Edgar Filing: GLADSTONE COMMERCIAL CORP

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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 5, 2007 Registration No. 333-

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

GLADSTONE COMMERCIAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Maryland (State of Organization)		02-0681276 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200, McLean, Virginia 22102
(703) 287-5800
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
David Gladstone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Gladstone Commercial Corporation
1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200
McLean, Virginia 22102
(703) 287-5800
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of agent for service):
Copies to:
Thomas R. Salley, Esq.
Darren K. DeStefano, Esq.
Christina L. Novak, Esq.
Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
One Freedom Square
Reston Town Center
11951 Freedom Drive
Reston, Virginia 20190-5656
(703) 456-8000
(703) 456-8100 (facsimile)

Approximate Date of Commencement of Proposed Sale to the Public: From time to time after the Registration Statement becomes effective.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. o

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box: þ

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, please check the following box and list the Securities Act of 1933 registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box o

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



	Proposed Maximum	Amount of
Title of Each Class of	Aggregate Offering	Registration
Securities to be Registered	Price(1)(2)	Fee
Shares of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share	(3)	—
Shares of Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share	(3)	—
Total	$300,000,000	$9,210

(1)		Pursuant to General Instruction III.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the fee table does not specify by each class of securities to be registered information as to the amount to be registered and proposed maximum offering price per unit.

(2)		Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.

(3)		There are being registered hereunder such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock as shall have an aggregate offering price not to exceed $300,000,000. Any securities offered hereunder may be sold separately or as units with the other securities registered hereunder.

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting any offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED DECEMBER 5, 2007

PROSPECTUS


		GLADSTONE COMMERCIAL CORPORATION

$300,000,000
Shares of Common Stock
Shares of Preferred Stock

We may offer and sell from time to time securities in one or more offerings up to an aggregate dollar amount of $300,000,000 of securities. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer.

We may offer and sell the following securities:

	•		shares of common stock; and

	•		shares of preferred stock, which may be convertible into our shares of common stock.

Each time securities are sold using this prospectus, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus containing specific information about the offering. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any supplement before you invest.

The securities will be offered directly to investors or through underwriters, dealers or agents. The supplements to this prospectus will provide the specific terms of the plan of distribution.

To ensure that we maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust under the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, ownership of our equity securities by any person is subject to certain limitations. See “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws — Restrictions on Ownership of Shares.”

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “GOOD.” On December 3, 2007, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market was $16.81. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on the Nasdaq Global Market or any other securities exchange of the securities covered by such prospectus.

We maintain our executive offices at 1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200, McLean, Virginia 22102. Our telephone number is (703) 287-5800.

Please see page 2 for risk factors relating to an investment in Gladstone Commercial Corporation which you should consider.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is , 2007.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, the securities described in this prospectus only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of shares. You should not assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement or the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein is accurate as of any date other than their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects may have changed since those dates.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Prospectus Summary			1
Recent Developments			1
About This Prospectus			2
Risk Factors			2
Forward-Looking Statements			10
Incorporation by Reference			11
Where You Can Find More Information			12
Use of Proceeds			13
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges and Preferred Dividends			13
Description of Our Capital Stock			14
Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws			17
Certain United States Federal Tax Considerations			20
Plan of Distribution			35
Experts			36
Legal Matters			36

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

As used in this prospectus, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” the “Company” and the “REIT” are to Gladstone Commercial Corporation and, except as the context otherwise requires, its wholly owned subsidiaries Gladstone Commercial Limited Partnership, Gladstone Commercial Partners, LLC, Gladstone Lending LLC and Gladstone Commercial Advisers, Inc. References to the “Operating Partnership” are to Gladstone Commercial Limited Partnership, a Delaware limited partnership, which we control through our ownership of GCLP Business Trust II, a Massachusetts business trust, which is the general partner of our Operating Partnership, and of GCLP Business Trust I, a Massachusetts business trust, which currently holds all of the limited partnership units of our Operating Partnership. When we use the term “Adviser” we are referring to our Adviser, Gladstone Management Corporation. The Operating Partnership is also the sole member of Gladstone Lending, LLC, which we refer to herein as “Gladstone Lending.” Gladstone Lending is a Delaware limited liability company created to hold all real estate mortgage loans issued by the Operating Partnership.

We were incorporated under the General Corporation Law of the State of Maryland on February 14, 2003 primarily for the purpose of investing in and owning net leased industrial and commercial real estate property and selectively making long-term industrial and commercial mortgage loans to creditworthy entities. Subject to certain restrictions and limitations, the business of the Company is managed by the Adviser. Most of the portfolio of real estate we currently own is leased to a wide cross section of tenants ranging from small businesses to large public companies, many of which do not have publicly rated debt. We have in the past entered into, and intend in the future to enter into, purchase agreements for real estate that have triple net leases with terms of 10 to 15 years and built in rental increases. Under a triple net lease, the tenant is required to pay all operating, maintenance and insurance costs and real estate taxes with respect to the leased property. We are actively communicating with buyout funds, real estate brokers and other third parties to locate properties for potential acquisition or mortgage financing in an effort to build our portfolio. At September 30, 2007, we owned 47 properties totaling approximately 5.5 million square feet, and had one mortgage loan outstanding. All of our properties are fully leased and all tenants and borrowers are current and paying in accordance with their leases and loan, respectively.

We conduct substantially all of our activities, including the ownership of all of our properties, through our Operating Partnership, which was formed on May 28, 2003. We control our Operating Partnership through our ownership of GCLP Business Trust II, a Massachusetts business trust, which is the general partner of our Operating Partnership, and of GCLP Business Trust I, a Massachusetts business trust, which currently holds all of the limited partnership units of our Operating Partnership. We expect the Operating Partnership to issue limited partnership units from time to time in exchange for industrial and commercial real property. By structuring our acquisitions in this manner, the sellers of the real estate will generally be able to defer the realization of gains until they redeem the limited partnership units. Limited partners who hold limited partnership units in the Operating Partnership will be entitled to redeem these units for cash or, at our election, shares of our common stock on a one-for-one basis at any time. Whenever we issue common stock for cash, we will be obligated to contribute any net proceeds we receive from the sale of the stock to the Operating Partnership and the Operating Partnership will, in turn, be obligated to issue an equivalent number of limited partnership units to us. The Operating Partnership will distribute the income it generates from its operations to Gladstone Commercial Partners, LLC and its limited partners, including us, on a pro rata basis. We will, in turn, distribute the amounts we receive from the Operating Partnership to our stockholders in the form of monthly cash distributions. We have historically operated, and intend to continue to operate, so as to qualify as a REIT for federal tax purposes, thereby generally avoiding federal and state income taxes on the distributions we make to our stockholders.

The Operating Partnership is also the sole member of Gladstone Lending. Gladstone Lending is a Delaware limited liability company that was formed on January 27, 2004 to hold all of our real estate mortgage loans.

Our Adviser is a registered investment adviser and an affiliate of ours. Our Adviser is responsible for managing our business on a day-to-day basis and for identifying and making acquisitions and dispositions that it believes meet our investment criteria.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

On October 15, 2007, through wholly-owned subsidiaries, we borrowed $16.0 million pursuant to a long-term note payable from Countrywide Commercial Real Estate Finance, which is collateralized by security interests in our Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania property, our Raleigh, North Carolina property and our Mason, Ohio property in the amounts of approximately $5.4 million, $5.6 million and $5.0 million, respectively. The note accrues interest at a rate of 6.63% per year and we may not repay this note prior to the last three months of the term, or we would be subject to a substantial prepayment penalty. The note has a maturity date of November 8, 2017. We used the proceeds from the note to pay down the outstanding balance on the line of credit.

On November 13, 2007, we, through our Operating Partnership, exercised an option under our existing credit agreement with KeyBank National Association to increase the current maximum availability under the credit agreement from $75 million to $95 million. The credit agreement was originally established on December 29, 2006.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC using a “shelf” registration process or continuous offering process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that may be offered by us. We may also file, from time to time, a prospectus supplement or an amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part containing specific information about us and the terms of the securities being offered. That prospectus supplement or amendment may include additional risk factors or other special considerations applicable to those securities. Any prospectus supplement or amendment may also add, update, or change information in this prospectus. If there is any supplement or amendment, you should rely on the information in that prospectus supplement or amendment.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information, we refer you to the registration statement and any amendments to such registration statement, including its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement about the provisions or contents of any agreement or other document are not necessarily complete. If the SEC’s rules and regulations require that an agreement or document be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, please see that agreement or document for a complete description of these matters.

You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.” Information incorporated by reference with the SEC after the date of this prospectus, or information included in any prospectus supplement or an amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, may add, update, or change information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. If information in these subsequent filings, prospectus supplements or amendments is inconsistent with this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, the information incorporated by reference or included in the subsequent prospectus supplement or amendment will supersede the information in this prospectus or any earlier prospectus supplement. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of each document.

RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risk factors set forth below as well as the other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. An investment in the securities offered by this prospectus involves a significant degree of risk, including but not limited to the risks described below. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business operations. Any of the following risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In such case, you could lose a portion of your original investment.

Real estate industry risks

We are subject to certain risks associated with real estate ownership and lending which could reduce the value of our investments.

Our investments include net leased industrial and commercial property and mortgage loans secured by industrial and commercial real estate. Our performance, and the value of our investments, is subject to risks incident to the ownership and operation of these types of properties, including:

	•		changes in the general economic climate;

	•		changes in local conditions such as an oversupply of space or reduction in demand for real estate;

	•		changes in interest rates and the availability of financing;

	•		competition from other available space; and

	•		changes in laws and governmental regulations, including those governing real estate usage, zoning and taxes.

Competition for the acquisition of real estate may impede our ability to make acquisitions or increase the cost of these acquisitions.

We compete for the acquisition of properties with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, including financial institutions, institutional pension funds, other REITs, other public and private real estate companies and private real estate investors. These competitors may prevent us from acquiring desirable properties or may cause an increase in the price we must pay for real estate. Our competitors may have greater resources than we do, and may be willing to pay more for certain assets or may have a more compatible operating philosophy with our acquisition targets. In particular, larger REITs may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. Our competitors may also adopt transaction structures similar to ours, which would decrease our competitive advantage in offering flexible transaction terms. In addition, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable investment properties may increase, resulting in increased demand and increased prices paid for these properties.

Risks related to our tenants, borrowers and properties

Highly leveraged tenants or borrowers may be unable to pay rent or make mortgage payments, which could adversely affect our cash available to make distributions to our stockholders.

Some of our tenants or borrowers may have been recently restructured using leverage or been acquired in a leveraged transaction. Tenants or borrowers that are subject to significant debt obligations may be unable to make their rent or mortgage payments if there are adverse changes to their businesses or economic conditions. Tenants that have experienced leveraged restructurings or acquisitions will generally have substantially greater debt and substantially lower net worth than they had prior to the leveraged transaction. In addition, the payment of rent and debt service may reduce the working capital available to leveraged entities and prevent them from devoting the resources necessary to remain competitive in their industries.

In situations where management of the tenant or borrower will change after a transaction, it may be difficult for our Adviser to determine with certainty the likelihood of the tenant’s or borrower’s business success and of its ability to pay rent or make mortgage payments throughout the lease or loan term. These companies generally are more vulnerable to adverse economic and business conditions, and increases in interest rates.

Leveraged tenants and borrowers are more susceptible to bankruptcy than unleveraged tenants. Bankruptcy of a tenant or borrower could cause:

	•		the loss of lease or mortgage payments to us;

	•		an increase in the costs we incur to carry the property occupied by such tenant;

	•		a reduction in the value of our securities; or

	•		a decrease in distributions to our stockholders.

Under bankruptcy law, a tenant who is the subject of bankruptcy proceedings has the option of continuing or terminating any unexpired lease. If a bankrupt tenant terminates a lease with us, any claim we might have for breach of the lease (excluding a claim against collateral securing the claim) will be treated as a general unsecured claim. Our claim would likely be capped at the amount the tenant owed us for unpaid rent prior to the bankruptcy unrelated to the termination, plus the greater of one year’s lease payments or 15% of the remaining lease payments payable under the lease (but no more than three years’ lease payments). In addition, due to the long-term nature of our leases and terms providing for the repurchase of a property by the tenant, a bankruptcy court could re-characterize a net lease transaction as a secured lending transaction. If that were to occur, we would not be treated as the owner of the property, but might have additional rights as a secured creditor.

Net leases may not result in fair market lease rates over time.

We expect a large portion of our rental income to come from net leases and, net leases frequently provide the tenant greater discretion in using the leased property than ordinary property leases, such as the right to freely sublease the property, to make alterations in the leased premises and to terminate the lease prior to its expiration under specified circumstances. Further, net leases are typically for longer lease terms and, thus, there is an increased risk that contractual rental increases in future years will fail to result in fair market rental rates during those years. As a result, our income and distributions to our stockholders could be lower than it would otherwise be if we did not engage in net leases.

Many of our tenants are small and medium size businesses, which exposes us to additional risks unique to these entities.

Leasing real property or making mortgage loans to small and medium-sized businesses exposes us to a number of unique risks related to these entities, including the following:

•

Small and medium-sized businesses may have limited financial resources and may not be able to make their lease or mortgage payments. A small or medium-sized tenant or borrower is more likely to have difficulty making its lease or mortgage payments when it experiences adverse events, such as the failure to meet its business plan, a downturn in its industry or negative economic conditions.

	•		Small and medium-sized businesses typically have narrower product lines and smaller market shares than large businesses. Because our target tenants and borrowers are smaller businesses, they will tend to be more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as general economic downturns. In addition, our target tenants and borrowers may face intense competition, including competition from companies with greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing and other capabilities and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel.

	•		There is generally little or no publicly available information about our target tenants and borrowers. Many of our tenants and borrowers are likely to be privately owned businesses, about which there is generally little or no publicly available operating and financial information. As a result, we will rely on our Adviser to perform due diligence investigations of these tenants and borrowers, their operations and their prospects. We may not learn all of the material information we need to know regarding these businesses through our investigations.

	•		Small and medium-sized businesses generally have less predictable operating results. We expect that many of our tenants and borrowers may experience significant fluctuations in their operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, to finance expansion or to maintain their competitive positions, may otherwise have a weak financial position or may be adversely affected by changes in the business cycle. Our tenants and borrowers may not meet net income, cash flow and other coverage tests typically imposed by their senior lenders. The failure of a tenant or borrower to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by senior lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, foreclosure on credit facilities, which could additionally trigger cross-defaults in other agreements. If this were to occur, it is possible that the ability of the tenant or borrower to make required payments to us would be jeopardized.

	•		Small and medium-sized businesses are more likely to be dependent on one or two persons. Typically, the success of a small or medium-sized business also depends on the management talents and efforts of one or two persons or a small group of persons. The death, disability or resignation of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on our tenant or borrower and, in turn, on us.

	•		Small and medium-sized businesses may have limited operating histories. While we intend to target as tenants and borrowers stable companies with proven track records, we may lease properties or lend money to new companies that meet our other investment criteria. Tenants or borrowers with limited operating histories will be exposed to all of the operating risks that new businesses face and may be particularly susceptible to, among other risks, market downturns, competitive pressures and the departure of key executive officers.

We may not have funding for future tenant improvements.

When a tenant at one of our properties does not renew its lease or otherwise vacates its space in one of our buildings, it is likely that, in order to attract one or more new tenants, we will be required to expend substantial funds for tenant improvements and tenant refurbishments to the vacated space. We cannot assure you that we will have sufficient sources of funding available to us for such purposes in the future.

Our real estate investments may include special use and single or multi-tenant properties that may be difficult to sell or re-lease upon tenant defaults or early lease terminations.

We focus our investments on commercial, industrial and retail properties, a number of which include manufacturing facilities, special use storage or warehouse facilities and special use single or multi-tenant properties. These types of properties are relatively illiquid compared to other types of real estate and financial assets. This illiquidity will limit our ability to quickly change our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions. With these properties, if the current lease is terminated or not renewed or, in the case of a mortgage loan, if we take such property in foreclosure, we may be required to renovate the property or to make rent concessions in order to lease the property to another tenant or sell the property. In addition, in the event we are forced to sell the property, we may have difficulty selling it to a party other than the tenant or borrower due to the special purpose for which the property may have been designed.

These and other limitations may affect our ability to sell or re-lease properties without adversely affecting returns to our stockholders.

The inability of a tenant in a single tenant property to pay rent will reduce our revenues.

Since most of our properties are occupied by a single tenant, the success of our investments will be materially dependent on the financial stability of these tenants. Lease payment defaults by these tenants could adversely affect our cash flows and cause us to reduce the amount of distributions to stockholders. In the event of a default by a tenant, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment and re-leasing our property. If a lease is terminated, there is no assurance that we will be able to lease the property for the rent previously received or sell the property without incurring a loss.

Liability for uninsured losses could adversely affect our financial condition.

Losses from disaster-type occurrences (such as wars or earthquakes) may be either uninsurable or not insurable on economically viable terms. Should an uninsured loss occur, we could lose our capital investment or anticipated profits and cash flow from one or more properties.

Potential liability for environmental matters could adversely affect our financial condition.

Our purchase of industrial, commercial and retail properties subjects us to the risk of liabilities under federal, state and local environmental laws. Some of these laws could subject us to:

	•		responsibility and liability for the cost of removal or remediation of hazardous substances released on our properties, generally without regard to our knowledge of or responsibility for the presence of the contaminants;

	•		liability for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous substances at disposal facilities for persons who arrange for the disposal or treatment of these substances; and

	•		potential liability for common law claims by third parties for damages resulting from environmental contaminants.

We generally include provisions in our leases making tenants responsible for all environmental liabilities and for compliance with environmental regulations, and requiring tenants to reimburse us for damages or costs for which we have been found liable. However, these provisions will not eliminate our statutory liability or preclude third party claims against us. Even if we were to have a legal claim against a tenant to enable us to recover any amounts we are required to pay, there are no assurances that we would be able to collect any money from the tenant. Our costs of investigation, remediation or removal of hazardous substances may be substantial. In addition, the presence of hazardous substances on one of our properties, or the failure to properly remediate a contaminated property, could adversely affect our ability to sell or lease the property or to borrow using the property as collateral.

We obtain environmental site assessments, or ESAs, on all of our properties at the time of acquisition. The ESAs are intended to identify potential environmental contamination. The ESAs include a historical review of the property, a review of certain public records, a preliminary investigation of the site and surrounding properties, screening for the presence of hazardous substances and underground storage tanks, and the preparation and issuance of a written report.

The ESAs that we have obtained have not revealed any environmental liability or compliance concerns that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, results of operations or liquidity, nor are we aware of any such liability. Nevertheless, it is possible that these ESAs do not reveal all environmental liabilities or that there are material environmental liabilities or compliance concerns that we are not aware of. Moreover, we cannot assure you that (i) future laws, ordinances or regulations will not impose material environmental liability, or (ii) the current environmental condition of a property will not be affected by the condition of properties in the vicinity of the property (such as the presence of leaking underground storage tanks) or by third parties unrelated to us.

Risks related to our Adviser

We are dependent upon our key management personnel, who are employed by our Adviser, for our future success, particularly David Gladstone, Terry Lee Brubaker and George Stelljes III.

We are dependent on our senior management and other key management members to carry out our business and investment strategies. Our future success depends to a significant extent on the continued service and coordination of our senior management team, particularly David Gladstone, our chairman and chief executive officer, Terry Lee Brubaker, our vice chairman and chief operating officer, and George Stelljes III, our president and chief investment officer, all of whom are subject to an employment agreement with our Advisor. The departure of any of our executive officers or key employees could have a material adverse effect on our ability to implement our business strategy and to achieve our investment objectives.

Our success depends on the performance of our Adviser and if our Adviser makes inadvisable investment or management decisions, our operations could be materially adversely impacted.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions to our stockholders is dependent upon the performance of our Adviser in evaluating potential investments, selecting and negotiating property purchases and dispositions and mortgage loans, selecting tenants and borrowers, setting lease or mortgage loan terms and determining financing arrangements. Accomplishing these objectives on a cost-effective basis is largely a function of our Adviser’s marketing capabilities, management of the investment process, ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services and our access to financing sources on acceptable terms. Our stockholders have no opportunity to evaluate the terms of transactions or other economic or financial data concerning our investments and must rely entirely on the analytical and management abilities of our Adviser and the oversight of our board of directors. If our Adviser or our board of directors makes inadvisable investment or management decisions, our operations could be materially adversely impacted. As we grow, our Adviser may be required to hire, train, supervise and manage new employees. Our Adviser’s failure to effectively manage our future growth could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may have conflicts of interest with our Adviser and other affiliates.

Our Adviser manages our business and locates, evaluates, recommends and negotiates the acquisition of our real estate investments. At the same time, our advisory agreement permits our Adviser to conduct other commercial activities and provide management and advisory services to other entities, including Gladstone Capital Corporation, Gladstone Investment Corporation and Gladstone Land Corporation, an entity affiliated with our chairman David Gladstone. Moreover, all of our officers and directors are also officers and directors of Gladstone Capital Corporation and Gladstone Investment Corporation, which actively make loans to and invest in small and medium-sized companies. As a result, we may from time to time have conflicts of interest with our Adviser in its management of our business and with Gladstone Capital and Gladstone Investment, which may arise primarily from the involvement of our Adviser, Gladstone Capital, Gladstone Investment, Gladstone Land and their affiliates in other activities that may conflict with our business.

Examples of these potential conflicts include:

	•		our Adviser may realize substantial compensation on account of its activities on our behalf;

	•		we may experience competition with our affiliates for financing transactions;

	•		our Adviser may earn fee income from our borrowers or tenants; and

	•		our Adviser and other affiliates such as Gladstone Capital, Gladstone Investment and Gladstone Land could compete for the time and services of our officers and directors.

These and other conflicts of interest between us and our Adviser and other affiliates could have a material adverse effect on the operation of our business and the selection or management of our real estate investments.

Our Adviser is not obligated to provide a waiver of the incentive fee, which could negatively impact our earnings and our ability to maintain our current level of, or increase, distributions to our stockholders.

On January 1, 2007, the Amended Advisory Agreement became effective. In addition to providing for a base management fee based on our stockholders equity, this agreement contemplates a quarterly incentive fee based on our funds from operations. Our Adviser has the ability to issue a full or partial waiver of the incentive fee for current and future periods, however our Adviser is not required to issue this waiver. If our Adviser does not issue this waiver in future quarters, it could negatively impact our earnings and may compromise our ability to maintain our current level of, or increase, distributions to our stockholders, which could have a material adverse impact on our stock price.

We may be obligated to pay our Adviser incentive compensation even if we incur a loss.

On January 1, 2007, the Amended Advisory Agreement became effective and entitled our Adviser to incentive compensation based on our FFO, which rewards the Adviser if our quarterly FFO (before giving effect to any incentive fee) exceeds 1.75% (7% annualized) of our total stockholders’ equity (less the recorded value of any preferred stock). Our pre-incentive fee FFO for incentive compensation purposes excludes the effect of any unrealized gains, losses or other items that do not affect realized net income that we may incur in the fiscal quarter, even if such losses result in a net loss on our statement of operations for that quarter. Thus, we may be required to pay our Adviser incentive compensation for a fiscal quarter even if we incur a net loss for that quarter.

Financing Risks

Our business strategy relies heavily on external financing, which may expose us to risks associated with leverage such as restrictions on additional borrowing and payment of distributions, risks associated with balloon payments, and risk of loss of our equity upon foreclosure.

Our current business strategy involves the use of leverage so that we may make more investments than would otherwise be possible in order to maximize potential returns to stockholders. If the income generated by our properties and other assets fails to cover our debt service, we could be forced to reduce or eliminate distributions to our stockholders and may experience losses. We may borrow on a secured or unsecured basis.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives will be affected by our ability to borrow money in sufficient amounts and on favorable terms. We expect that we will borrow money that will be secured by our properties and that these financing arrangements will contain customary covenants such as those that limit our ability, without the prior consent of the lender, to further mortgage the applicable property or to discontinue insurance coverage. In addition, our short-term line of credit contains, and any other credit facility we might enter into is likely to contain certain customary restrictions, requirements and other limitations on our ability to incur indebtedness, and will specify debt ratios that we will be required to maintain. Accordingly, we may be unable to obtain the degree of leverage we believe to be optimal, which may cause us to have less cash for distribution to stockholders than we would have with an optimal amount of leverage. Our use of leverage could also make us more vulnerable to a downturn in our business or the economy generally. There is also a risk that a significant increase in the ratio of our indebtedness to the measures of asset value used by financial analysts may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Some of our debt financing arrangements may require us to make lump-sum or “balloon” payments at maturity. Our ability to make a balloon payment at maturity is uncertain and may depend upon our ability to obtain additional financing or to sell the financed property. At the time the balloon payment is due, we may not be able to refinance the balloon payment on terms as favorable as the original loan or sell the property at a price sufficient to make the balloon payment, which could adversely affect the amount of distributions to our stockholders.

We intend to acquire additional properties by using our $95 million short-term line of credit and by continuing to seek long-term financing, where we will borrow all or a portion of the purchase price of a potential acquisition and securing the loan with a mortgage on some or all of our existing real property. To date we have obtained approximately $202 million in long-term financing, which we have used to acquire additional properties. If we are unable to make our debt payments as required, a lender could foreclose on the property securing its loan. This could cause us to lose part or all of our investment in such property which in turn could cause the value of our securities or the amount of distributions to our stockholders to be reduced.

Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes may adversely affect our results of operations.

We may experience interest rate volatility in connection with mortgage loans on our properties or other variable-rate debt that we may obtain from time to time. We currently have one variable rate loan, certain of our leases contain escalations based on market interest rates, and the interest rate on our existing line of credit is variable. We mitigate this risk by structuring such provisions to contain a minimum interest rate or escalation rate, as applicable. We are also exposed to the effects of interest rate changes as a result of the holding of our cash and cash equivalents in short-term, interest-bearing investments. A significant change in interest rates could have an adverse impact on the results of our operations. To date we have not entered into any derivative contracts, however certain of our mortgage loans and properties have embedded derivatives in the form of interest rate floors and ceilings. These embedded derivatives do not require separate accounting under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities.”

Risks of being a REIT

We may not qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, which would subject us to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates, thereby reducing the amount of funds available for paying distributions to our stockholders.

We have historically operated and intend to continue to operate in a manner that will allow us to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Our qualification as a REIT depends on our ability to meet various requirements set forth in the Internal Revenue Code concerning, among other things, the ownership of our outstanding common stock, the nature of our assets, the sources of our income and the amount of our distributions to our stockholders. The REIT qualification requirements are extremely complex, and interpretations of the federal income tax laws governing qualification as a REIT are limited. Accordingly, we cannot be certain that we will be successful in operating so as to qualify as a REIT. At any time new laws, interpretations or court decisions may change the federal tax laws relating to, or the federal income tax consequences of, qualification as a REIT. It is also possible that future economic, market, legal, tax or other considerations may cause our board of directors to revoke our REIT election, which it may do without stockholder approval.

If we lose or revoke our REIT status, we will face serious tax consequences that will substantially reduce the funds available for distribution to you because:

•

we would not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income, we would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates and we might need to borrow money or sell assets in order to pay any such tax;

	•		we also could be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax and possibly increased state and local taxes; and

	•		unless we are entitled to relief under statutory provisions, we would be prevented from re-qualifying to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we ceased to qualify.

In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, distributions to stockholders would be taxable to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, and, then, to the extent that the amount by which the balance of such distribution exceeds the stockholder’s adjusted basis in such stockholder’s stock of the REIT. If we were taxed as a regular corporation, corporate distributees might be eligible for the dividends received deduction, but we would not be required to make distributions to stockholders.

We have not sought a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that we qualify as a REIT, nor do we intend to do so in the future.

An IRS determination that we do not qualify as a REIT would deprive our stockholders of the tax benefits of our REIT status only if the IRS determination is upheld in court or otherwise becomes final. To the extent that we challenge an IRS determination that we do not qualify as a REIT, we may incur legal expenses that would reduce our funds available for distribution to our stockholders. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital, and would adversely affect the value of our common stock.

Failure to make required distributions or to satisfy certain income requirements would subject us to tax.

In order to qualify as a REIT, each year we must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our taxable income, other than any net capital gains. To the extent that we satisfy the distribution requirement but distribute less than 100% of our taxable income, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax on our undistributed income. In addition, we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which our distributions in any year are less than the sum of:

	•		85% of our ordinary income for that year;

	•		95% of our capital gain net income for that year; and

	•		100% of our undistributed taxable income from prior years.

In addition, each year at least 95% of our gross income must be derived from passive sources in real estate and securities, and at least 75% of our gross income must be derived from real estate sources. If we fail to satisfy either of these gross income tests, but nonetheless continue to qualify as a REIT because we meet certain other requirements, we will incur a tax of up to 100% on the greater of the excess of 95% of our gross income over the amount of our qualifying income, or the excess of 75% of our gross income over the amount of our qualifying income.

We intend to pay out our income to our stockholders in a manner intended to satisfy the distribution requirement applicable to REITs and to satisfy the foregoing gross income tests and, thus, avoid corporate income taxes and the 4% excise tax. Differences in timing between the recognition of income and the related cash receipts or the effect of required debt amortization payments could require us to borrow money or sell assets to pay out enough of our taxable income to satisfy the distribution requirement and to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% excise tax in a particular year. In the future, we may borrow funds to pay distributions to our stockholders and the limited partners of our Operating Partnership. Any funds that we borrow would subject us to interest rate and other market risks.

Because we must distribute a substantial portion of our net income to qualify as a REIT, we will be largely dependent on third-party sources of capital to fund our future capital needs.

To qualify as a REIT, we generally must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our taxable income each year, excluding capital gains. Because of this distribution requirement, it is not likely that we will be able to fund a significant portion of our future capital needs, including property acquisitions, from retained earnings. Therefore, we will likely rely on public and private debt and equity capital to fund our business. This capital may not be available on favorable terms or at all. Our access to additional capital depends on a number of things, including the market’s perception of our growth potential and our current and potential future earnings. Moreover, additional debt financings may substantially increase our leverage.

Other Risks

We are subject to restrictions that may discourage a change of control. Certain provisions contained in our articles of incorporation and Maryland law may prohibit or restrict a change of control.

	•		Our articles of incorporation prohibit ownership of more than 9.8% of the outstanding shares of our capital stock by one person. This restriction may discourage a change of control and may deter individuals or entities from making tender offers for our capital stock, which offers might otherwise be financially attractive to our stockholders or which might cause a change in our management.

	•		Our board of directors are divided into three classes, with the term of the directors in each class expiring every third year. At each annual meeting of stockholders, the successors to the class of directors whose term expires at such meeting will be elected to hold office for a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders held in the third year following the year of their election. After election, a director may only be removed by our stockholders for cause. Election of directors for staggered terms with limited rights to remove directors makes it more difficult for a hostile bidder to acquire control of us. The existence of this provision may negatively impact the price of our securities and may discourage third-party bids to acquire our securities. This provision may reduce any premiums paid to stockholders in a change in control transaction.

Certain provisions of Maryland law applicable to us prohibit business combinations with:

	•		any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of our common stock, referred to as an “interested stockholder;”

	•		an affiliate of ours who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was an interested stockholder; or

	•		an affiliate of an interested stockholder.

These prohibitions last for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder. Thereafter, any business combination with the interested stockholder must be recommended by our board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of at least 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of our outstanding shares of common stock and two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of our common stock other than shares held by the interested stockholder. These requirements could have the effect of inhibiting a change in control even if a change in control were in our stockholders’ interest. These provisions of Maryland law do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by our board of directors prior to the time that someone becomes an interested stockholder.

Market conditions could adversely affect the market price and trading volume of our securities.

The market price of our common and preferred stock may be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations and the trading volume in our common and preferred stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future. Some market conditions that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our securities include:

	•		price and volume fluctuations in the stock market from time to time, which are often unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies;

	•		significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of shares of REITs, real estate companies or other companies in our sector, which is not necessarily related to the performance of those companies;

	•		price and volume fluctuations in the stock market as a result of terrorist attacks, or speculation regarding future terrorist attacks, in the United States or abroad;

	•		actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results or distributions;

	•		changes in our funds from operations or earnings estimates or the publication of research reports about us or the real estate industry generally;

	•		actions by institutional stockholders;

	•		speculation in the press or investment community;

	•		changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to REITs; and

	•		Investor confidence in the stock market.

Shares of common stock eligible for future sale may have adverse effects on our share price.

We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future sales of common stock, or the availability of shares for future sales, on the market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of common stock (including shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of units of our operating partnership that we may issue from time to time), or the perception that these sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.

An increase in market interest rates may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.

One of the factors that investors may consider in deciding whether to buy or sell our common stock or preferred stock is our distribution rate as a percentage of our share price, relative to market interest rates. If market interest rates increase, prospective investors may desire a higher distribution yield on our securities or seek securities paying higher dividends or interest. The market price of our securities likely will be based primarily on the earnings that we derive from rental income with respect to our properties, interest earned on our mortgage loans and our related distributions to stockholders, and not from the underlying appraised value of the properties themselves. As a result, interest rate fluctuations and capital market conditions are likely to affect the market price of our securities, and such effects could be significant. For instance, if interest rates rise without a corresponding increase in our distribution rate, the market price of our common stock could decrease because potential investors may require a higher distribution yield on our common stock as market rates on interest-bearing securities, such as bonds, rise. Additionally, because both our Series A and Series B Preferred Stock is entitled to receive dividends at a fixed rate (and any series of preferred stock we may authorize and issue in the future will also likely receive dividends at a fixed rate), any increase in interest rates is likely to result in a decrease in the market price of our Series A and Series B Preferred Stock or any future series of preferred stock.

Legislative or regulatory action could adversely affect investors.

In recent years, numerous legislative, judicial and administrative changes have been made in the provisions of the federal and state income tax laws applicable to investments in REIT shares. Additional changes to tax laws are likely to continue to occur in the future, and we cannot assure you that any such changes will not adversely affect the taxation of our stockholders. Any such changes could have an adverse effect on an investment in our shares or on the market value or the resale potential of our properties.

If our Operating Partnership fails to maintain its status as a partnership or other form of pass-through entity for federal income tax purposes, its income may be subject to taxation.

As we hold all of the ownership interests in our Operating Partnership, it is currently disregarded for income tax purposes. We intend that it will qualify as a partnership for income tax purposes upon the admission of additional partners; however, if the IRS were to successfully challenge the status of our Operating Partnership as a partnership, it would be taxable as a corporation. In such event, this would reduce the amount of distributions that our Operating Partnership could make to us. This could also result in our losing REIT status and becoming subject to a corporate level tax on our own income. This would substantially reduce our cash available to pay distributions and the return on your investment. In addition, if any of the entities through which our Operating Partnership owns its properties, in whole or in part, loses its characterization as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, it would be subject to taxation as a corporation, thereby reducing distributions to our Operating Partnership. Such a recharacterization of an underlying property owner could also threaten our ability to maintain REIT status.

Our potential participation in joint ventures creates additional risk.

We may participate in joint ventures or purchase properties jointly with other unaffiliated entities. There are additional risks involved in these types of transactions. These risks include the potential of our joint venture partner becoming bankrupt or our economic or business interests diverging. These diverging interests could, among other things, expose us to liabilities of the joint venture in excess of our proportionate share of these liabilities. The partition rights of each owner in a jointly owned property could reduce the value of each portion of the divided property.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the statements contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements under Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including statements made with respect to possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When we use the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate” or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the following subjects are forward-looking by their nature:

	•		our business strategy;

	•		pending transactions;

	•		our projected operating results;

	•		our ability to obtain future financing arrangements;

	•		estimates relating to our future distributions;

	•		our understanding of our competition;

	•		market trends;

	•		estimates of our future operating expenses, including payments to our Adviser under the terms of our advisory agreement;

	•		projected capital expenditures; and

	•		use of the proceeds of our credit facilities, mortgage notes payable, and other future capital resources, if any.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause results, levels of activity, growth, performance, tax consequences or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, growth, performance, tax consequences or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us. Although we believe that these beliefs, assumptions and expectations are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, growth or achievements. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in or implied by our forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider these risks before you make an investment decision with respect to our common stock, along with the following factors that could cause actual results to vary from our forward-looking statements:

	•		the loss of any of our key employees, such as Mr. David Gladstone, our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Terry Lee Brubaker, our vice chairman and chief operating officer, or Mr. George Stelljes III, our president and chief investment officer;

	•		general volatility of the capital markets and the market price of our common stock;

	•		risks associated with negotiation and consummation of pending and future transactions;

	•		changes in our business strategy;

	•		availability, terms and deployment of capital, including the ability to maintain and borrow under our existing credit facility, arrange for long-term mortgages on our properties; secure one or more additional long-term credit facilities, and to raise equity capital;

	•		availability of qualified personnel;

	•		changes in our industry, interest rates or the general economy;

	•		the degree and nature of our competition; and

	•		those factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus and those factors listed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings incorporated herein by reference.

We are under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus to conform such statements to actual results.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

There are incorporated by reference in this prospectus the following documents previously filed by Gladstone Commercial Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

	•		Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, filed February 27, 2007;

	•		Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2007, filed May 1, 2007;

	•		Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2007, filed July 31, 2007;

	•		Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2007, filed October 30, 2007;

	•		Current Reports on Form 8-K filed January 3, 2007, July 10, 2007 and November 16, 2007;

	•		The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed August 12, 2003 as updated through subsequently filed reports;

	•		The description of our 7.75% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed January 19, 2006, as updated through subsequently filed reports; and

	•		The description of our 7.50% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed October 19, 2006, as amended October 23, 2006, as updated through subsequently filed reports.

The SEC has assigned file number 0-50363 to reports and other information that Gladstone Commercial Corporation files with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

All documents subsequently filed by Gladstone Commercial Corporation pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of the offering of the offered securities, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and to be a part of this prospectus from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in this prospectus or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in any subsequently filed document which is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus, modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

Gladstone Commercial Corporation will provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, upon the written or oral request of such person, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. Requests should be addressed to:

Investor Relations
Gladstone Commercial Corporation
1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200
McLean, Virginia 22102
(703) 287-5835

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, file reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such reports, proxy statements and other information can be inspected, without charge, at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can be obtained at prescribed rates from the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Such materials may also be inspected on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. Our outstanding shares of common stock are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “GOOD.” You can also obtain information about Gladstone Commercial Corporation at our website, www.GladstoneCommercial.com. Information included on, or accessible through our website is not a part of this prospectus.

This prospectus constitutes part of a registration statement on Form S-3 filed by Gladstone Commercial Corporation with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement, parts of which are omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. For further information, reference is made to the registration statement.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the offered securities to:

	•		pay down our revolving line of credit, which currently accrues interest at the rate of approximately 6.47% and matures on December 29, 2009, with an option to extend for an additional year;

	•		acquire and develop commercial and industrial real estate for lease to tenants as suitable opportunities arise;

	•		make industrial and commercial mortgage loans as suitable opportunities arise;

	•		reimburse our Adviser for the expenses and fees it incurs in connection with our business;

	•		repay any outstanding indebtedness at the time it is due; and

	•		fund general business purposes.

Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from the sale of the offered securities in REIT-qualified money market instruments, short-term repurchase agreements or other cash equivalents that are expected to provide a lower net return than we hope to achieve from our intended real estate investments. We may also temporarily invest in securities that qualify as “real estate assets” under the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, such as mortgage-backed securities. We may not be able to achieve our targeted investment pace.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES AND PREFERRED DIVIDENDS

The following table sets forth the ratio of earnings to fixed charges and preferred dividends for the periods indicated below. “Earnings” consist of income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and fixed charges. “Fixed charges” consist of interest expense and the portion of operating lease expense that represents interest.

Nine Months

Period February 14,

ended

Year ended

2003 (inception)

September 30,

December 31,

through December 31,

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred dividends

1.4x

1.3x

2.4x

60.8x

)


(1)		For the period from our inception to December 31, 2003, our earnings were insufficient to cover fixed charges by $240,871.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK

General

Our authorized capital stock consists of 20,000,000 shares of capital stock, $0.001 par value per share, 17,700,000 of which are designated as common stock, 1,150,000 of which are designated as Series A Preferred Stock and 1,150,000 of which are designated Series B Preferred Stock. Under our articles of incorporation, our board of directors is authorized to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of capital stock by setting or changing in any one or more respects, from time to time before issuance of such stock, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of such stock. As of September 30, 2007, there were 8,565,264 shares of common stock issued and outstanding and 2,150,000 shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. The following summary description of our capital stock is not necessarily complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to our articles of incorporation and bylaws, each of which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as applicable provisions of Maryland law.

Description of Common Stock

Voting Rights of Common Stock

Subject to the provisions of our articles of incorporation regarding restrictions on the transfer and ownership of our capital stock, each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors, and, except as provided with respect to any other class or series of capital stock (currently consisting of Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock), the holders of the common stock possess the exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which means that the holders of a majority of the outstanding common stock, voting as a single class, can elect all of the directors then standing for election and the holders of the remaining shares are not able to elect any directors.

Dividends, Liquidations and Other Rights

All shares of common stock offered by this prospectus will be duly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends when declared by our board of directors out of assets legally available for the payment of dividends. They also are entitled to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, after payment of or adequate provision for all of our known debts and liabilities. These rights are subject to the preferential rights of any other class or series of our shares (currently consisting of Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock) and to the provisions of our articles of incorporation regarding restrictions on transfer of our shares.

Holders of our common stock have no preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund, redemption or appraisal rights and have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any of our securities. Subject to the restrictions on transfer of shares contained in our articles of incorporation, all shares of common stock have equal dividend, liquidation and other rights.

Certificates

We will not issue certificates. Shares will be held in “uncertificated” form which will eliminate the physical handling and safekeeping responsibilities inherent in owning transferable stock certificates and eliminate the need to return a duly executed stock certificate to the transfer agent to effect a transfer. Transfers can be effected simply by mailing to us a duly executed transfer form. Upon the issuance of our shares, we will send to each stockholder a written statement which will include all information that is required to be written upon stock certificates under Maryland law.

Meetings and Special Voting Requirements

An annual meeting of the stockholders will be held each year for the purpose of electing the class of directors whose term is up for election and to conduct other business that may be before the stockholders. Special meetings of stockholders may be called only upon the request of a majority of our directors, a majority of our independent directors, our chairman, our president or upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast at least 20% of all the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting. In general, the presence in person or by proxy of a majority of the outstanding shares, exclusive of excess shares (described in “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws — Restrictions on Ownership of Shares” below), shall constitute a quorum. Generally, the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be voted at a meeting at which a quorum is present is necessary to take stockholder action, except that a plurality of all votes cast at such a meeting is sufficient to elect a director.

A proposal by our board of directors to amend our articles of incorporation or to dissolve us requires the approval at a duly held meeting of our stockholders holding at least a majority of the shares entitled to vote. Stockholders may, by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote on such matter, elect to remove a director for cause. Stockholders do not have the ability to vote to replace our Adviser or to select a new adviser.

The affirmative vote of a majority of all shares entitled to vote is required to approve any merger or sale of substantially all of our assets other than in the ordinary course of business. The term “substantially all” as used in this context is a term used in the Maryland General Corporate Law. The Maryland General Corporation Law does not include a definition of “substantially all” and Maryland case law suggests that the term be interpreted on a case-by-case basis. The effect for investors of the Maryland law’s lack of definition is that we cannot provide investors with a definition for “substantially all” and therefore stockholders will not know whether a sale of assets will constitute a sale of substantially all of the assets and, therefore, whether they will have the right to approve any particular sale.

Information Rights

Any stockholder may, during normal business hours and for any lawful and proper purpose, inspect and copy our bylaws, minutes of the proceedings of our stockholders, our annual financial statements and any voting trust agreement that is on file at our principal office. In addition, one or more stockholders who together are, and for at least six months have been, record or beneficial holders of 5% of our common stock are entitled to inspect a copy of our stockholder list upon written request. The list will include the name and address of, and the number of shares owned by, each stockholder and will be available at our principal office within 20 days of the stockholder’s request.

The rights of stockholders described above are in addition to, and do not adversely affect rights provided to investors under, Rule 14a-7 promulgated under the Exchange Act, which provides that, upon request of investors and the payment of the expenses of the distribution, we are required to distribute specific materials to stockholders in the context of the solicitation of proxies for voting on matters presented to stockholders, or, at our option, provide requesting stockholders with a copy of the list of stockholders so that the requesting stockholders may make the distribution themselves.

Distributions

Distributions will be paid to investors who are stockholders as of the record date selected by our board of directors. Distributions will be paid on a quarterly basis regardless of the frequency with which such distributions are declared. We are required to make distributions sufficient to satisfy the REIT requirements. Generally, income distributed as distributions will not be taxable to us under federal income tax laws unless we fail to comply with the REIT requirements.

Distributions will be paid at the discretion of our board of directors based on our earnings, cash flow and general financial condition. The directors’ discretion will be governed, in substantial part, by their obligation to cause us to comply with the REIT requirements. Because we may receive income from interest or rents at various times during our fiscal year, distributions may not reflect our income earned in that particular distribution period but may be made in anticipation of cash flow which we expect to receive during a later period of the year and may be made in advance of actual receipt in an attempt to make distributions relatively uniform. We may borrow to make distributions if the borrowing is necessary to maintain our REIT status, or if the borrowing is part of a liquidation strategy whereby the borrowing is done in anticipation of the sale of properties and the proceeds will be used to repay the loan.

Repurchases of Excess Shares

We have the authority to redeem “excess shares” (as defined in our articles of incorporation) immediately upon becoming aware of the existence of excess shares or after giving the holder of the excess shares 30 days to transfer the excess shares to a person whose ownership of such shares would not exceed the ownership limit and, therefore such shares would no longer be considered excess shares. The price paid upon redemption by us shall be the lesser of the price paid for such excess shares by the stockholder holding the excess shares or the fair market value of the excess shares. We may purchase excess shares or otherwise repurchase shares if the repurchase does not impair our capital or operations. For additional information regarding excess shares, see “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws — Restrictions on Ownership of Shares.”

Other Matters

The transfer and dividend paying agent and registrar for our common stock is The Bank of New York. The principal business address of The Bank of New York is 101 Barclay Street, Suite 11E, New York, New York 10286, telephone number (800) 274-2944. The Bank of New York also maintains an internet web site at http://stock.bankofny.com.

Description of Preferred Stock

General

Subject to limitations prescribed by Maryland law and our articles of incorporation, our board of directors is authorized to issue, from the authorized but unissued shares of stock, shares of preferred stock in series and to establish from time to time the number of shares of preferred stock to be included in the series and to fix the designation and any preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of the shares of each series, and any other subjects or matters as may be fixed by resolution of our board of directors or one of its duly authorized committees.

Existing Series of Preferred Stock

As of the date of this prospectus, our board of directors has designated:

	•		1,150,000 shares of 7.75% Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock, 1,000,000 of which are outstanding; and

	•		1,150,000 shares of 7.75% Series B Cumulative Preferred Stock, all of which are outstanding.

The description of our Series A Preferred Stock is contained in our prospectus supplement dated January 18, 2006, which was filed January 19, 2006 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The description of our Series B Preferred Stock is contained in our prospectus supplement dated October 18, 2006, which was filed October 19, 2006 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Future Series of Preferred Stock

The following description of the terms of our preferred stock sets forth general terms and provisions of our preferred stock to which a prospectus supplement may relate. Specific terms of any series of preferred stock offered by a prospectus supplement will be described in that prospectus supplement. The description set forth below is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the articles supplementary to our charter fixing the preferences, limitations and relative rights of a particular series of preferred stock.

If we offer preferred stock pursuant to this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of the series of shares of preferred stock being offered, including:

	•		the title and stated value of the series of shares of preferred stock and the number of shares constituting that series;

	•		the number of shares of the series of shares of preferred stock offered, the liquidation preference per share and the offering price of the shares of preferred stock;

	•		the dividend rate(s), period(s)and/or payment date(s)or the method(s)of calculation for those values relating to the shares of preferred stock of the series;

	•		the date from which dividends on shares of preferred stock of the series shall cumulate, if applicable;

	•		the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any, for shares of preferred stock of the series;

	•		the provision for a sinking fund, if any, for shares of preferred stock of the series;

	•		the provision for redemption or repurchase, if applicable, of shares of preferred stock of the series, and any restriction on our ability to exercise those redemption and repurchase rights;

	•		any listing of the series of shares of preferred stock on any securities exchange or market;

	•		the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which shares of preferred stock of the series will be convertible into shares of preferred stock of another series or common stock, including the conversion price, or manner of calculating the conversion price, and the conversion period;

	•		whether the preferred stock will be exchangeable into debt securities, and, if applicable, the exchange price, or how it will be calculated, and the exchange period;

	•		voting rights, if any, of the shares of preferred stock of the series;

	•		preemption rights, if any;

	•		whether interests in shares of preferred stock of the series will be represented by global securities;

	•		a discussion of U.S. Federal income tax considerations applicable to shares of preferred stock of the series;

	•		the relative ranking and preferences of shares of preferred stock of the series as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs;

	•		any limitations on issuance of any series of shares of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of shares of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs; and

	•		any limitations on direct or beneficial ownership and restrictions on transfer of shares of preferred stock of the series, in each case as may be appropriate to preserve our status as a REIT under the Code;

	•		the registrar and transfer agent for the shares of preferred stock; and

	•		any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of the series of shares of preferred stock.

If we issue shares of preferred stock under this prospectus, the shares will be fully paid and non-assessable and will not have, or be subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.

The issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power, conversion or other rights of holders of common stock. Preferred stock could be issued quickly with terms designed to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of decreasing the market price of our common stock.

CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND
OF OUR ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BYLAWS

The following description of certain provisions of Maryland law and of our articles of incorporation and bylaws is only a summary. For a complete description, we refer you to the Maryland General Corporation Law, our articles of incorporation and our bylaws. We have filed our articles of incorporation and bylaws as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Classification of our Board of Directors

Pursuant to our bylaws our board of directors is comprised of ten members and is divided into three classes of directors. Directors of each class are elected for a three-year term, and each year one class of directors will be elected by the stockholders. The current terms of the Class II, Class III and Class I directors will expire in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively, and when their respective successors are duly elected and qualify. Any director elected to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the full term of the class in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is elected and qualifies. We believe that classification of our board of directors helps to assure the continuity and stability of our business strategies and policies as determined by our directors. Holders of shares of our capital stock have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors. Consequently, at each annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of a majority of the capital stock are able to elect all of the successors of the class of directors whose terms expire at that meeting.

Our classified board could have the effect of making the replacement of incumbent directors more time consuming and difficult. At least two annual meetings of stockholders, instead of one, will generally be required to effect a change in a majority of our board of directors. Thus, our classified board could increase the likelihood that incumbent directors will retain their positions. The staggered terms of directors may delay, defer or prevent a tender offer or an attempt to change control of us or another transaction that might involve a premium price for our common stock that might be in the best interest of our stockholders.

Removal of Directors

Any director may be removed only for cause by the stockholders upon the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting called for the purpose of the proposed removal. The notice of the meeting shall indicate that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to determine if the director shall be removed.

Restrictions on Ownership of Shares

In order for us to qualify as a REIT, not more than 50% of our outstanding shares may be owned by any five or fewer individuals (including some tax-exempt entities) during the last half of each taxable year, and the outstanding shares must be owned by 100 or more persons independent of us and each other during at least 335 days of a 12-month taxable year or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year for which an election to be treated as a REIT is made. We may prohibit certain acquisitions and transfers of shares so as to facilitate our continued qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. However, this prohibition may not be effective.

Our articles of incorporation, in order to assist our board of directors in preserving our status as a REIT, contain an ownership limit which prohibits any person or group of persons from acquiring, directly or indirectly, beneficial ownership of more than 9.8% of our outstanding shares of capital stock. Shares owned by a person or a group of persons in excess of the ownership limit are deemed “excess shares.” Shares owned by a person who individually owns of record less than 9.8% of outstanding shares may nevertheless be excess shares if the person is deemed part of a group for purposes of this restriction.

Our articles of incorporation stipulate that any purported issuance or transfer of shares shall be valid only with respect to those shares that do not result in the transferee-stockholder owning shares in excess of the ownership limit. If the transferee-stockholder acquires excess shares, the person is considered to have acted as our agent and holds the excess shares on behalf of the ultimate stockholder.

The ownership limit does not apply to offerors which, in accordance with applicable federal and state securities laws, make a cash tender offer, where at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock (not including shares or subsequently issued securities convertible into common stock which are held by the tender offeror and any “affiliates” or “associates” thereof within the meaning of the Exchange Act) are duly tendered and accepted pursuant to the cash tender offer. The ownership limit also does not apply to the underwriter in a public offering of our shares. The ownership limit also does not apply to a person or persons which our directors so exempt from the ownership limit upon appropriate assurances that our qualification as a REIT is not jeopardized.

Business Combinations

Maryland law prohibits “business combinations” between us and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange, or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. Maryland law defines an interested stockholder as:

	•		any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of our shares; or

	•		an affiliate or associate of ours who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of our then-outstanding voting shares.

A person is not an interested stockholder if our board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. However, in approving a transaction, our board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by our board of directors.

After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between us and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by our board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

	•		80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of our then-outstanding shares of capital stock; and

	•		two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of our voting shares other than shares held by (a) the interested stockholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected and (b) shares held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder.

These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if our common stockholders receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by our board of directors before the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. The business combination statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

Merger; Amendment of Articles of Incorporation

Under Maryland law, we will not be able to amend our articles of incorporation or merge with another entity unless approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders holding at least a majority of the shares entitled to vote on the matter. As permitted by Maryland law, our articles of incorporation contain a provision permitting our directors, without any action by our stockholders, to amend the articles of incorporation to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of any class of stock that we have authority to issue.

Operations

We generally are prohibited from engaging in certain activities, including acquiring or holding property or engaging in any activity that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT.

Term and Termination

Our articles of incorporation provide for us to have a perpetual existence. Pursuant to our articles of incorporation, and subject to the provisions of any of our classes or series of stock then outstanding and the approval by a majority of the entire board of directors, our stockholders, at any meeting thereof, by the affirmative vote of a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, may approve a plan of liquidation and dissolution.

Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business

Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of persons for election to our board of directors and the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders at the annual meeting may be made only:

	•		pursuant to our notice of the meeting;

	•		by our board of directors; or

	•		by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the time of the provision of notice and at the time of the meeting who is entitled to vote at the meeting and has complied with the advance notice procedures set forth in our bylaws.

With respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in our notice of meeting may be brought before the meeting of stockholders and nominations of persons for election to our board of directors may be made only:

	•		pursuant to our notice of the meeting;

	•		by our board of directors; or

	•		provided that our board of directors has determined that directors shall be elected at such meeting, by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the time of the provision of notice and at the time of the meeting who is entitled to vote at the meeting and has complied with the advance notice provisions set forth in our bylaws.

Power to Issue Additional Shares

We currently do not intend to issue any securities other than the shares described in this prospectus, although we may do so at any time, including upon the redemption of limited partnership interests that we may issue in connection with acquisitions of real property. We believe that the power to issue additional shares of stock and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of common stock or preferred stock and thereafter to issue the classified or reclassified shares provides us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs which might arise. These actions can be taken without stockholder approval, unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. Although we have no present intention of doing so, we could issue a class or series of shares that could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for holders of common stock or otherwise be in their best interest.

Control Share Acquisitions

Maryland law provides that “control shares” of a corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights unless the corporation’s stockholders approve such voting rights by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares owned by the acquiror, or by officers or directors of the corporation who are also employees are excluded from shares entitled to vote on the matter. “Control shares” are voting shares which, if aggregated with all other shares previously acquired by the acquiring person, or in respect of which the acquiring person is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquiring person to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power:

•

one-tenth or more but less than one-third of all voting power;

	•		one-third or more but less than a majority of all voting power; or

	•		a majority or more of all voting power.

Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition of control shares, subject to certain exceptions.

A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition may compel our board of directors to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days to consider the voting rights of the shares. The right to compel the calling of a special meeting is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including providing a statement to us detailing, among other things, the acquiring person’s identity and stock ownership and an undertaking to pay the expenses of the meeting. If no request for a meeting is made, we may present the question at any stockholders’ meeting.

If voting rights are not approved at the stockholders’ meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver the statement required by Maryland law, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, we may redeem any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have previously been approved, at the fair market value of such shares. The control share acquisition statute does not apply to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if we are a party to the transaction, nor does it apply to acquisitions approved or exempted by our articles of incorporation or bylaws.

Possible Anti-Takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws

The business combination provisions and the control share acquisition provisions of Maryland law, the provisions of our bylaws regarding the classification of our board of directors and the restrictions on the transfer of stock and the advance notice provisions of our bylaws could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in the control that might involve a premium price for holders of common stock or otherwise be in their best interest.

CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following discussion summarizes our taxation and the material U.S. Federal income tax consequences to stockholders of their ownership of our stock. The tax treatment of stockholders will vary depending upon the stockholder’s particular situation, and this discussion addresses only stockholders that hold our stock as a capital asset and does not deal with all aspects of taxation that may be relevant to particular stockholders in light of their personal investment or tax circumstances. This section also does not deal with all aspects of taxation that may be relevant to certain types of stockholders to which special provisions of the U.S. Federal income tax laws apply, including:

	•		dealers in securities or currencies;

	•		traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities holdings;

	•		banks;

	•		tax-exempt organizations;

	•		certain insurance companies;

	•		persons liable for the alternative minimum tax;

	•		persons that hold our stock as a hedge against interest rate or currency risks or as part of a straddle or conversion transaction; and

	•		stockholders whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar.

This summary is based on the Code, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations under the Code, published rulings and court decisions. This summary describes the provisions of these sources of law only as they are currently in effect. All of these sources of law may change at any time, and any change in the law may apply retroactively.

We urge you to consult with your own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences to you of acquiring, owning and selling our stock including the U.S. Federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of acquiring, owning and selling our stock in your particular circumstances and potential changes in applicable laws.

Taxation of the Company as a REIT

In the opinion of Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2003, we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and our proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code. You should be aware, however, that opinions of counsel are not binding upon the IRS or any court.

In providing its opinion, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP is relying as to certain factual matters upon the statements and representations contained in certificates provided to Cooley Godward Kronish LLP by us. Commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2003, we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and our proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code.

Our qualification as a REIT will depend upon our continuing satisfaction of the requirements of the Code relating to qualification for REIT status. Some of these requirements depend upon actual operating results, distribution levels, diversity of stock ownership, asset composition, source of income and record keeping. Accordingly, while we intend to continue to qualify to be taxed as a REIT, the actual results of our operations for any particular year might not satisfy these requirements.

The sections of the Code applicable to REITs are highly technical and complex. The following discussion summarizes the material aspects of relevant sections of the Code.

As a REIT, we generally will not have to pay U.S. Federal corporate income taxes on net income that we currently distribute to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” at the corporate and stockholder levels that generally results from investment in a regular corporation. Our dividends, however, will generally not be eligible for (i) the reduced tax rates applicable to dividends received by individuals or (ii) the corporate dividends received deduction. In addition, our domestic taxable REIT subsidiary will be subject to U.S. Federal, state and local corporate income tax.

Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to U.S. Federal income tax as follows:

	•		First, we will have to pay tax at regular corporate rates on any undistributed real estate investment trust taxable income, including undistributed net capital gains.

	•		Second, under certain circumstances, we may have to pay the alternative minimum tax on items of tax preference, if any.

	•		Third, if we have (a) net income from the sale or other disposition of “foreclosure property,” as defined in the Code, which is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business or (b) other non-qualifying net income from foreclosure property, we will have to pay tax at the highest corporate rate on that income.

	•		Fourth, if we have net income from “prohibited transactions,” as defined in the Code, we will have to pay a 100% tax on that income. Prohibited transactions are, in general, certain sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. Under current law, unless a sale of real property qualifies for a safe harbor, the question of whether the sale of a property constitutes the sale of property held primarily for sale to customers is generally a question of the facts and circumstances regarding a particular transaction. We and our subsidiaries intend to hold the interests in our properties for investment with a view to long-term appreciation and to make occasional sales as are consistent with our investment objectives. We do not intend to engage in prohibited transactions. We cannot assure you, however, that we will only make sales that satisfy the requirements of the safe harbors or that the IRS will not successfully assert that one or more of such sales are prohibited transactions.

	•		Fifth, if we should fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below under “— Income Tests,” but we have nonetheless maintained our qualification as a REIT because we have satisfied other requirements necessary to maintain REIT qualification, we will have to pay a 100% tax on an amount equal to (a) the gross income attributable to the greater of (i) 75% of our gross income over the amount of gross income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% test, and (ii) 95% of our gross income over the amount of gross income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 95% test, multiplied by (b) a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.

	•		Sixth, if we should fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (1) 85% of our real estate investment trust ordinary income for that year, (2) 95% of our real estate investment trust capital gain net income for that year and (3) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would have to pay a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the excess of that required distribution over the amounts actually distributed.

	•		Seventh, if we acquire any asset from a C corporation in certain transactions in which we must adopt the basis of the asset or any other property in the hands of the C corporation as our basis of the asset in our hands, and we subsequently recognize gain on the disposition of that asset during the 10-year period beginning on the date on which we acquired that asset, then we will have to pay tax on the built-in gain at the highest regular corporate rate. A “C corporation” means generally a corporation that has to pay full corporate-level tax.

	•		Eighth, if we receive non-arm’s length income from one of our taxable REIT subsidiaries (as defined under “— Asset Tests”), we will be subject to a 100% tax on the amount of our non-arm’s length income.

	•		Ninth, if we should fail to satisfy the asset test (as discussed below) but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because certain other requirements have been met, we may be subject to a tax that would be the greater of (a) $50,000; or (b) an amount determined by multiplying the highest rate of tax for corporations by the net income generated by the assets for the period beginning on the first date of the failure and ending on the day we dispose of the assets (or otherwise satisfy the requirements for maintaining REIT qualification).

	•		Tenth, if we should fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the 95% and 75% gross income tests and other than the asset test, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because certain other requirements have been met, we may be subject to a $50,000 penalty for each failure.

	•		Eleventh, if we should fail to comply with the record-keeping requirements in ascertaining the actual ownership of the outstanding shares of our stock, we may be subject to a $25,000 or a $50,000 penalty for each failure.

Requirements for Qualification as a REIT

The Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association that is:

	•		managed by one or more trustees or directors;

	•		the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest;

	•		that would otherwise be taxable as a domestic corporation, but for Sections 856 through 859 of the Code;

	•		that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company to which certain provisions of the Code apply;

	•		the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons;

	•		that, during the last half of each taxable year, has no more than 50% in value of its outstanding stock owned, directly or constructively, by five or fewer individuals, as defined in the Code to include certain entities; and

	•		that meets certain other tests, described below, regarding the nature of its income and assets.

The Code provides that the conditions described in the first through fourth bullet points above must be met during the entire taxable year and that the condition described in the fifth bullet point above must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months. Under applicable Treasury regulations, we must maintain certain records and request certain information from our stockholders designed to disclose the actual ownership of our stock. The Code waives the requirements in the fifth and sixth bullet points for the first taxable year for which an election is made to be taxed as a REIT.

We expect that we will satisfy the conditions described in the first through sixth bullet points of the second preceding paragraph. In addition, our articles of incorporation provide for restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our stock. These restrictions are intended to assist us in continuing to satisfy the share ownership requirements described in the fifth and sixth bullet points of the second preceding paragraph. The ownership and transfer restrictions pertaining to our stock are described in this prospectus under the heading “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws — Restrictions on Ownership of Shares.” Our board of directors will require an IRS ruling or an opinion of counsel before granting any request for an exemption from such ownership limitations in circumstances where it is unable to satisfy itself that the ownership limitations would not be violated.

We own interests in two corporate subsidiaries. Code Section 856(i) provides that unless a REIT makes an election to treat the corporation as a taxable REIT subsidiary (as defined below), a wholly owned corporate subsidiary of a REIT which is a “qualified REIT subsidiary,” as defined in the Code, will not be treated as a separate corporation, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of a qualified REIT subsidiary will be treated as assets, liabilities and items of these kinds of the REIT. Thus, in applying the requirements described in this section, our qualified REIT subsidiaries, if any, will be ignored, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of these subsidiaries will be treated as assets, liabilities and items of these kinds of ours.

Taxable REIT Subsidiaries

A taxable REIT subsidiary, or TRS, is any corporation in which a REIT directly or indirectly owns stock, provided that the REIT and that corporation make a joint election to treat that corporation as a TRS. The election can be revoked at any time as long as the REIT and the TRS revoke such election jointly. In addition, if a TRS holds directly or indirectly, more than 35% of the securities of any other corporation (by vote or by value), then that other corporation is also treated as a TRS. A corporation can be a TRS with respect to more than one REIT.

A TRS is subject to U.S. Federal income tax at regular corporate rates (currently at the top marginal rate of 35%), and may also be subject to state and local taxation.

Any dividends paid or deemed paid by any one of our TRSs will also be subject to tax, either (i) to us if we do not pay the dividends received to our stockholders as dividends, or (ii) to our stockholders if we do pay out the dividends received to our stockholders. We may hold more than 10% of the stock of a TRS without jeopardizing our qualification as a REIT notwithstanding the rule described below under “— Asset Tests” that generally precludes ownership of more than 10% of any issuer’s securities. However, as noted below, in order for us to qualify as a REIT, the securities of all of the TRSs in which we have invested either directly or indirectly may not represent more than 20% of the total value of our assets. Although we expect that the aggregate value of all of our interests in TRSs will represent less than 20% of the total value of our assets, we cannot assure that this will always be true. Other than certain activities related to operating or managing a lodging or health care facility as more fully described below in the section entitled “— Income Tests,” a TRS may generally engage in any business including the provision of customary or non-customary services to tenants of the parent REIT.

Income Tests

In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we annually must satisfy two gross income requirements:

	•		First, we must derive at least 75% of our gross income, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions, for each taxable year directly or indirectly from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including “rents from real property,” as defined in the Code, or from certain types of temporary investments. Rents from real property generally include our expenses that are paid or reimbursed by tenants.

	•		Second, at least 95% of our gross income, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions, for each taxable year must be derived from real property investments as described in the preceding bullet point, dividends (including dividends from a TRS), interest and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities that do not constitute dealer property, or from any combination of these types of sources.

For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2005, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, effective as of October 22, 2004, or the 2004 Act, clarifies the types of transactions that are hedging transactions for purposes of the 95% gross income test and states that any income from a hedging transaction that is clearly and timely identified and hedges indebtedness incurred or to be incurred to acquire or carry real estate assets will not constitute gross income, rather than being treated as qualifying or nonqualifying income, for purposes of the 95% gross income test.

Rents that we receive or are deemed to have received will qualify as rents from real property in satisfying the gross income requirements for a REIT described above only if the rents satisfy several conditions:

	•		First, the amount of rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount received or accrued generally will not be excluded from rents from real property solely because it is based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales.

	•		Second, the Code provides that rents received from a tenant will not qualify as rents from real property in satisfying the gross income tests if the REIT, or a direct or indirect owner of 10% or more of the REIT, directly or under the applicable attribution rules, owns a 10% or greater interest in that tenant; except that rents received from a TRS under certain circumstances qualify as rents from real property even if we own more than a 10% interest in the subsidiary. We refer to a tenant in which we own a 10% or greater interest as a “related party tenant.”

	•		Third, if rent attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property is greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease, then the portion of rent attributable to the personal property will not qualify as rents from real property.

	•		Finally, for rents received to qualify as rents from real property, the REIT generally must not operate or manage the property or furnish or render services to the tenants of the property, other than through an independent contractor from whom the REIT derives no revenue and who is adequately compensated or through a TRS. However, we may directly perform certain services that landlords usually or customarily render when renting space for occupancy only or that are not considered rendered to the occupant of the property.

We do not expect to perform any services for our tenants. If we were to provide services to a tenant that are other than those landlords usually or customarily provide when renting space for occupancy only, amounts received or accrued by us for any of these services will not be treated as rents from real property for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. However, the amounts received or accrued for these services will not cause other amounts received with respect to the property to fail to be treated as rents from real property unless the amounts treated as received in respect of the services, together with amounts received for certain management services, exceed 1% of all amounts received or accrued by us during the taxable year with respect to the property. For purposes of the 1% threshold, the amount treated as received for any service may not be less than 150% of the direct cost incurred in furnishing or rendering the service. If the sum of the amounts received in respect of the services to tenants and management services described in the preceding sentence exceeds the 1% threshold, then all amounts received or accrued by us with respect to the property will not qualify as rents from real property, even if we provide the impermissible services to some, but not all, of the tenants of the property.

For purposes of the gross income tests, the term “interest” generally does not include any amount received or accrued, directly or indirectly, if the determination of that amount depends in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount received or accrued generally will not be excluded from the term interest solely because it is based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales.

If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% and 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may nevertheless qualify as a REIT for that year if we satisfy the requirements of other provisions of the Code that allow relief from disqualification as a REIT. These relief provisions, as modified by the 2004 Act, will generally be available if:

	•		our failure to meet the income tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect; and

	•		following our identification of the failure, we file with the IRS a schedule describing each item of our qualifying gross income for the taxable year of the failure.

We might not be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions, however. As discussed in the fifth bullet point under the section “— Taxation of the Company as a REIT,” even if these relief provisions apply, we would have to pay a tax on the excess income.

Asset Tests

At the close of each quarter of each taxable year, we must also satisfy three tests relating to the nature of our assets:

	•		First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by real estate assets, including (a) real estate assets held by our qualified REIT subsidiaries, our allocable share of real estate assets held by partnerships in which we own an interest and stock issued by another REIT, (b) for a period of one year from the date of our receipt of proceeds of an offering of its shares of beneficial interest or publicly offered debt with a term of at least five years, stock or debt instruments purchased with these proceeds and (c) cash, cash items and government securities.

	•		Second, not more than 25% of our total assets may be represented by securities other than those in the 75% asset class.

	•		Third, not more than 20% of our total assets may constitute securities issued by one or more TRSs and of the investments included in the 25% asset class, the value of any one issuer’s securities, other than securities issued by another REIT or by a TRS may not exceed 5% of the value (“5% test”) of our total assets, and we may not own more than 10% of the vote (“10% voting test”) or value (“10% value test”) of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, except in the case of a TRS as described above. If, for example, the IRS would successfully challenge the partnership status of any of the partnerships in which we maintain an interest, and the partnership is reclassified as a corporation or a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation, we could lose our REIT status.

The following assets are not treated as “securities” held by us for purposes of the 10% value test (i) “straight debt” meeting certain requirements, unless we hold (either directly or through our “controlled” taxable REIT subsidiaries) certain other securities of the same corporate or partnership issuer that have an aggregate value greater than 1% of such issuer’s outstanding securities; (ii) loans to individuals or estates; (iii) certain rental agreements calling for deferred rents or increasing rents that are subject to Section 467 of the Code, other than with certain related persons; (iv) obligations to pay us amounts qualifying as “rents from real property” under the 75% and 95% gross income tests; (v) securities issued by a state or any political subdivision of a state, the District of Columbia, a foreign government, any political subdivision of a foreign government, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, but only if the determination of any payment received or accrued under the security does not depend in whole or in part on the profits of any person not described in this category, or payments on any obligation issued by such an entity; (vi) securities issued by another qualifying REIT; and (vii) other arrangements identified in Treasury regulations (which have not yet been issued or proposed). In addition, any debt instrument issued by a partnership will not be treated as a “security” under the 10% value test if at least 75% of the partnership’s gross income (excluding gross income from prohibited transactions) is derived from sources meeting the requirements of the 75% gross income test. If the partnership fails to meet the 75% gross income test, then the debt instrument issued by the partnership nevertheless will not be treated as a “security” to the extent of our interest as a partner in the partnership. Also, in looking through any partnership to determine our allocable share of any securities owned by the partnership, our share of the assets of the partnership, solely for purposes of applying the 10% value test in taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2005, will correspond not only to our interest as a partner in the partnership but also to our proportionate interest in certain debt securities issued by the partnership.

If we fail to meet the 5% test, the 10% value test or the 10% voting test described in the third bullet point of the second preceding paragraph above at the end of any quarter and such failure is not cured within 30 days thereafter, we would fail to qualify as a REIT. Under the 2004 Act, after the 30 day cure period, we could dispose of sufficient assets to cure such a violation that does not exceed the lesser of 1% of our assets at the end of the relevant quarter or $10,000,000 if the disposition occurs within six months after the last day of the calendar quarter in which we identify the violation. For violations of these tests that are larger than this amount and for violations of the other asset tests described in the preceding paragraph, where such violations are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, the 2004 Act permits us to avoid disqualification as a REIT, after the 30 day cure period, by taking steps including the disposition of sufficient assets to meet the asset tests (within six months after the last day of the calendar quarter in which we identify the violation) and paying a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the highest corporate tax rate multiplied by our net income generated by the non-qualifying assets during the period beginning on the first date of the failure and ending on the date we dispose of the asset (or otherwise cure the asset test failure).

Annual Distribution Requirement

We are required to distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our stockholders in an amount at least equal to (1) the sum of (a) 90% of our “real estate investment trust taxable income,” computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction, and our net capital gain, and (b) 90% of the net after-tax income, if any, from foreclosure property minus (2) the sum of certain items of non-cash income.

These distributions must be paid in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if declared before we timely file our tax return for the year to which they relate and if paid on or before the first regular dividend payment after the declaration.

To the extent that we do not distribute all of our net capital gain or distribute at least 90%, but less than 100% of our real estate investment trust taxable income, as adjusted, we will have to pay tax on those amounts at regular ordinary and capital gain corporate tax rates, as the case may be. If we so choose, we may retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay the tax on those gains. In this case, our stockholders would include their proportionate share of the undistributed long-term capital gains in income. However, our stockholders would then be deemed to have paid their share of the tax, which would be credited or refunded to them. In addition, our stockholders would be able to increase their basis in our shares they hold by the amount of the undistributed long-term capital gains, less the amount of capital gains tax we paid, included in the stockholders’ long-term capital gains. Furthermore, if we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for that year, (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain income for that year, and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would have to pay a 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the amounts actually distributed. We intend to satisfy the annual distribution requirements.

From time to time, we may not have sufficient cash or other liquid assets to meet the 90% distribution requirement due to timing differences between (a) when we actually receive income and when we actually pay deductible expenses and (b) when we include the income and deduct the expenses in arriving at our taxable income. Further, it is possible that, from time to time, we may be allocated a share of net capital gain attributable to the sale of depreciated property which exceeds our allocable share of cash attributable to that sale. In these cases, we may have less cash available for distribution than is necessary to meet our annual 90% distribution requirement. To meet the 90% distribution requirement, we may find it necessary to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings or to pay dividends in the form of taxable stock dividends.

Under certain circumstances, we may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirement for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. Thus, we may be able to avoid being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends; however, we will be required to pay penalties and interest based upon the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.

Failure to Qualify as a REIT

If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the relief provisions do not apply, we will have to pay tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We will not be able to deduct distributions to stockholders in any year in which we fail to qualify, nor will we be required to make distributions to stockholders. In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, distributions to stockholders would be taxable to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, and, then, with respect to each stockholder, to the extent that the balance of the distribution exceeds the stockholder’s adjusted basis in such stockholder’s stock. Corporate distributees may be eligible for the dividends received deduction if they satisfy the relevant provisions of the Code. Unless entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we will also be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost. We might not be entitled to the statutory relief described in this paragraph in all circumstances.

The 2004 Act provides additional relief in the event that we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for qualification as a REIT, other than the 75% gross income test and the 95% gross income test and other than the new rules provided for failures of the asset tests described above if:

	•		the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect; and

	•		we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each failure to satisfy the provision.

Taxation of Stockholders

U.S. Stockholders

As used in this section, the term “U.S. stockholder” means a holder of our stock who, for U.S. Federal income tax purposes, is:

	•		a citizen or resident of the United States;

	•		a domestic corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or of any political subdivision of the United States;

	•		an estate whose income is subject to U.S. Federal income taxation regardless of its source;


	•		a trust if a United States court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust; or

	•		a person or entity otherwise subject to U.S. Federal income taxation on a net income basis.

Distributions. As long as we qualify as a REIT, distributions made by us out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, and not designated as capital gain dividends, will constitute dividends taxable to our taxable U.S. stockholders as ordinary income. Our individual U.S. stockholders will generally not be entitled to the lower tax rate applicable to certain types of dividends under law enacted in 2003 except that individual U.S. stockholders may be eligible for the lower tax rate with respect to the portion of any distribution (a) that represents income from dividends we received from a corporation in which we own shares (but only if such dividends would be eligible for the lower rate on dividends if paid by the corporation to its individual stockholders) or (b) that is equal to our real estate investment trust taxable income (taking into account the dividends paid deduction available to us) and less any taxes paid by us on these items during our previous taxable year. Individual U.S. stockholders should consult their own tax advisors to determine the impact of this legislation. Distributions of this kind will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction in the case of U.S. stockholders that are corporations. Distributions made by us that we properly designate as capital gain dividends will be taxable to U.S. stockholders as gain from the sale of a capital asset held for more than one year, to the extent that they do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which a U.S. stockholder has held his stock. Thus, with certain limitations, capital gain dividends received by an individual U.S. stockholder may be eligible for preferential rates of taxation. U.S. stockholders that are corporations may, however, be required to treat up to 20% of certain capital gain dividends as ordinary income. In addition, net capital gains attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than twelve months are subject to a 25% maximum U.S. Federal income tax rate to the extent of previously claimed real property depreciation.

To the extent that we make distributions, not designated as capital gain dividends, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, these distributions will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital to each U.S. stockholder. Thus, these distributions will reduce the adjusted basis which the U.S. stockholder has in his stock for tax purposes by the amount of the distribution, but not below zero. Distributions in excess of a U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in his stock will be taxable as capital gains, provided that the stock has been held as a capital asset.

Dividends authorized by us in October, November or December of any year and payable to a stockholder of record on a specified date in any of these months will be treated as both paid by us and received by the stockholder on December 31 of that year, provided that we actually pay the dividend on or before January 31 of the following calendar year. Stockholders may not include in their own income tax returns any of our net operating losses or capital losses.

U.S. stockholders holding our stock at the close of our taxable year will be required to include, in computing their long-term capital gains for the taxable year in which the last day of our taxable year falls, the amount that we designate in a written notice mailed to our stockholders. We may not designate amounts in excess of our undistributed net capital gain for the taxable year. Each U.S. stockholder required to include the designated amount in determining the stockholder’s long-term capital gains will be deemed to have paid, in the taxable year of the inclusion, the tax paid by us in respect of the undistributed net capital gains. U.S. stockholders to whom these rules apply will be allowed a credit or a refund, as the case may be, for the tax they are deemed to have paid. U.S. stockholders will increase their basis in their stock by the difference between the amount of the includible gains and the tax deemed paid by the stockholder in respect of these gains.

Distributions made by us and arising from a U.S. stockholder’s sale or exchange of our stock will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, U.S. stockholders generally will not be able to apply any passive losses against that income or gain.

Our dividends, to the extent they do not constitute a return of capital, will generally be treated as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitation under Section 163 of the Code. Net capital gain from the disposition of our stock and capital gains generally will be eliminated from investment income unless the taxpayer elects to have the gain taxed at ordinary income rates.

Sales of Stock. When a U.S. stockholder sells or otherwise disposes of our stock, the stockholder will recognize gain or loss for U.S. Federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the difference between (a) the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received on the sale or other disposition and (b) the holder’s adjusted basis in the stock for tax purposes. This gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if the U.S. stockholder has held the stock as a capital asset. The gain or loss will be long-term gain or loss if the U.S. stockholder has held the stock for more than one year. Long-term capital gain of an individual U.S. stockholder is generally taxed at preferential rates. In general, any loss recognized by a U.S. stockholder when the stockholder sells or otherwise disposes of our stock that the stockholder has held for twelve months or more, after applying certain holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss.

Redemption of Stock. The treatment to be accorded to any redemption by us of the stock can only be determined on the basis of particular facts as to each holder of our stock at the time of redemption. In general, a preferred holder will recognize capital gain or loss measured by the difference between the amount realized by the holder upon the redemption and the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the stock redeemed, provided the stock is held as a capital asset, if the redemption

	•		results in a “complete termination” of the holder’s shares interest in all classes of our stock under Section 302(b)(3) of the Code,

	•		is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the holder’s interest in us under Section 302(b)(2) of the Code; or

	•		is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the holder of our stock under Section 302(b)(1) of the Code.

In determining whether any of these tests have been met, shares considered to be owned by the holder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Code, as well as shares actually owned, must generally be taken into account. Because the determination as to whether any of the alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Code will be satisfied with respect to any particular holder of our stock depends upon the facts and circumstances at the time when the determination must be made, prospective investors are advised to consult their own tax advisors to determine the tax treatment to them. Any portion of the redemption proceeds attributable to a declared but unpaid dividend will be treated as a distribution to the stock as described above under “— Taxation of Stockholders — U.S. Stockholders — Distributions.”

A “substantially disproportionate” reduction in the interest of a holder of our stock will have occurred if, as a result of the redemption,

	•		the holder’s ownership of all of our outstanding voting stock is reduced immediately after the redemption to less than 80% of the holder’s percentage interest in the shares immediately before the redemption;

	•		the holder’s percentage ownership of the interest of our stock after and before the redemption meets the same 80% requirement; and

	•		the holder owns, immediately after the redemption, less than 50% of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares entitled to vote.

Based upon current law, it is possible that a redemption of our stock from a holder of our stock would be considered “not essentially equivalent to a dividend.” However, whether a distribution is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” depends on all of the facts and circumstances. The application of these tests to a redemption of our stock is unclear, and a holder of our stock should consult its own tax adviser to determine their application to its particular situation.

If the redemption does not meet any of the tests under Section 302 of the Code, then the redemption proceeds received from the stock will be treated as a distribution on the stock as described above under “— Taxation of Stockholders — U.S. Stockholders — Distributions.” If the redemption is taxed as a dividend, the holders’ adjusted tax basis in the stock will be transferred to any other shareholdings of the holder in us. If, however, the shareholder has no remaining shareholdings in us, such basis could be transferred to a related person or it may be lost.

Backup Withholding. We will report to our U.S. stockholders and the IRS the amount of dividends paid during each calendar year, and the amount of tax withheld, if any. Under the backup withholding rules, backup withholding may apply to a stockholder with respect to dividends paid unless the holder (a) is a corporation or comes within certain other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact, or (b) provides a taxpayer identification number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding, and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. The IRS may also impose penalties on a U.S. stockholder that does not provide us with his correct taxpayer identification number. A stockholder may credit any amount paid as backup withholding against the stockholder’s income tax liability. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain distributions to any stockholders who fail to certify their non-foreign status to us.

Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders. The IRS has ruled that amounts distributed as dividends by a REIT generally do not constitute unrelated business taxable income when received by a tax-exempt entity. Based on that ruling, provided that a tax-exempt stockholder (i) is not an entity described in the next paragraph, (ii) has not held its stock as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the Code and (iii) does not hold its stock in a trade or business, the dividend income received by such stockholder with respect to the stock will not be unrelated business taxable income to a tax-exempt stockholder. Similarly, income from the sale of our stock will not constitute unrelated business taxable income unless the tax-exempt stockholder has held the stock as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the Code or has used the stock in an unrelated trade or business.

Income from an investment in our stock will constitute unrelated business taxable income for tax-exempt stockholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, and qualified group legal services plans exempt from U.S. Federal income taxation under the applicable subsections of Section 501(c) of the Code, unless the organization is able to properly deduct amounts set aside or placed in reserve for certain purposes so as to offset the income generated by its stock. Prospective investors of the types described in the preceding sentence should consult their own tax advisors concerning these “set aside” and reserve requirements.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, a portion of the dividends paid by a “pension-held REIT” will be treated as unrelated business taxable income to any trust which:

	•		is described in Section 401(a) of the Code;

	•		is tax-exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code; and

	•		holds more than 10% (by value) of the equity interests in the REIT.

Tax-exempt pension, profit-sharing and stock bonus funds that are described in Section 401(a) of the Code are referred to below as “qualified trusts.” A REIT is a “pension-held REIT” if:

	•		it would not have qualified as a REIT but for the fact that Section 856(h)(3) of the Code provides that stock owned by qualified trusts will be treated, for purposes of the “not closely held” requirement, as owned by the beneficiaries of the trust (rather than by the trust itself); and

	•		either (a) at least one qualified trust holds more than 25% by value of the interests in the REIT or (b) one or more qualified trusts, each of which owns more than 10% by value of the interests in the REIT, hold in the aggregate more than 50% by value of the interests in the REIT.

The percentage of any REIT dividend treated as unrelated business taxable income to a qualifying trust that owns more than 10% of the value of the REIT’s interests is equal to the ratio of (a) the gross income of the REIT from unrelated trades or businesses, determined as though the REIT were a qualified trust, less direct expenses related to this gross income, to (b) the total gross income of the REIT, less direct expenses related to the total gross income. A de minimis exception applies where this percentage is less than 5% for any year. We do not expect to be classified as a pension-held REIT.

The rules described above under the heading “— Taxation of Stockholders — U.S. Stockholders — Distributions” concerning the inclusion of our designated undistributed net capital gains in the income of our stockholders will apply to tax-exempt entities. Thus, tax-exempt entities will be allowed a credit or refund of the tax deemed paid by these entities in respect of the includible gains.

Under recently promulgated Treasury regulations, if a stockholder recognizes a loss with respect to the stock of $2 million or more for an individual stockholder or $10 million or more for a corporate stockholder, the stockholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Stockholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Non-U.S. Stockholders

The rules governing U.S. Federal income taxation of nonresident alien individuals, foreign corporations, foreign partnerships and estates or trusts that in either case are not subject to U.S. Federal income tax on a net income basis who own our stock, which we call “non-U.S. stockholders,” are complex. The following discussion is only a limited summary of these rules. Prospective non-U.S. stockholders should consult with their own tax advisors to determine the impact of U.S. Federal, state and local income tax laws with regard to an investment in the stock, including any reporting requirements.

Ordinary Dividends. Distributions, other than distributions that are treated as attributable to gain from sales or exchanges by us of U.S. real property interests, as discussed below, and other than distributions designated by us as capital gain dividends, will be treated as ordinary income dividends to the extent that they are made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. A withholding tax equal to 30% of the gross amount of the distribution will ordinarily apply to distributions of this kind to non-U.S. stockholders, unless an applicable tax treaty reduces that tax. However, if income from the investment in the stock is treated as effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business or is attributable to a permanent establishment that the non-U.S. stockholder maintains in the United States if that is required by an applicable income tax treaty as a condition for subjecting the non-U.S. stockholder to U.S. taxation on a net income basis, tax at graduated rates will generally apply to the non-U.S. stockholder in the same manner as U.S. stockholders are taxed with respect to dividends, and the 30% branch profits tax may also apply if the stockholder is a foreign corporation. U.S. tax will be withheld at the rate of 30% on the gross amount of any dividends, other than dividends treated as attributable to gain from sales or exchanges of U.S. real property interests and capital gain dividends, paid to a non-U.S. stockholder, unless (a) a lower treaty rate applies and the required form evidencing eligibility for that reduced rate is filed with us or the appropriate withholding agent or (b) the non-U.S. stockholder files an IRS Form W-8 ECI or a successor form with us or the appropriate withholding agent claiming that the distributions are effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business.

Distributions to a non-U.S. stockholder that are designated by us at the time of distribution as capital gain dividends which are not attributable to or treated as attributable to the disposition by us of a U.S. real property interest generally will not be subject to U.S. Federal income taxation, except as described below.

Return of Capital. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, which are not treated as attributable to the gain from our disposition of a U.S. real property interest, will not be taxable to a non-U.S. stockholder to the extent that they do not exceed the adjusted basis of the non-U.S. stockholder’s stock. Distributions of this kind will instead reduce the adjusted basis of the stock. To the extent that distributions of this kind exceed the adjusted basis of a non-U.S. stockholder’s stock, they will give rise to tax liability if the non-U.S. stockholder otherwise would have to pay tax on any gain from the sale or disposition of our stock, as described below. If it cannot be determined at the time a distribution is made whether the distribution will be in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits, withholding will apply to the distribution at the rate applicable to dividends. However, the non-U.S. stockholder may seek a refund of these amounts from the IRS if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current accumulated earnings and profits.

Capital Gain Dividends. For any year in which we qualify as a REIT, distributions that are attributable to gain from sales or exchanges by us of U.S. real property interests will be taxed to a non-U.S. stockholder under the provisions of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, as amended. Under this statute, these distributions are taxed to a non-U.S. stockholder as if the gain were effectively connected with a U.S. business. Thus, non-U.S. stockholders will be taxed on the distributions at the normal capital gain rates applicable to U.S. stockholders, subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax and special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals. Distributions subject to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act made to non-U.S. stockholders may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a foreign corporate stockholder that is not entitled to a treaty exemption. The appropriate withholding agent will be required by applicable Treasury regulations under this statute to withhold and remit to the IRS 35% of any distribution that we could designate as a capital gain dividend. However, if we designate as a capital gain dividend a distribution made before the day we actually effect the designation, then although the distribution may be taxable to a non-U.S. stockholder, withholding does not apply to the distribution under this statute. Rather, we must effect the 35% withholding from distributions made on and after the date of the designation, until the distributions so withheld equal the amount of the prior distribution designated as a capital gain dividend. The non-U.S. stockholder may credit the amount withheld against its U.S. tax liability.

If a class of our stock is “regularly traded,” as defined by applicable Treasury regulations, on an established securities market (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange), a distribution with respect to such class of stock received by a non-U.S. stockholder that does not own more than 5% of that class of stock during the tax year within which the distribution is received will not be treated as gain that is effectively connected with a U.S. business. As such, a non-U.S. stockholder who does not own more than 5% of the relevant class of stock at any time during the applicable taxable year would not be required to file a U.S. Federal income tax return by reason of receiving such a distribution. In this case, the distribution would be treated as a REIT dividend to that non-U.S. stockholder and taxed as a REIT dividend that is not a capital gain distribution as described above, meaning that it will be subject to a 30% withholding tax (or lesser rate as reduced by an applicable treaty) under the circumstances described above. In addition, the branch profits tax would not apply to such distributions. However, there can be no assurance that a particular class of our stock will at any time be regularly traded on an established securities market.

Sales of Stock. Gain recognized by a non-U.S. stockholder upon a sale or exchange of our stock generally will not be taxed under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act if we are a “domestically controlled REIT,” defined generally as a REIT, less than 50% in value of whose stock is and was held directly or indirectly by foreign persons at all times during a specified testing period. We believe that we will be a domestically controlled REIT, and, therefore, that taxation under this statute generally will not apply to the sale of our stock. However, gain to which this statute does not apply will be taxable to a non-U.S. stockholder if investment in the stock is treated as effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. trade or business or is attributable to a permanent establishment that the non-U.S. stockholder maintains in the United States if that is required by an applicable income tax treaty as a condition for subjecting the non-U.S. stockholder to U.S. taxation on a net income basis. In this case, the same treatment will apply to the non-U.S. stockholder as to U.S. stockholders with respect to the gain. In addition, gain to which the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act does not apply will be taxable to a non-U.S. stockholder if the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States, or maintains an office or a fixed place of business in the United States to which the gain is attributable. In this case, a 30% tax will apply to the nonresident alien individual’s capital gains. A similar rule will apply to capital gain dividends to which this statute does not apply.

If we do not qualify as a domestically controlled REIT, tax under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act would apply to a non-U.S. stockholder’s sale of our stock, unless our stock is regularly traded on an established securities market at the time of such sale and such non-U.S. stockholder does not own more than 5% of our stock at any time during a specified period. This period is generally the shorter of the period that the non-U.S. stockholder owned the stock sold or the five-year period ending on the date when the stockholder disposed of the stock. If tax under this statute applies to the gain on the sale of our stock, the same treatment would apply to the non-U.S. stockholder as to U.S. stockholders with respect to the gain, subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals.

In any event, a purchaser of our stock from a non-U.S. stockholder will not be required under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act to withhold on the purchase price if the purchased class of stock is regularly traded on an established securities market and the seller did not own more than 5% of such class of stock at any time during the taxable year or if we are a domestically controlled REIT. Otherwise, under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, the purchaser of our stock may be required to withhold 10% of the purchase price and remit that amount to the IRS.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting. If you are a non-U.S. stockholder, you are generally exempt from backup withholding and information reporting requirements with respect to:

	•		dividend payments and

	•		the payment of the proceeds from the sale of our stock effected at a U.S. office of a broker,

as long as the income associated with these payments is otherwise exempt from U.S. Federal income tax, and:

	•		the payor or broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a U.S. person and you have furnished to the payor or broker:

	•		a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or an acceptable substitute form upon which you certify, under penalties of perjury, that you are a non-U.S. person, or

	•		other documentation upon which it may rely to treat the payments as made to a non-U.S. person in accordance with U.S. Treasury regulations, or

	•		you otherwise establish an exemption.

Payment of the proceeds from the sale of our stock effected at a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, a sale of our stock that is effected at a foreign office of a broker will be subject to information reporting and backup withholding if:

	•		the proceeds are transferred to an account maintained by you in the United States,

	•		the payment of proceeds or the confirmation of the sale is mailed to you at a U.S. address, or

	•		the sale has some other specified connection with the United States as provided in U.S. Treasury regulations, unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a U.S. person and the documentation requirements described above are met or you otherwise establish an exemption.

In addition, a sale of our stock will be subject to information reporting if it is effected at a foreign office of a broker that is:

	•		a U.S. person,

	•		a controlled foreign corporation for U.S. tax purposes,

	•		a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income is effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business for a specified three-year period, or

	•		a foreign partnership, if at any time during its tax year:

	•		one or more of its partners are “U.S. persons,” as defined in U.S. Treasury regulations, who in the aggregate hold more than 50% of the income or capital interest in the partnership, or

	•		such foreign partnership is engaged in the conduct of a U.S. trade or business,

unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a U.S. person and the documentation requirements described above are met or you otherwise establish an exemption. Backup withholding will apply if the sale is subject to information reporting and the broker has actual knowledge that you are a U.S. person.

You generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules that exceed your actual income tax liability by filing a refund claim with the IRS.

Tax Aspects of our Investments in our Operating Partnership

The following discussion summarizes certain federal income tax considerations applicable to our direct or indirect investments in our Operating Partnership and any subsidiary partnerships or limited liability companies that we form or acquire (each individually a “Partnership” and, collectively, the “Partnerships”). The discussion does not cover state or local tax laws or any federal tax laws other than income tax laws.

Classification as Partnerships. We will include in our income our distributive share of each Partnership’s income and we will deduct our distributive share of each Partnership’s losses only if such Partnership is classified for federal income tax purposes as a partnership (or an entity that is disregarded for federal income tax purposes if the entity has only one owner or member), rather than as a corporation or an association taxable as a corporation. An organization with at least two owners or members will be classified as a partnership, rather than as a corporation, for federal income tax purposes if it:

	•		is treated as a partnership under the Treasury regulations relating to entity classification (the “check-the-box regulations”); and

	•		is not a “publicly traded” partnership.

Under the check-the-box regulations, an unincorporated entity with at least two owners or members may elect to be classified either as an association taxable as a corporation or as a partnership. If such an entity fails to make an election, it generally will be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. Each Partnership intends to be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes (or an entity that is disregarded for federal income tax purposes if the entity has only one owner or member), and no Partnership will elect to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation under the check-the-box regulations.

A publicly traded partnership is a partnership whose interests are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. A publicly traded partnership will not, however, be treated as a corporation for any taxable year if 90% or more of the partnership’s gross income for such year consists of certain passive-type income, including real property rents, gains from the sale or other disposition of real property, interest, and dividends (the “90% passive income exception”).

Treasury regulations (the “PTP regulations”) provide limited safe harbors from the definition of a publicly traded partnership. Pursuant to one of those safe harbors (the “private placement exclusion”), interests in a partnership will not be treated as readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof if (1) all interests in the partnership were issued in a transaction or transactions that were not required to be registered under the Securities Act and (2) the partnership does not have more than 100 partners at any time during the partnership’s taxable year. In determining the number of partners in a partnership, a person owning an interest in a partnership, grantor trust, or S corporation that owns an interest in the partnership is treated as a partner in such partnership only if (1) substantially all of the value of the owner’s interest in the entity is attributable to the entity’s direct or indirect interest in the partnership and (2) a principal purpose of the use of the entity is to permit the partnership to satisfy the 100-partner limitation. We currently intend that each Partnership will qualify for the private placement exclusion.

We have not requested, and do not intend to request, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that the Partnerships will be classified as partnerships for federal income tax purposes. If for any reason a Partnership were taxable as a corporation, rather than as a partnership, for federal income tax purposes, we likely would not be able to qualify as a REIT. See “— Income Tests” and “— Asset Tests.” In addition, any change in a Partnership’s status for tax purposes might be treated as a taxable event, in which case we might incur tax liability without any related cash distribution. See “— Annual Distribution Requirement.” Further, items of income and deduction of such Partnership would not pass through to its partners, and its partners would be treated as stockholders for tax purposes. Consequently, such Partnership would be required to pay income tax at corporate rates on its net income, and distributions to its partners would constitute dividends that would not be deductible in computing such Partnership’s taxable income.

Income Taxation of the Partnerships and Their Partners

Partners, Not the Partnerships, Subject to Tax. A partnership is not a taxable entity for federal income tax purposes. Rather, we are required to take into account our allocable share of each Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits for any taxable year of such Partnership ending within or with our taxable year, without regard to whether we have received or will receive any distribution from such Partnership.

Partnership Allocations. Although a partnership agreement generally will determine the allocation of income and losses among partners, such allocations may be disregarded for tax purposes if they do not comply with certain provisions of the federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations. If an allocation is not recognized for federal income tax purposes, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the partners’ interests in the partnership, which will be determined by taking into account all of the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the partners with respect to such item. We expect that each Partnership’s allocations of taxable income, gain, and loss will be respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Tax Allocations With Respect to Contributed Properties. Income, gain, loss, and deduction attributable to appreciated or depreciated property that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership must be allocated in a manner such that the contributing partner is charged with, or benefits from, respectively, the unrealized gain or unrealized loss associated with the property at the time of the contribution. The amount of such unrealized gain or unrealized loss (“built-in gain” or “built-in loss”) is generally equal to the difference between the fair market value of the contributed property at the time of contribution and the adjusted tax basis of such property at the time of contribution (a “book-tax difference”). Such allocations are solely for federal income tax purposes and do not affect the book capital accounts or other economic or legal arrangements among the partners. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued regulations requiring partnerships to use a “reasonable method” for allocating items with respect to which there is a book-tax difference and outlining several reasonable allocation methods.

Under our Operating Partnership’s partnership agreement, depreciation or amortization deductions of the operating partnership generally will be allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective interests in our Operating Partnership, except to the extent that our Operating Partnership is required under the federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations to use a method for allocating tax depreciation deductions attributable to contributed properties. In addition, gain or loss on the sale of a property that has been contributed, in whole or in part, to our Operating Partnership will be specially allocated to the contributing partners to the extent of any built-in gain or loss with respect to such property for federal income tax purposes.

Basis in Partnership Interest. Our adjusted tax basis in our partnership interest in our Operating Partnership generally will be equal to:

	•		the amount of cash and the basis of any other property contributed by us to our Operating Partnership;

	•		increased by our allocable share of our Operating Partnership’s income and our allocable share of indebtedness of our Operating Partnership; and

	•		reduced, but not below zero, by our allocable share of our Operating Partnership’s loss and the amount of cash distributed to us, and by constructive distributions resulting from a reduction in our share of indebtedness of our Operating Partnership.

If the allocation of our distributive share of our Operating Partnership’s loss would reduce the adjusted tax basis of our partnership interest below zero, the recognition of such loss will be deferred until such time as the recognition of such loss would not reduce our adjusted tax basis below zero. To the extent that our Operating Partnership’s distributions, or any decrease in our share of the indebtedness of our Operating Partnership, which is considered a constructive cash distribution to the partners, reduce our adjusted tax basis below zero, such distributions will constitute taxable income to us. Such distributions and constructive distributions normally will be characterized as long-term capital gain.

Depreciation Deductions Available to Our Operating Partnership. To the extent that our Operating Partnership acquires its properties in exchange for cash, its initial basis in such properties for federal income tax purposes generally will be equal to the purchase price paid by our Operating Partnership. Our Operating Partnership generally plans to depreciate each depreciable property for federal income tax purposes under the alternative depreciation system of depreciation (“ADS”). Under ADS, the Operating Partnership generally will depreciate buildings and improvements over a 40-year recovery period using a straight-line method and a mid-month convention and will depreciate furnishings and equipment over a 12-year recovery period. Our Operating Partnership’s initial basis in properties acquired in exchange for units in our Operating Partnership should be the same as the transferor’s basis in such properties on the date of acquisition by our Operating Partnership. Although the law is not entirely clear, our Operating Partnership generally will depreciate such property for federal income tax purposes over the same remaining useful lives and under the same methods used by the transferors. Our Operating Partnership’s tax depreciation deductions will be allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective interests in our Operating Partnership, except to the extent that our Operating Partnership is required under the federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations to use a method for allocating tax depreciation deductions attributable to contributed properties.

Sale of a Partnership’s Property

Generally, any gain realized by a Partnership on the sale of property held by the Partnership for more than one year will be long-term capital gain, except for any portion of such gain that is treated as depreciation or cost recovery recapture. Any gain or loss recognized by a Partnership on the disposition of contributed properties will be allocated first to the partners of the Partnership who contributed such properties to the extent of their built-in gain or loss on those properties for federal income tax purposes. The partners’ built-in gain or loss on such contributed properties will equal the difference between the partners’ proportionate share of the book value of those properties and the partners’ tax basis allocable to those properties at the time of the contribution. Any remaining gain or loss recognized by the Partnership on the disposition of the contributed properties, and any gain or loss recognized by the Partnership on the disposition of the other properties, will be allocated among the partners in accordance with their respective percentage interests in the Partnership.

Our distributive share of any gain realized by a Partnership on the sale of any property held by the Partnership as inventory or other property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of the Partnership’s trade or business will be treated as income from a prohibited transaction that is subject to a 100% penalty tax. Such prohibited transaction income also may have an adverse effect upon our ability to satisfy the income tests for REIT status. See “— Income Tests.” We, however, do not presently intend to acquire or hold or to allow any Partnership to acquire or hold any property that represents inventory or other property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our or such Partnership’s trade or business.

State and Local Taxes

We and our stockholders may be subject to taxation by various states and localities, including those in which we or our stockholders transact business, own property or reside. The state and local tax treatment may differ from the federal income tax treatment described above. Consequently, stockholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the effect of state and local tax laws upon an investment in the common shares.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities through underwriters or dealers, through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers. One or more prospectus supplements will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including:

	•		the name or names of any underwriters, if any;

	•		the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;

	•		any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us;

	•		any agency fees or underwriting discounts and other items constituting agents’ or underwriters’ compensation;

	•		any public offering price;

	•		any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and

	•		any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed.

Each prospectus supplement filed with respect to any offered securities, to the extent applicable, will describe the number and terms of the securities to which such prospectus relates, the name or names of any underwriters or agents with whom we have entered into arrangements with respect to the sale of such securities, the public offering or purchase price of such securities and the net proceeds we will receive from such sale. Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.

If underwriters are used in the sale, they will acquire the securities for their own account and may resell them from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed public offering price. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. We may offer the securities to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by underwriters without a syndicate. Subject to certain conditions, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the securities of the series offered by the prospectus supplement. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may change from time to time. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, the nature of any such relationship.

We may sell securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement.

Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, our agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment. However, no prospectus supplement shall fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.

We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.

We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the related prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the related prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be identified in the related prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment).

We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to such liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.

Our shares of common stock are principally traded on the Nasdaq Global Market. All securities we offer, other than common stock and other than securities issued upon a reopening of a previous series, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.

Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act, as amended. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum price. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time.

Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on The Nasdaq Stock Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the securities on The Nasdaq Stock Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act, as amended, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded.

Some of the underwriters, dealers and agents and their affiliates may engage in transactions with or perform services for us and our affiliates in the ordinary course of business. Underwriters have from time to time in the past provided, and may from time to time in the future provide, investment banking services to us for which they have in the past received, and in the future may receive, customary fees.

In compliance with guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, the maximum consideration or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker dealer may not exceed 8% of the aggregate amount of the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 have been so incorporated in reliance on the reports of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the offered securities will be passed upon for Gladstone Commercial Corporation by Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, Reston, Virginia. Legal counsel to any underwriters or agents may pass upon legal matters for such underwriters or agents.

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following table sets forth the estimated expenses in connection with the registration and sale of the shares registered hereby, all of which will be paid by the registrant:


SEC registration fee	$	9,210
FINRA filing fee	$	30,500
Printing and duplicating expenses*	$	10,000
Legal fees and expenses*	$	10,000
Accounting fees and expenses*	$	5,000
Miscellaneous expenses*	$	10,000
Total	$	74,710


*		Estimated pursuant to instruction to Item 511 of Regulation S-K.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its articles of incorporation a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty which is established by a final judgment and which is material to the cause of action. Our articles of incorporation contain such a provision which eliminates directors’ and officers’ liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is therefore unenforceable.

Our articles of incorporation authorize us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to obligate the Company to indemnify any present or former director or officer or any individual who, while a director or officer of the Company and at the request of the Company, serves or has served another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise as a director, officer, member or director, from and against any claim or liability to which that individual may become subject or which that individual may incur by reason of his or her service as a present or former director or officer of the Company and to pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding. Our bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to indemnify any present or former director or officer or any individual who, while a director or officer of the Company and at the request of the Company, serves or has served another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise as a director, officer, member or director and who is made a party to the proceeding by reason of his service in that capacity from and against any claim or liability to which that individual may become subject or which that individual may incur by reason of his or her service as a present or former director or officer of the Company and to pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding. The articles of incorporation and bylaws also permit the Company to indemnify and advance expenses to any individual who served a predecessor of the Company in any of the capacities described above and any employee or agent of the Company or a predecessor of the Company.

Maryland law requires a corporation (unless its articles of incorporation provide otherwise, which the Company’s articles of incorporation do not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful in the defense of any proceeding to which he is made a party by reason of his service in that capacity. Maryland law permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that (a) the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (i) was committed in bad faith or (ii) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (b) the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services or (c) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. However, under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses. In addition, Maryland law permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of (a) a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation and (b) a written undertaking by him or her or on his or her behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the standard of conduct was not met.

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Item 16. Exhibits.

See the Exhibit Index following the signature page in this Registration Statement, which Exhibit Index is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Item 17. Undertakings.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in the volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

Provided, however, that:

paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and (1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(i) If the registrant is relying on 430B:

(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(ii) If the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

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(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(6) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(7) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Exchange Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(8) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b) (1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(9) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

II-3

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of McLean, Commonwealth of Virginia, on December 5, 2007.


	GLADSTONE COMMERCIAL CORPORATION
	By: /s/ David J. Gladstone
	David J. Gladstone
	Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

Each of the undersigned does hereby constitute and appoint David J. Gladstone and Terry L. Brubaker, and each of them severally, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact with power of substitution and resubmission to sign in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to do any and all things and execute any and all instruments that the attorney may deem necessary or advisable under the Securities Act of 1933, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with this registration statement registration, including specifically, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the power and authority to sign his or her name, in his or her respective capacity as a member of the board of directors or officer of the registrant, the registration statement and/or any other form or forms as may be appropriate to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as any of them may deem appropriate in connection therewith, to any and all amendments thereto, including post-effective amendments, to such registration statement, to any related Rule 462(b) registration statement and to any other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, and hereby ratifies and confirms all said attorneys-in-fact and agents, each acting alone, and his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this prospectus.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ David J. Gladstone

		David Gladstone
		Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
		(principal executive officer)

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ Harry T. Brill, Jr.

		Harry T. Brill, Jr.
		Chief Financial Officer
		(principal financial and accounting officer)

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ Terry L. Brubaker

		Terry L. Brubaker
		Director

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ George Stelljes III

		George Stelljes III
		Director

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ David A.R. Dullum

		David A.R. Dullum
		Director

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ Anthony W. Parker

		Anthony W. Parker
		Director

II-4


Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ Michela A. English

		Michela A. English
		Director

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ Paul W. Adelgren

		Paul W. Adelgren
		Director

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ Maurice W. Coulon

		Maurice W. Coulon
		Director

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ John H. Outland

		John H. Outland
		Director

Date: December 5, 2007	By:	/s/ Gerard Mead

		Gerard Mead
		Director

II-5

EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit		Description
3.1		Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-106024), filed June 11, 2003.

3.2		Bylaws, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-106024), filed June 11, 2003.

3.3		First Amendment to Bylaws, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 of the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-50363), filed July 10, 2007.

4.1		Specimen Certificate of Common Stock, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-106024), filed June 11, 2003.

5.1		Opinion of Cooley Godward Kronish LLP as to the validity of the shares being offered.

8.1		Opinion of Cooley Godward Kronish LLP as to certain tax matters.

12.1		Statement of Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges and Preferred Dividends.

23.1		Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

23.2		Consent of Cooley Godward Kronish LLP (included in the opinions filed as Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1 to this registration statement).

24.1		Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this registration statement).