This type of discussion takes place in a confidential forum. The trained attorney listens to the grievances on both sides, and helps the parties to reach an amicable resolution.

Source: Central Penn Business Journal, "Friendly's midstate sites close after lease negotiations fail," Brent Burkey, Jan. 20, 2012