Noncontrolling Interests on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]

Noncontrolling Interests on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements

Noncontrolling Interests on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements

Common Units of the Operating Partnership

The Company owned a 99.0% and 98.1% common general partnership interest in the Operating Partnership as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The remaining 1.0% and 1.9% common limited partnership interest as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, was owned by non-affiliated investors and certain of our executive officers and directors in the form of noncontrolling common units. There were 1,150,574 and 2,023,287 common units outstanding held by these investors, executive officers and directors as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease in the common units from December 31, 2019 to December 31, 2020 was attributable to 872,713 common unit redemptions.

The noncontrolling common units may be redeemed by unitholders for cash. Except under certain circumstances, we, at our option, may satisfy the cash redemption obligation with shares of the Company’s common stock on a one-for-one basis. If satisfied in cash, the value for each noncontrolling common unit upon redemption is the amount equal to the average of the closing quoted price per share of the Company’s common stock, par value $.01 per share, as reported on the NYSE for the ten trading days immediately preceding the applicable redemption date. The aggregate value upon redemption of the then-outstanding noncontrolling common units was $65.4 million and $167.7 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. This redemption value does not necessarily represent the amount that would be distributed with respect to each noncontrolling common unit in the event of our termination or liquidation. In the event of our termination or liquidation, it is expected in most cases that each common unit would be entitled to a liquidating distribution equal to the liquidating distribution payable in respect of each share of the Company’s common stock.

Noncontrolling Interest in Consolidated Property Partnerships

In August 2016, the Operating Partnership entered into agreements with Norges Bank Real Estate Management (“NBREM”) whereby NBREM made contributions, through two REIT subsidiaries, for a 44% common equity interest in two existing companies that owned the Company’s 100 First Street and 303 Second Street office properties located in San Francisco, California. The transactions did not meet the criteria to qualify as sales of real estate because the Company continues to effectively control the properties and therefore continued to account for the 100 First Street and 303 Second Street office properties on a consolidated basis in its financial statements. At formation, the Company accounted for the transactions as equity transactions and recognized noncontrolling interests in its consolidated balance sheets.

The noncontrolling interests in 100 First LLC and 303 Second LLC as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 were $191.9 million and $189.6 million, respectively. The remaining amount of noncontrolling interests in consolidated property partnerships represents the third party equity interest in Redwood LLC. This noncontrolling interest was $5.6 million and $5.8 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Noncontrolling Interests on the Operating Partnership’s Consolidated Financial Statements

Consolidated Property Partnerships

In August 2016, the Operating Partnership entered into agreements with NBREM whereby NBREM made contributions, through two REIT subsidiaries, for a 44% common equity interest in two existing companies that owned the Company’s 100 First Street and 303 Second Street office properties located in San Francisco, California. Refer to Note 11 for additional information regarding these consolidated property partnerships.