Stock-Based Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

The Company’s Amended and Restated 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the "Equity Plan"), permits the grant of restricted stock awards, stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance units, LTIP Units and other equity-based awards up to an aggregate of 3,400,000 shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had 1,566,590 shares of common stock available for issuance under the Equity Plan.

As a result of the Company inadvertently issuing more shares of common stock than were available for issuance under the Equity Plan (prior to the amendment adopted on June 14, 2023), on May 9, 2023, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and the Company's Chief Financial Officer forfeited 75,321 and 8,975 restricted shares of common stock, respectively. Following approval by the Company’s board of directors and stockholders of the amendment to the Equity Plan to increase the number of shares available for issuance thereunder, on June 20, 2023, 75,321 and 8,975 restricted shares of common stock were granted to the Company's Chief Executive Officer and the Company's Chief Financial Officer, respectively, one-third of which will vest on March 3, 2024, one-third of which will vest on March 3, 2025, and one-third of which will vest on March 3, 2026, subject to the executives' continued employment on such dates.

LTIP Units are a special class of partnership interests in the Operating Partnership. Each LTIP Unit awarded will be deemed equivalent to an award of one share of stock under the Equity Plan, reducing the availability for other equity awards on a one-for-one basis. The vesting period for LTIP Units, if any, will be determined at the time of issuance. Under the terms of the Operating Partnership's agreement of limited partnership, the Operating Partnership will revalue for tax purposes its assets upon the occurrence of certain specified events, and any increase in valuation from the time of grant until such event will be allocated first to the holders of LTIP Units to equalize the capital accounts of such holders with the capital accounts of Class A unitholders. Subject to any agreed upon exceptions (including pursuant to the applicable LTIP Unit award agreement), once vested and having achieved parity with Class A unitholders, LTIP Units are convertible into Class A Units on a one-for-one basis.

During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company granted an aggregate of 434,053, 288,677 and 166,768 shares of restricted stock and LTIP Units to employees and non-employee directors, respectively. The grant date fair value of the restricted stock and LTIP Unit awards granted during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 was $5.4 million, $4.2 million and $2.1 million, respectively. Employee restricted stock awards (except for awards made to executive officers) generally vest over a period of two years: one-third immediately on the grant date and the remaining two-thirds in equal amounts on the first two anniversaries following the grant date, subject to continued service to the Company. Executive officers' restricted shares generally vest over a period of three years: two-fifths immediately on the grant date and the remaining three-fifths in equal amounts on the first three anniversaries following the grant date, subject to continued service to the Company. Non-employee director restricted stock awards or LTIP Units may vest either immediately upon grant or over a period of one year, subject to continued service to the Company. Unvested restricted stock awards and LTIP Units are entitled to receive dividends or distributions, respectively, from their grant date.

During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company issued performance-based awards in the form of restricted stock units to certain employees. The performance period for these awards is three years, with a required two-year service period immediately following the expiration of the performance period in order to fully vest. There were no shares issued due to vesting of performance-based awards in 2023 and 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2021, 5,760 shares were issued with a grant date fair value of $15.19 per share due to the partial vesting of performance units awarded to certain employees in 2017. Of those shares, 1,926 were surrendered by the employees for income tax withholdings.

During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company recognized $4.1 million, $3.8 million and $2.6 million, respectively, of stock-based compensation. As of December 31, 2023, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted shares and LTIP Units was $1.7 million, substantially all of which the Company expects to recognize over the next 27 months.

Compensation cost relating to stock-based compensation for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 was recorded as follows (in thousands):


	Years Ended December 31,
	2023		2022		2021
General and administrative expense	$	2,319	$	1,905	$	1,505
General contracting and real estate services expenses	1,360		1,342		738
Capitalized in conjunction with development projects	392		530		329
Total stock-based compensation cost	$	4,071	$	3,777	$	2,572

The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s unvested restricted stock awards during the year ended December 31, 2023:


	Restricted Stock Awards	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Share
Unvested as of January 1, 2023	219,306	$	14.15
Granted	394,359	12.70
Vested	(254,030)	13.42
Forfeited	(88,095)	13.52
Unvested as of December 31, 2023	271,540	$	12.93

Restricted stock awards granted and vested during the year ended December 31, 2023 include 87,986 shares tendered by employees to satisfy minimum statutory tax withholding obligations.

The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s unvested LTIP Unit awards during the year ended December 31, 2023:


	LTIP Unit Awards	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Share
Unvested as of January 1, 2023	—	$	—
Granted	39,694	10.14
Vested	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Unvested as of December 31, 2023	39,694	$	10.14