Exhibit 99.1
CORPORATE
OFFICE PROPERTIES TRUST
AMENDED
AND RESTATED 1998 LONG TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
1. PURPOSES.
The purposes of the 1998 Long Term Incentive Plan are
to advance the interests of Corporate Office Properties Trust and its
shareholders by providing a means to attract, retain, and motivate employees
and directors of the Company upon whose judgment, initiative and efforts the
continued success, growth and development of the Company is dependent.
2. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be
defined as set forth below:
(a) Affiliate
means any entity other than the Company and its Subsidiaries that is designated
by the Committee as a participating employer under the Plan, provided that the
Company directly or indirectly owns at least 20% of the combined voting power
of all classes of stock of such entity or at least 20% of the ownership
interests in such entity.
(b) Award means
any Option, Dividend Equivalent, Restricted Shares, or LTIP Units granted to an
Eligible Person under the Plan.
(c) Award
Agreement means any written agreement, contract, or other instrument or
document evidencing an Award.
(d) Beneficiary
means the person, persons, trust or trusts which have been designated by such
Eligible Person in his or her most recent written beneficiary designation filed
with the Company to receive the benefits specified under this Plan upon the
death of the Eligible Person, or, if there is no designated Beneficiary or
surviving designated Beneficiary, then the person, persons, trust or trusts
entitled by will or the laws of descent and distribution to receive such
benefits.
(e) Board means
the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) Code means
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. References to any provision of the Code shall
be deemed to include successor provisions thereto and regulations thereunder.
(g) Committee
means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other Board committee
(which may include the entire Board), as may be designated by the Board to
administer the Plan.
(h) Company
means Corporate Office Properties Trust, a Maryland real estate investment
trust, or any successor.
(i) Director
means a member of the Board who is not an employee of the Company, a Subsidiary
or an Affiliate.
(j) Dividend
Equivalent means a right, granted under Section 5(c), to receive cash, Shares,
or other property equal in value to dividends paid with respect to a specified
number of Shares. Dividend Equivalents
may be awarded on a free-standing basis or in connection with another Award,
and may be paid currently or on a deferred basis.
(k) Eligible
Person means (i) an employee of the Company, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate,
including any director who is an employee, or (ii) a Director.
(l) Exchange
Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to
time. References to any provision of the
Exchange Act shall be deemed to include successor provisions thereto and
regulations thereunder.
(m) Fair Market
Value means, with respect to Shares or other property, the fair market value
of such Shares or other property determined by such methods or procedures as
shall be established from time to time by the Committee. If the Shares are listed on any established
stock exchange or a national market system, unless otherwise determined by the
Committee in good faith, the Fair Market Value of Shares shall mean the mean
between the high and low selling prices per Share on the immediately preceding
date (or, if the Shares were not traded on that day, the next preceding day
that the Shares were traded) on the principal exchange or market system on
which the Shares are traded, as such prices are officially quoted on such
exchange or market system.
(n) ISO means
any Option intended to be and designated as an incentive stock option within
the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
(o) LTIP Units
means the interests in the Operating Partnership defined as LTIP Units in the
Second Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of the Operating
Partnership, as amended or restated from time to time.
(p) NQSO means
any Option that is not an ISO.
(q) Operating
Partnership means Corporate Office Properties, L.P., a Delaware limited
partnership, the entity through which the Company conducts its business and an
entity that elected to be treated as a partnership for federal income tax
purposes.
(r) Option
means a right, granted under Section 5(b), to purchase Shares.
(s) Participant
means an Eligible Person who has been granted an Award under the Plan.
(t) Plan means
this 1998 Long Term Incentive Plan.
(u) Restricted
Shares means any Shares awarded under Section 5(d) that are subject to
restrictions specified at the time of the Award.
(v) Rule 16b-3
means Rule 16b-3, as from time to time in effect and applicable to the Plan and
Participants, promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under
Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
2
(w) Shares means
common shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value per share, of the Company.
(x) Subsidiary
means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of
corporations beginning with the Company if each of the corporations (other than
the last corporation in the unbroken chain) owns shares possessing 50% or more
of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other
corporations in the chain.
3. ADMINISTRATION.
(a) AUTHORITY
OF THE COMMITTEE. The Plan shall be
administered by the Committee, and the Committee shall have full and final
authority to take the following actions, in each case subject to and consistent
with the provisions of the Plan:
(i) to select Eligible Persons to
whom Awards may be granted;
(ii) to designate Affiliates;
(iii) to determine the type or types
of Awards to be granted to each Eligible Person;
(iv) to determine the type and
number of Awards to be granted, the number of Shares to which an Award may
relate, the terms and conditions of any Award granted under the Plan
(including, but not limited to, any exercise price, grant price, or purchase
price, and any bases for adjusting such exercise, grant or purchase price, any
restriction or condition, any schedule for lapse of restrictions or conditions
relating to transferability or forfeiture, exercisability, or settlement of an
Award, and waiver or accelerations thereof, and waivers of performance
conditions relating to an Award, based in each case on such considerations as
the Committee shall determine), and all other matters to be determined in
connection with an Award;
(v) to determine whether, to what
extent, and under what circumstances an Award may be settled, or the exercise
price of an Award may be paid, in cash, Shares, other Awards, or other
property, or an Award may be canceled, forfeited, exchanged, or surrendered;
(vi) to determine whether, to what
extent, and under what circumstances cash, Shares, other Awards, or other
property payable with respect to an Award will be deferred either
automatically, at the election of the Committee, or at the election of the
Eligible Person;
(vii) to prescribe the form of each
Award Agreement, which need not be identical for each Eligible Person;
(viii) to adopt, amend, suspend, waive,
and rescind such rules and regulations and appoint such agents as the Committee
may deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;
3
(ix) to correct any defect or
supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan and to construe
and interpret the Plan and any Award, rules and regulations, Award Agreement,
or other instrument hereunder;
(x) to accelerate the
exercisability or vesting of all or any portion of any Award or to extend the
period during which an Award is exercisable; and
(xi) to make all other decisions
and determinations as may be required under the terms of the Plan or as the
Committee may deem necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.
(b) MANNER OF
EXERCISE OF COMMITTEE AUTHORITY. The
Committee shall have sole discretion in exercising its authority under the
Plan. Any action of the Committee with
respect to the Plan shall be final, conclusive, and binding on all persons,
including the Company, Subsidiaries, Affiliates, Eligible Persons, any person
claiming any rights under the Plan from or through any Eligible Person, and
shareholders. The express grant of any
specific power to the Committee, and the taking of any action by the Committee,
shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of the
Committee. The Committee may delegate to
officers or employees of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate the
authority, subject to such terms as the Committee shall determine, to perform
administrative functions and, with respect to Awards granted to persons not
subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, to perform such other functions as
the Committee may determine, to the extent permitted under Rule 16b-3 (if
applicable) and applicable law.
(c) LIMITATION
OF LIABILITY. Each member of the
Committee shall be entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or
other information furnished to him or her by any officer or other employee of
the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, the Companys independent certified
public accountants, or other professional retained by the Company to assist in
the administration of the Plan. No
member of the Committee, nor any officer or employee of the Company acting on
behalf of the Committee, shall be personally liable for any action,
determination, or interpretation taken or made in good faith with respect to
the Plan, and all members of the Committee and any officer or employee of the
Company acting on their behalf shall, to the extent permitted by law, be fully
indemnified and protected by the Company with respect to any such action,
determination, or interpretation.
4. SHARES
SUBJECT TO THE PLAN.
(a) Subject to
adjustment as provided in Section 4(c) hereof, the total number of Shares
reserved for issuance in connection with Awards under the Plan shall be 13% of
the total of: (i) the number of issued and outstanding Shares at the time the
Award is granted, plus (ii) the number of Shares which would be outstanding
upon redemption of all operating partnership units or other securities of the
Company which are convertible into Shares at the time the Award is granted and
which have not yet been so redeemed; provided, however, that no more than
300,000 Shares shall be cumulatively available for Awards of ISOs hereunder and
no more than 30% of the total number of Shares reserved for issuance hereunder
shall be cumulatively available for Awards of Restricted Shares and LTIP Units. No Award may be granted if the number of
Shares to which such Award relates, when added to the number of Shares
previously issued under the Plan, exceeds
4
the number of Shares reserved under the preceding sentence. If any Awards are forfeited, canceled,
terminated, exchanged, or surrendered, or such Award is settled in cash or
otherwise terminates without a distribution of Shares to the Participant, any
Shares counted against the number of Shares reserved and available under the
Plan with respect to such Award shall, to the extent of any such forfeiture,
settlement, termination, cancellation, exchange, or surrender, again be
available for Awards under the Plan.
Upon the exercise of any Award granted in tandem with any other Awards,
such related Awards shall be canceled to the extent of the number of Shares as
to which the Award is exercised.
(b) Subject to
adjustment as provided in Section 4(c) hereof, the maximum number of Shares
with respect to which Options may be granted and the maximum number of Restricted
Shares and LTIP Units which may be awarded during a calendar year to any
Eligible Person under this Plan shall be (i) 300,000 Shares and (ii) 300,000
Restricted Shares and/or LTIP Units.
(c) In the event
of any dividend in Shares, recapitalization, Share split, reverse split,
reorganization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination, repurchase, share
exchange, dividend or distribution other than in the ordinary course or other
similar transaction or event that affects the Shares or LTIP Units such that an
adjustment is appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the
rights of Eligible Persons under the Plan, then the Committee shall adjust any
or all of (i) the number and kind of shares or other securities which may
thereafter be issued under the Plan, (ii) the number and kind of shares, other
securities or other consideration issued or issuable in respect of outstanding
Awards, and (iii) the exercise price, grant price, or purchase price relating
to any Award; provided, however, in each case that, with respect to Options,
such adjustment shall be made in accordance with Section 424(a) and 409A of the
Code. Such adjustments shall be made in
such manner as the Committee may deem equitable.
(d) Any Shares
distributed pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of
authorized and unissued Shares or treasury Shares including Shares acquired by
purchase in the open market or in private transactions.
5. SPECIFIC
TERMS OF AWARDS.
(a) GENERAL. Awards may be granted on the terms and
conditions set forth in this Section 5.
In addition, the Committee may impose on any Award or the exercise
thereof, at the date of grant or thereafter (subject to Section 8(d)), such
additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the
Plan, as the Committee shall determine, including terms regarding forfeiture of
Awards or continued exercisability of Awards in the event of termination of
employment by the Eligible Person.
(b) OPTIONS. The Committee is authorized to grant Options,
which may be NQSOs or ISOs, to Eligible Persons on the following terms and
conditions:
(i) EXERCISE PRICE. The exercise price per Share purchasable
under an Option shall be determined by the Committee, and the Committee may,
without limitation, set an exercise price that is based upon achievement of
performance criteria if deemed appropriate by the Committee.
5
(ii) OPTION TERM. The term of each Option shall be determined
by the Committee.
(iii) TIME AND METHOD OF EXERCISE. The Committee shall determine at the date of
grant or thereafter the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in
whole or in part (including, without limitation, upon achievement of
performance criteria if deemed appropriate by the Committee), the methods by
which such exercise price may be paid or deemed to be paid (including, without
limitation, broker-assisted exercise arrangements), the form of such payment
(including, without limitation, cash, Shares, notes or other property), and the
methods by which Shares will be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Eligible
Persons.
(iv) ISOS. The terms of any ISO granted under the Plan
shall comply in all respects with the provisions of Section 422 of the Code,
including but not limited to the requirement that the ISO shall be granted
within ten years from the earlier of the date of adoption or shareholder
approval of the Plan. ISOs may only be
granted to employees of the Company or a Subsidiary.
(c) DIVIDEND
EQUIVALENTS. The Committee is
authorized to grant Dividend Equivalents to Eligible Persons. The Committee may provide, at the date of
grant or thereafter, that Dividend Equivalents shall be paid or distributed
when accrued or shall be deemed to have been reinvested in additional Shares,
or other investment vehicles as the Committee may specify, provided that
Dividend Equivalents (other than freestanding Dividend Equivalents) shall be
subject to all conditions and restrictions of the underlying Awards to which
they relate.
(d) RESTRICTED
SHARES. The Committee is authorized
to grant Awards consisting of Restricted Shares to Eligible Persons, on the
following terms and conditions:
(i) AWARDS. At the time of an Award of Restricted Shares,
the Committee shall cause the Company to deliver to the Participant, or to a
custodian or escrow agent designated by the Committee, a certificate or
certificates for such Restricted Shares registered in the name of the
Participant, unless such Restricted Shares are in uncertificated form. The Participant shall have all the rights of
a stockholder with respect to such Restricted Shares, subject to the terms and
conditions, including forfeiture or resale to the Company, if any, as the
Committee may determine to be desirable pursuant to this Section 5(d). The Committee may designate the Company or
one or more of its executive officers to act as custodian or escrow agent for
the certificate(s), if any.
(ii) RESTRICTED SHARE AGREEMENT. A Participant granted an Award of Restricted
Shares shall be deemed to have become a stockholder of the Company and to have
rights with respect to such Restricted Shares (including the rights to vote or
to receive dividends) as of the date of grant; provided that such Participant
shall forfeit such Award unless he or she has executed a Restricted Share
Agreement, a stock power endorsed in blank, or another instrument evidencing
the Award, in form and substance satisfactory to the Committee, and delivered a
fully executed copy thereof to the Company and otherwise complied with the then
applicable terms and conditions of such Award within the time permitted by the
Committee. The terms and conditions of
each
6
such
Restricted Share Agreement shall be determined by the Committee, and such terms
and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Participants.
(iii) RESTRICTIONS. Restricted Shares awarded under this Plan may
not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged, or otherwise encumbered or
disposed of, except as specifically provided herein or in the Restricted Share
Agreement. The Committee at the time of
the Award shall specify the date or dates and/or the attainment of performance
goals, objectives, and other conditions on which such restrictions and the
Companys right of repurchase or forfeiture shall lapse.
(iv) CERTIFICATE AND LEGEND. When an Award of Restricted Shares is granted
to a Participant, the Company shall issue a certificate or certificates in
respect of such Restricted Shares (unless such Restricted Shares are in
uncertificated form), which shall be registered in the name of the Participant
and shall bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and
restrictions applicable to such Award in substantially the following form:
The transferability of the common shares of
beneficial interest represented by this certificate are subject to the terms
and conditions (including forfeiture) of a Restricted Share Agreement entered
into between the registered owner and Corporate Office Properties Trust. A copy of such agreement is on file in the
offices of the Secretary of the Company, (address).
(v) PAYMENT. Except as may be otherwise determined by the
Committee (or as required in order to satisfy the tax withholding obligations
imposed under Section 8(c) of this Plan), Participants granted Awards of
Restricted Shares will not be required to make any payment or provide any
consideration to the Company other than the rendering of their services.
(vi) FORFEITURE. Subject to the provisions of Section
5(d)(vii), upon termination of the Participants employment for any reason
prior to the expiration or other termination of the restrictions described in
Section 5(d)(iii), all Restricted Shares with respect to which such
restrictions have not yet expired or been terminated shall be forfeited to the
Company and may be repurchased by the Company for a purchase price equal to the
original purchase price paid by the Participant for such Restricted Shares.
(vii) WAIVER OF RESTRICTIONS. In the event of a Participants normal
retirement, permanent total disability, or death, or in cases of special
circumstances, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may waive in whole or in
part any or all remaining restrictions with respect to such Participants
Restricted Shares.
(e) LTIP UNITS. The Committee is authorized to grant Awards
consisting of LTIP Units to Eligible Persons on the following terms and
conditions:
(i) LTIP UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, a
Participant granted an Award of LTIP Units will be deemed to have become a
limited partner of the Operating Partnership and to have rights with respect to
7
such LTIP
Units (including the rights, if any, to receive distributions) as of the date
of grant; provided that such Participant shall forfeit such Award unless he or
she has executed an LTIP Unit Award Agreement, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Committee, and delivered a fully executed copy thereof to
the Company and otherwise complied with the then applicable terms and
conditions of such Award within the time permitted by the Committee. The terms and conditions of each such LTIP
Unit Award Agreement shall be determined by the Committee, and such terms and
conditions may differ among individual Awards and Participants.
(ii) CALCULATION OF RESERVED
SHARES. For purposes of calculating
the number of Shares underlying an Award of LTIP Units relative to the total
number of Shares reserved and available for issuance under Section 4(a) of the
Plan, the Committee shall establish in good faith the maximum number of Shares
to which an Eligible Person receiving such Award may be entitled upon
fulfillment of all applicable conditions set forth in the relevant award
documentation, including vesting conditions, partnership capital account
allocations, value accretion factors, conversion ratios, exchange ratios and
other similar criteria. If and when any
such conditions are no longer capable of being met, in whole or in part, the
number of Shares underlying an Award of LTIP Units shall be deemed to be
reduced accordingly and the related Shares shall be added back to the Shares
otherwise available for issuance under the Plan. LTIP Units may be granted either alone or in
addition to other Awards granted under the Plan. The Committee shall determine the Eligible
Persons to whom, and the time or times at which, Awards of LTIP Units shall be
made; the number of LTIP Units to be granted; the price, if any, to be paid by
the Eligible Person for the acquisition of such LTIP Units; and the
restrictions and conditions applicable to such LTIP Units. Conditions may be based on continuing employment
(or other service relationship), computation of financial metrics and/or
achievement of pre-established performance goals and objectives, with related
length of the service period for vesting, minimum or maximum performance
thresholds, measurement procedures and length of the performance period to be
established by the Committee at the time of grant in its sole discretion. The provisions of the grant of LTIP Units
need not be the same with respect to each Eligible Person.
(iii) RESTRICTIONS. LTIP Units awarded under this Plan may not be
sold, assigned, transferred, pledged, or otherwise encumbered or disposed of,
except as specifically provided herein or in the LTIP Unit Award
Agreement. The Committee at the time of
the Award shall specify the date or dates and/or the attainment of performance
goals, objectives, and other conditions on which such restrictions and the
Companys or Operating Partnerships right of repurchase or forfeiture, if any, shall lapse.
(iv) PAYMENT. Except as may be otherwise determined by the
Committee and provided in an Award Agreement (or as required in order to
satisfy the tax withholding obligations imposed under Section 8(c) of this
Plan), Participants granted Awards of LTIP Units will be required to make the
payment or provide the consideration to the Operating Partnership as provided in the Award Agreements for such
Awards.
(v) FORFEITURE. Subject to the provisions of Section
5(e)(vi), upon termination of the Participants employment for any reason prior
to the expiration or other
8
termination of
the restrictions described in Section 5(e)(iii), the LTIP Units with respect to
which such restrictions have not yet expired or been terminated shall be
treated in the manner set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
(vi) WAIVER OF RESTRICTIONS. In the event of a Participants normal
retirement, permanent total disability, or death, or in the cases of special
circumstances, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may waive in whole or in
part any, or all, remaining restrictions and conditions applicable to such
Participants LTIP Units.
6. CERTAIN
PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO AWARDS.
(a) STAND-ALONE,
ADDITIONAL, TANDEM AND SUBSTITUTE AWARDS.
Awards granted under the Plan may, in the discretion of the Committee,
be granted to Eligible Persons either alone or in addition to, in tandem with,
or in exchange or substitution for, any other Award granted under the Plan or
any award granted under any other plan or agreement of the Company, a
predecessor of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, or any business
entity to be acquired by the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate, or any other
right of an Eligible Person to receive payment from the Company, a predecessor
of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate.
Awards may be granted in addition to or in tandem with such other Awards
or awards, and may be granted either as of the same time as or a different time
from the grant of such other Awards or awards.
The per Share exercise price of any Option, or purchase price of any
other Award conferring a right to purchase Shares, which is granted in
connection with the substitution of awards granted under any other plan or
agreement of the Company, a predecessor of the Company or any Subsidiary or
Affiliate or any business entity to be acquired by the Company or any
Subsidiary or Affiliate shall be determined by the Committee, in its
discretion.
(b) TERMS OF
AWARDS. The term of each Award
granted to an Eligible Person shall be for such period as may be determined by
the Committee; provided, however, that in no event shall the term of any ISO
exceed a period of ten years from the date of its grant (or such shorter period
as may be applicable under Section 422 of the Code).
(c) FORM OF
PAYMENT UNDER AWARDS. Subject to the
terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, payments to be made by
the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate upon the grant, maturation, or
exercise of an Award may be made in such forms as the Committee shall determine
at the date of grant or thereafter, including, without limitation, cash,
Shares, notes or other property, and may be made in a single payment or
transfer, in installments, or on a deferred basis. The Committee may make rules relating to
installment or deferred payments with respect to Awards, including the rate of
interest to be credited with respect to such payments.
(d) NONTRANSFERABILITY. Unless otherwise set forth by the Committee
in an Award Agreement, Awards shall not be transferable by an Eligible Person
except by will or the laws of descent and distribution (except pursuant to a
Beneficiary designation) and shall be exercisable during the lifetime of an
Eligible Person only by such Eligible Person or his guardian or legal
representative. An Eligible Persons
rights under the Plan may not be pledged,
9
mortgaged, hypothecated, or otherwise encumbered, and shall not be
subject to claims of the Eligible Persons creditors.
7. CHANGE
OF CONTROL PROVISIONS.
(a) ACCELERATION
OF EXERCISABILITY AND LAPSE OF RESTRICTIONS; CASH-OUT OF AWARDS. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee at
the time of the Award grant, all outstanding Awards pursuant to which the
Participant may have rights the exercise of which is restricted or limited
(including, but not limited to, restrictions upon the sale or transfer of
Restricted Shares) shall become fully exercisable at the time of a Change of
Control.
(b) DEFINITIONS
OF CERTAIN TERMS. For purposes of
this Section 7, the following definitions, in addition to those set forth in
Section 2, shall apply:
(i) Change of Control means and
shall be deemed to have occurred if:
(A) any Person (within the meaning
of the Exchange Act), other than the Company or a Permitted Person, is or
becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange
Act), directly or indirectly, of Voting Securities representing more than 20
percent or more of the total voting power of all the then-outstanding Voting
Securities; or
(B) during any period of two
consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constituted
the Board (together with any new directors whose election by such Board or
whose nomination for election by the shareholders of the Company was approved
by a vote of 66 2/3% of the directors of the Company then still in office who
were either directors at the beginning of such period or whose election or
nomination for election was previously so approved) cease for any reason to
constitute a majority of the Board then in office;
(C) the stockholders of the
Company approve a merger, consolidation, recapitalization or reorganization of
the Company or a Subsidiary, reverse split of any class of Voting Securities,
or an acquisition of securities or assets by the Company or a Subsidiary, or
consummation of any such transaction if stockholder approval is not obtained,
other than
(D) (I) any such transaction in
which the holders of outstanding Voting Securities immediately prior to the
transaction receive (or, in the case of a transaction involving a Subsidiary
and not the Company, retain), with respect to such Voting Securities, voting
securities of the surviving or transferee entity representing more than 60
percent of the total voting power outstanding immediately after such
transaction, with the voting power of each such continuing holder relative to
other such continuing holders not substantially altered in the transaction, or
(II) any such transaction which would result in Permitted Persons beneficially
owning more than 50 percent of the voting securities of the surviving entity
outstanding immediately after such transaction, or (III) the merger of
10
Corporate
Office Properties Trust, Inc. indirectly with and into the Company; or
(E) the stockholders of the
Company approve a plan of complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement
for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the
Companys assets other than any such transaction which would result in
Permitted Persons owning or acquiring more than 50 percent of the assets owned
by the Company immediately prior to the transaction.
(ii) Permitted Person means (a) a
majority-owned subsidiary of the Company; (b) an employee or group of employees
of the Company or any majority-owned subsidiary of the Company; (c) a trustee
or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the
Company or any majority-owned subsidiary of the Company; (d) a corporation
owned directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Company in
substantially the same proportion as their ownership of Voting Securities; (e)
the Operating Partnership; or (f) Jay H. Shidler, Clay W. Hamlin III, Westbrook
Real Estate Fund I, L.P. or Westbrook Real Estate Co. Investment Partnership I,
L.P. or any corporation, partnership, trust, estate or other legal entity
controlled by any of the foregoing Persons (or jointly controlled by Messrs.
Shidler and Hamlin).
(iii) Voting Securities or Security
means any securities of the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate which carry
the right to vote generally in the election of directors.
8. GENERAL
PROVISIONS.
(a) COMPLIANCE
WITH LEGAL AND TRADING REQUIREMENTS.
The Plan, the granting and exercising of Awards thereunder, and the
other obligations of the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate under the Plan
and any Award Agreement, shall be subject to all applicable federal and state
laws, rules and regulations, and to such approvals by any regulatory or
governmental agency as may be required.
The Company, in its discretion, may postpone the issuance or delivery of
Shares under any Award until completion of such stock exchange or market system
listing or registration or qualification of such Shares or other required
action under any state or federal law, rule or regulation as the Company may
consider appropriate, and may require any Participant to make such representations
and furnish such information as it may consider appropriate in connection with
the issuance or delivery of Shares in compliance with applicable laws, rules
and regulations. No provisions of the
Plan shall be interpreted or construed to obligate the Company to register any
Shares under federal or state law.
(b) NO RIGHT
TO CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT OR SERVICE.
Neither the Plan nor any action taken thereunder shall be construed as
giving any employee or director the right to be retained in the employ or service
of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, nor shall it interfere in any
way with the right of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate to terminate
any employees or directors employment or service at any time.
(c) TAXES. The Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate is
authorized to withhold from any Award granted, any payment relating to an Award
under the Plan, including from a distribution of Shares, or any payroll or
other payment to an Eligible Person, amounts of
11
withholding and other taxes due in connection with any transaction
involving an Award, and to take such other action as the Committee may deem
advisable to enable the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate and any Eligible
Person to satisfy obligations for the payment of withholding taxes and other
tax obligations relating to any Award.
This authority shall include authority to withhold or receive Shares or
other property and to make cash payments in respect thereof in satisfaction of
an Eligible Persons tax obligations.
(d) CHANGES TO
THE PLAN AND AWARDS. The Board may
amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate the Plan without the consent
of shareholders of the Company or Participants, except that any such amendment,
alteration, suspension, discontinuation, or termination shall be subject to the
approval of the Companys shareholders to the extent such shareholder approval
is required under Section 422 of the Code; provided, however, that, without the
consent of an affected Participant, no amendment, alteration, suspension,
discontinuation, or termination of the Plan may materially and adversely affect
the rights of such Participant under any Award theretofore granted to him or
her. The Committee may waive any
conditions or rights under, amend any terms of, or amend, alter, suspend,
discontinue or terminate, any Award theretofore granted, prospectively or
retrospectively; provided, however, that, without the consent of a Participant,
no amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuation or termination of any
Award may materially and adversely affect the rights of such Participant under
any Award theretofore granted to him or her.
(e) NO RIGHTS
TO AWARDS; NO SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS. No
Eligible Person or employee shall have any claim to be granted any Award under
the Plan, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Eligible
Persons and employees. No Award shall
confer on any Eligible Person any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company
unless and until Shares are duly issued or transferred to the Eligible Person
in accordance with the terms of the Award.
(f) UNFUNDED
STATUS OF AWARDS. The Plan is
intended to constitute an unfunded plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to
a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award
shall give any such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a
general creditor of the Company; provided, however, that the Committee may
authorize the creation of trusts or make other arrangements to meet the Companys
obligations under the Plan to deliver cash, Shares, other Awards, or other
property pursuant to any Award, which trusts or other arrangements shall be
consistent with the unfunded status of the Plan unless the Committee
otherwise determines with the consent of each affected Participant.
(g) NONEXCLUSIVITY
OF THE PLAN. Neither the adoption of
the Plan by the Board nor its submission to the shareholders of the Company for
approval shall be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board
to adopt such other incentive arrangements as it may deem desirable, including,
without limitation, the granting of options and other awards otherwise than
under the Plan, and such arrangements may be either applicable generally or
only in specific cases.
(h) NOT
COMPENSATION FOR BENEFIT PLANS. No
Award payable under this Plan shall be deemed salary or compensation for the
purpose of computing benefits under any
12
benefit plan or other arrangement of the Company for the benefit of its
employees or directors unless the Company shall determine otherwise.
(i) NO
FRACTIONAL SHARES. No fractional
Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award. The Committee shall determine whether cash,
other Awards, or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of such
fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares or any rights thereto shall
be forfeited or otherwise eliminated.
(j) GOVERNING
LAW. The validity, construction, and
effect of the Plan, any rules and regulations relating to the Plan, and any
Award Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws of the State of
New York without giving effect to principles of conflict of laws.
(k) EFFECTIVE
DATE; PLAN TERMINATION. The Plan
shall become effective upon its approval by shareholders of the Company (the Effective
Date). The Plan shall terminate as to
future awards on the date which is ten (10) years after the Effective Date.
(l) TITLES
AND HEADINGS. The titles and
headings of the sections in the Plan are for convenience of reference
only. In the event of any conflict, the
text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.
13