"An extremely talented and practical attorney who is focused on land use regulation, zoning and real estate transactions. She is a popular choice among commercial developers, master planned community developers and national home building companies." - Chambers USA
Heidi Short is a partner in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Real Estate Practice Group, with over two decades of experience advising clients on complex real estate transactions and development projects where land use approvals, operational requirements, and deal execution must align.
Her practice sits at the intersection of land use entitlements and sophisticated real estate structuring, with a particular focus on aviation and aerospace, industrial, utilities, and infrastructure projects. Heidi regularly guides projects that require careful coordination among regulatory agencies, operational stakeholders, and transactional parties, often under tight timelines and heightened public, political, or regulatory scrutiny.
Aviation & Aerospace–Focused Land Use and Transactions
Heidi has significant experience advising aviation and aerospace clients on real estate strategy, zoning approvals, and development frameworks for airfields, aviation training facilities, aviation oriented business parks and other operationally intensive uses. She is particularly skilled at aligning zoning conditions, development agreements, and site control arrangements with long term operational needs, compatible land use constraints, and community impacts.
Transactional Depth for Complex and Regulated Assets
In addition to entitlements, Heidi is a seasoned transactional lawyer for acquisitions and dispositions, development agreements, easements, public private partnerships, and infrastructure related financing structures. She structures deals to anticipate regulatory risk, allocate operational responsibility clearly, and remain durable over the life of the project. Heidi holds a Master of Science in Planning (M.S.P.), bringing a planner’s perspective to legal strategy. She understands how jurisdictions evaluate land use proposals and how to build approval and transaction records designed to withstand scrutiny, reducing risk while keeping projects moving.
Her clients include commercial developers, aviation and aerospace companies, master planned community developers, national homebuilders, industrial manufacturers, military contractors, utilities, and infrastructure operators.
Practice Focus
Aviation & Aerospace Projects — Zoning, land use strategy, and real estate structuring for airfields, aviation training facilities, and aviation oriented development
Land Use & Entitlements — Rezoning, planned developments, conditional use permits, overlays, and complex public hearing processes
Complex Real Estate Transactions — Acquisition, disposition, and structuring of large scale and specialized real estate assets
Development Agreements & Public Private Partnerships — Negotiation of development agreements, infrastructure obligations, and public financing mechanisms
Multi Jurisdictional Regulatory Coordination — Aligning state and local approvals with operational and transactional objectives
Heidi is known for her practical, business oriented approach, with a focus on execution, risk management, and efficiency, particularly for projects involving operational complexity or heightened public visibility.
Heidi has been consistently recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® (2010–2025) for Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law, and by Chambers USA (2014–Present) for Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
Aviation & Aerospace
- Secured entitlements and transactional approvals for a parachute training airfield, coordinating FAA airspace considerations with local land use compliance
Represented the developer of a 290-acre airfield business park, integrating aviation training facilities, research uses, and supporting infrastructure
Advised a regional airport on development agreements and real estate coordination with adjacent master planned communities under modified flight paths
Industrial & Infrastructure - Represents a manufacturer and distributor in securing entitlements for expansion of a 400,000+ gallon industrial storage facility, including a companion rezoning
Secured land use entitlements and real estate approvals for an international merchant power company for a 1,060-megawatt natural gas–fired power plant
Provides ongoing representation to a military contractor on land use and real estate matters coordinated with a Foreign Trade Zone framework for specialized training and testing facilities
Master Planned & Commercial Development
- Represented a national master planned community developer in the acquisition and ongoing development of a 5,000+ acre community, including community facilities district financing for major infrastructure
- Secured approvals and provided transactional support for hotels, entertainment venues, retail, office, and mixed-use developments
- Obtained major planned development amendments for large-scale mixed-use projects, including Class A office and multi-story hotels
Public Private & Specialized Transactions
- Structured and negotiated federal land exchanges with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Postal Service, including build to suit federal facilities
Served as primary real estate counsel to a national freight railroad on easements, development coordination, and infrastructure matters
Acts as primary counsel to a water utility operating through a Community Facilities District, including assistance with WIFA financing
Advises institutional investors on zoning entitlements, mixed use GPLET transactions and related development agreements
Professional & Civic Engagement
- Arizona Women's Appointment Collaboration, Past Chair
- Junior League of Phoenix, Former Board Member
- Arizona Planning Association, Former Member
- Arizona Chamber Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Former Member
- Executive Council Real Property Section State Bar of Arizona, Former Member
- Arizona Forward Association fka Valley Forward Association, Past Chair
- City of Phoenix, former Zoning Adjustment Hearing Officer
Honors & Awards
- Chambers USA, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use, 2014-Present
- Arizona Business Magazine, AZ Business Leaders, Land Use, 2024
- The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Aiken, S.C., Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law, 2010-202
- Southwest Super Lawyers, Land Use/Zoning, 2008-2011, 2018-2019
- Junior League of Phoenix, 75th Anniversary Outstanding Women honorees, 2009
- Florida State University Law Review, Member
- Florida State University Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, Research Editor
- Arizona Woman Magazine Arizona Republic, “20 Women Who Will Shape Arizona by 2020,” 2007
