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Permitting and Planning in San Francisco

Hard Facts - How are deals getting approved?

Zac Shore

Zac Shore

Co-Founder & Principal

Avenues Development

Patrick Kennedy

Patrick Kennedy

Owner

Panoramic Interests

Evan Schwimmer

Evan Schwimmer

Managing Director

Longfellow

Travis Schultz

Travis Schultz

Director of Interiors

Truebeck Construction

John Dooling
Moderator

John Dooling

Partner

RMKB

Zac Shore

Co-Founder & Principal

Avenues Development

Zac Shore is the Co-Founder and Principal of Avenues Development. Avenues Development is a real estate development company located in San Francisco. The company serves as an owner’s representative for a range of development companies and high net-worth individuals throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Services include all aspects of real estate development; from an initial highest and best use feasibility analysis, entitlements, financial analysis, construction management, and general value-add consulting services to get projects on the right track and set up for success. Zac has entitled nearly two thousand units in the Bay Area, built the first modular project constructed overseas and erected in California, and is involved with other emerging technology construction projects. Zac was a general contractor for 10 years, then attended MIT for a degree in Real Estate Development. After MIT, Zac has been involved in many facets of Bay Area Development over the past decade.

Patrick Kennedy

Owner

Panoramic Interests

Patrick Kennedy is the owner of Panoramic Interests, a development firm that has been building housing, live-work space, and commercial property in the Bay Area since 1990. The firm has focused on dense, mixed-use, mixed-income, infill developments, typically financed with private funds. All of the multi-family housing projects include below market rate units. The firm’s projects incorporate the Smart Growth principles designed to discourage auto use, mitigate sprawl, encourage local business, and enhance the pedestrian streetscape. Mr. Kennedy grew up in the East Bay, and attended Claremont McKenna College, majoring in Economics and English. He is a former member of the Carpenters Union and Steelworkers Union, and the California Bar. After college, he worked as a contractor, and then attended Harvard Law School and MIT, graduating with a J.D. and a Masters in Real Estate Development. Early development work included building his own house, and renovating several small commercial properties. His hobbies include open water swimming and ultra-light backpacking, both of which have furnished surprising insights into his work in development.

Evan Schwimmer

Managing Director

Longfellow

Evan serves as Managing Director for Longfellow’s San Francisco Bay Area office. He is responsible for strategic growth and operations including oversight of acquisitions, development, property management, design and construction, asset management and leasing across properties in Northern California. Prior to Longfellow, Evan managed the San Francisco office of The John Buck Company with responsibilities for West Coast investment and development in office and residential totalling over $1.8 billion. He also led office acquisition and development activities for the Irvine Company’s Northern California region.

Evan holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley

Travis Schultz

Director of Interiors

Truebeck Construction

Travis’ portfolio includes high-tech companies, high-profile financial institutions, leading healthcare facilities, and Fortune 500 commercial office projects locally in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Southern California and across the West Coast. As Project Executive and leader of Truebeck Construction’s San Francisco office, Schultz is responsible for local strategy, expanding operations in the city, and interiors market development.

John Dooling

Moderator

RMKB

Mr. Dooling is a shareholder and chairs the RMKB Real Estate/Construction Practice Group. His

practice consists of general trial work and outside general counsel work for business entities,

individuals and insured’s. His trial practice includes experience in construction and construction

defect litigation, professional liability (architects & engineers, attorneys, and real estate and

insurance brokers), real estate, commercial disputes and general liability matters in the California

State Courts and the Northern District of California.

Mr. Dooling also represents and advises privately held and publicly traded companies in the

capacity as outside general counsel; which includes the representation of general contractors,

sub-contractors, engineering and construction management firms, real estate brokers and

developers and a local community bank. The representation includes all aspects of the clients

business, including, but not limited to, risk management, contract drafting and review, licensing,

employment agreements and handling litigation matters.

Mr. Dooling is a native San Franciscan who earned his undergraduate degree from the University

of San Francisco, where he was the recipient of a four-year Harney Foundation Scholarship. While

at USF, John earned varsity letters in baseball, golf and crew. Subsequent to his graduation from

USF, John obtained a Real Estate Broker’s License and represented sellers and buyers in real

estate transactions for Merrill Lynch Real Estate. He also owned and operated a popular sports

restaurant and bar in San Francisco from 1990 to 1996. During this time John attended evening

law school and earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence and was admitted to practice in 1991.

Outside the firm, John lives in Burlingame with his wife Eileen (a Jersey girl), their daughter

Elizabeth (Lily), and their dogs, Bogey and Skipper. He is an avid Giants (ex-bat boy) and 49ers'

(ex-ball boy) fan and enjoys the occasional round of golf.

John previously served as a Director and Officer (Vice President) for The Olympic Club and

currently serves as a Director (Vice Chair) for the Pomeroy Recreation and Rehabilitation Center

in San Francisco and The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos. He is a member of the Sovereign

Military Order of Malta, and past director of several non-profit organizations; including the

Hibernian Newman Club, University of San Francisco Inn of Court, and the San Mateo Legal Aid

Society. John also volunteers at St. Anne’s Home in San Francisco and the Maple Street Shelter

in Redwood City.

How to Navigate the CRE Political Game in the Bay Area

NIMBY or YIMBY?

Holly Arnold

Holly Arnold

Vice President

HKS Architects

Elaine Forbes

Elaine Forbes

Executive Director

Port of San Francisco

Patrick Van Ness

Patrick Van Ness

VP of Forwarding Planning

Signature Development

Jeff Brink

Jeff Brink

Principal and CEO

DCI Engineers

Brendan Dunnigan

Brendan Dunnigan

SVP

HKS

Wally Naylor

Wally Naylor

Project Executive

Pankow

Sarah Sieloff
Moderator

Sarah Sieloff

Executive Director

Center for Creative Land Recycling

Elaine Forbes

Executive Director

Port of San Francisco

Elaine Forbes was appointed by Mayor Ed Lee as Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco in October 2016, with the recommendation of the Port Commission. Forbes is one of eight women Port Directors in the United States. Before her appointment as Executive Director, she served as Interim Director and Deputy Director for Finance and Administration for the Port.

Prior to joining the Port, Elaine Forbes held executive management and leadership positions at both the San Francisco Planning Department and the San Francisco International Airport. In addition, she has worked for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget Analyst’s Office providing fiscal and policy analysis and evaluating and reporting on complex municipal issues.

Before beginning her tenure with the City and County of San Francisco, she worked as a redevelopment agency planner for the City of Oakland. She also has worked for several non-profit land use policy and economic development organizations including the Urban Strategies Council and the California Budget Project.

Forbes holds a Master’s degree with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles in Community and Economic Development, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland. Forbes was born in San Francisco and resides in the Castro neighborhood with her partner.

Patrick Van Ness

VP of Forwarding Planning

Signature Development

Patrick Van Ness is responsible for project entitlement and development, including preparation of feasibility analyses, environmental, planning and engineering studies and review by municipal, state and federal agencies for all entitlements. Patrick has extensive experience obtaining approvals and permits from local municipalities as well as State and Federal agencies including the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), the State Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Patrick also oversees the development of community site planning, product design, landscape design and engineering.

Prior to joining the SDG team, Patrick worked at Signature Properties for 17 years. As Director of Purchasing, he contracted for the construction of over 1,000 units; as Director of Sales and Marketing, he managed 20 sales agents and the marketing process for over 1,000 units; and as Senior Project Manager, he processed and received approval for over 4,500 units and 300,000 square feet of retail/commercial space, including redevelopment, mixed use and master-planned communities in San Francisco, Oakland and Novato. Patrick’s diverse experience provides him with a unique understanding of real estate development and the construction industry throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento.

Jeff Brink

Principal and CEO

DCI Engineers

Jeff Brink has over 20 years of structural design experience with significant developments up and down the west coast, ranging from Performance Based Design high-rises to mixed-use projects at Candlestick Point, the SF Shipyard, and Yerba Buena Island. Current projects include the City of San Francisco’s new office tower at 1500 Mission Street and the Virgin Hotel adjacent to the Moscone Center. Jeff’s technical expertise at integrating innovative structural systems, combined with his broad understanding of the construction industry, allows architecturally decisive projects to be achieved while still maintaining the project budget.

Wally Naylor

Project Executive

Pankow

Wally is an industry leader for complex ground up, seismic, tenant improvement and building renovations in office, retail, civic, hospitality and commercial buildings, many in occupied spaces. Wally is the primary client representative for his projects, ensuring that the project gets the resources and commitments it needs to guarantee a successful outcome. His responsibilities include client communication, design consultation, budget and cost estimating review and coordination of construction operations. Wally provides direct leadership to project management staff, performs executive-level project management functions, and executes business development efforts for the region. He is accountable for understanding the client’s project objectives and ensuring Pankow’s solutions meet or exceed the Client’s needs.

Sarah Sieloff

Moderator

Center for Creative Land Recycling

Sarah Sieloff is the Executive Director of the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR or "see clear"), the oldest and only non-profit in the United States solely dedicated to the reuse and revitalization of underutilized or contaminated land. Serving as a national platform for excellence in land reuse, CCLR organizes workshops, webinars, and provides one-on-one technical assistance on land recycling issues in low-capacity and low-income communities across the country, from California to Puerto Rico. Under Sarah's leadership, CCLR has grown substantially since 2015. Prior to joining CCLR, Sarah served as the Memphis Team Lead for the White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities, working with 25 federal agencies to bring resources and technical assistance to the City of Memphis. Sarah has a background in international development and is a Truman Scholar. She earned her Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University and her BA from Eckerd College.

How to Navigate the Permitting Process: Presented by Burnham Nationwide

Nicholas Pounder
Presenter

Nicholas Pounder

SF Bay Area Operations Manager

Burnham Nationwide

Nicholas Pounder

Presenter

Burnham Nationwide

Coming from Chicago, Nicholas moved to California and has been working as the Operations Manager for Burnham's local office for the last two years. Nick had studied Music and Liberal Arts at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana before moving on to start his career in the landscaping industry. Nick can attribute most of his current work ethic to his time in landscaping which included drafting landscape plans for new residential projects throughout Mid-Michigan, as well as managing the office and supervising on site. When Nick made the switch to Burnham Nationwide, there was much more to be learned and now Nick has worked on numerous projects across the Pacific Northwest, ranging from small to large. A few of the projects Nick has completed permit processing are the AMC Metreon remodel and many other TI's for a variety of Restaurants and Offices in San Francisco, new construction of a Wingate Hotel in both San Jose as well as SeaTac, WA, and multiple Change of Use and Planning/Zoning permits in multiple cities throughout the Bay Area. Nick and his team are committed to improving the experience of keeping construction projects on schedule and keeping the buildings safe by using their knowledge of how to efficiently use the building code to provide unique solutions to the design team and city reviewers.

Summary

1) The City says that they want to be builders. Will they begin to expedite the entitlement process as a result? 

2) How can developers work best with the community and City to break ground on much-needed projects?

3) What do the new zoning policies and Prop M mean for development and construction?

4) What local municipalities are offering the most enticing development incentives?

5) How are public transit improvements altering how the City reacts to planning, zoning and permitting? 

Bonus: The CARE Group will be raffling off Giants Tickets!!!

Agenda

Time Activity
2:30 PM
3:30 PM
Breakfast & Networking
3:40 PM
4:25 PM
Permitting and Planning in San Francisco

Hard Facts - How are deals getting approved?

4:25 PM
5:10 PM
How to Navigate the CRE Political Game in San Francisco

NIMBY or YIMBY?

5:10 PM
5:30 PM
Closing Remarks & Networking
3:30 PM
3:33 PM
Welcome Remarks
3:33 PM
3:40 PM
Burnham Nationwide Podium Presentation