Transwestern has formed a municipal advisory team under the direction of Senior Vice President Steve Duran. The new team will work with governmental agencies, cities and counties to provide data, research and advice on real estate strategies, issues, opportunities and transactions.

When it comes to gathering research and resources needed to understand a city’s available real estate, cities often do not have staff that can keep track of this information and analyze it. Brokerages, on the other hand, have access to research and data across multiple industries and can provide cities with this information, Duran said.

Transwestern’s new team can provide research on industrial, office, land, retail and residential investments to city staff. The firm also can provide analyses of different industries to provide information on vacancy and trends. The information can be helpful when a city is reviewing its zoning or considering how to improve its downtown corridor.

“It takes governments longer to make decisions and move forward,” Duran said. “It’s kind of inherent in the nature of a transparent government.”

Transwestern will work with any size city, especially since larger cities still may not have enough staffing to have the level of research needed for a city’s real estate purposes.

Duran said he can leverage his experience in both local government and commercial real estate.

“The requirements of government agencies and municipalities are highly nuanced,” he said.

Duran, most recently a city manager for Antioch and Hercules, has 20 years of brokerage experience and also has worked as a senior real estate negotiator for the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and manager of downtown development and implementation. He served nine years as the community and economic development director for the City of Richmond and was executive director of the Richmond Redevelopment Agency.