Oakland Multifamily & Mixed-Use Rise and Expansion 2017

Mr. Kerr has a successful track record of leading the development process for residential and mixed use developments in Bay Area communities. Mr. Kerr actively works with land owners, communities, agencies and cities to develop high quality multi-family infill communities. He was in charge of acquisition, design, entitlement, and construction for the bay area townhome and mid-rise division of Intracorp. Prior to Intracorp, Mr. Kerr was with The Olson Company where he managed the development team for the East and South Bay markets and was responsible for all entitlement and development projects in those markets. Mr. Kerr got involved with urban development as a means to preserve open space with smarter more dense infill growth. At City Ventures, Mr. Kerr is responsible for land acquisition, asset management, project design and entitlement for new infill communities throughout Northern California. Mr. Kerr has an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College.

Brent Gaulke manages the company’s operations throughout California and is primarily responsible for business development, including sourcing new acquisitions for the various Gerding Edlen funds as well as establishing new joint venture relationships. Brent oversees all aspects of the acquisition/development process including due diligence, underwriting, contract negotiation, budget projections, capital structures, entitlements, design and implementation of the business plan. Prior to joining Gerding Edlen, Brent was a development analyst for Kemper Co. in Portland, Oregon.Brent earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and Masters degree in Architecture from the University of Oregon.

For over 30 years, Paul Zeger has been the definitive source of information for new construction sales and marketing in the Bay Area. His leadership in identifying and capitalizing on residential development opportunities is unparalleled. Paul’s client relationships include some of the most successful real estate development firms on the west coast – TMG Partners, Emerald Fund, Lennar Urban and Wilson Meany to name a few. Paul believes in making commitments to his clients, and building trust by delivering on his commitments. Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics at Colgate University and a Masters in Business Administration from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

In his twenty plus years with MBH, David has proven his versatility on a multitude of project types managing projects in retail, hospitality, multi-family and mixed-use developments. As Studio Director of the Special Projects team, David has successfully carried various Bay Area projects through design to completion, artfully managing strict government guidelines and navigating the challenges presented by clients and consultants. David’s project experience includes the renovation of Hilton San Francisco, the ground-up mixed-use Oakland development Broadway Grand, the LEED Certified San Francisco residential project Ashton and most recently, the LEED Platinum certified mixed-use Berkeley development Higby. As a licensed Architect and Senior Associate, David has been an exemplary role model for each member of his direct team and to all within the company.

Charles A. Long is a developer specializing in mixed-use infill projects, including acquisition, entitlement and public private partnerships. He served for eight years as city manager in Fairfield, California. Since 1996, he has worked as a consultant to public and private clients on development and management. He has held interim positions for several cities in finance, redevelopment and management, including Interim Town Manager of Mammoth Lakes and Interim City Manager of Pinole and Hercules, California. His assignments have been diverse including negotiating development agreements, writing redevelopment plans, pro-forma analyses, strategic planning, economic development, organizational development, capital and financial planning, budget reform, base reuse and alternative energy development. He has overseen over $600 million of public financing in his career. Mr. Long is a full member of the Urban Land Institute and, within ULI, a member and Vice Chair of the Public Private Partnership Council. He is a faculty member of the ULI Real Estate School, teaching both in the US and internationally, and a faculty member at San Jose State University Urban and Regional Planning Department. He has worked on eighteen ULI Advisory Panels, chairing panels in Salem, OR, Boise, ID, Dallas, TX, Buffalo, NY Pasco County, FL and San Bernardino, CA. He received the 2012 Robert M. O’Donnell Award for distinguished service in the advisory program. He is co-chair of the Sustainability Committee for the San Francisco District Council and, in that capacity, initiated several reports including recommendations for streamlining California’s environmental review process, a directory of financing sources for building efficiency and a survey of resiliency best practices in the Bay Area. He also delivers a program called Real Estate 101 for Public Officials, working with ULI District Councils around the country. He is the author of the book, Finance for Real Estate Development, published by ULI in April 2011 and winner of the 2012 National Association of Real Estate Editors Silver Award. Mr. Long has a BA in economics from Brown University and a Masters of Public Policy from U. C. Berkeley. He served in the U.S. Army as an infantry platoon sergeant.

Michael E. Johnson is President and Chief Executive Officer of UrbanCore Development, LLC which he founded in 2012 to focus on public-private, mixed-income residential development projects. Prior to establishing UrbanCore, Mr. Johnson was the President of Em Johnson Interest, Inc., a real estate development company based in San Francisco for 20 years. Over the combined last 25 years, his companies have been one of the largest African American businesses in the Bay Area. This is as a result of recent completion or current undertaking of over $800 million in project development activity, representing over 3,000 housing units and several mixed-use projects. He has served as the Managing Partner of award winning redevelopment projects such as the Fillmore Heritage Center, an $85 million mixed-use project in San Francisco; the $32 million Easter Hill HOPE VI project in Richmond, California; and the $45 million Mary Helen Roger Senior Center in San Francisco. Mr. Johnson has recently completed projects in Sacramento, San Francisco and San Diego. This includes the completion of the $40 million Cannery Place 180-unit Affordable Housing project in Sacramento, the $35 million Warren-Eviva both in Sacramento (118 units), and the $50 million Eviva-Mission Bay project in San Francisco (129 units). UrbanCore also is currently completing construction on the largest modular housing project in Oakland, the $56 million, 110-unit Coliseum Connections apartment project scheduled to begin occupancy in March 2019, and is in the final pre-construction phase of the LakeHouse Commons - mixed income $250 million apartment project near Lake Merritt, and in Oakland which is schedule to break ground in the 3rd quarter of 2019. Mr. Johnson previously was a co-Managing Partner of the $102 million North Beach Place redevelopment project completed 2004, which has received numerous awards. Mr. Johnson has two degrees - a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Urban Planning in 1976, and a Master of Architecture with a concentration in Real Estate Development in 1979, from the University of Maryland and the Georgia Institute of Technology respectively. While at the Maryland, Michael was a student-athlete as a member of the track & field team, and was an Atlantic Coast Conference Champion in 1974. Mr. Johnson is currently a Member of the University of Maryland’s Board of Trustees and also serves on the Oakland Zoo Planning Advisory Committee, along with serving on the Board of the national non-profit Neighborhood Development Collaborative. He has also served on the Board of Trustees for the St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Oakland, on the Planning Commission, YMCA and Library Boards while in Atlanta, and the Board of Glide Memorial Church’s Housing Corporation in San Francisco. Mr. Johnson also lectures regularly at the University of Maryland’s Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development.

Robert Raburn was elected to the BART Board of Directors on November 2, 2010. Director Raburn represents the public in District 4 which includes the cities of Alameda, Oakland (partial) and San Leandro (partial). For a decade prior to being elected, Raburn chaired Alameda County’s Measure B Citizens Watchdog Committee to ensure the transportation tax funds were spent as promised to the voters. He helped draft the Measure B expenditure plan that was approved by the voters in 2000. Raburn also contributed to successful local and regional ballot measures that transformed the Fruitvale BART Station and added a parking structure, in addition to increasing bicycle and pedestrian safety near other BART stations. His ideas for Safe Routes to Transit are now a regional-wide program. His leadership built respect and influence for the nonprofit East Bay Bicycle Coalition between 1992 and 2010. From getting the bike path on the new East Span of the Bay Bridge, to replacing the “world’s shortest freeway” near Lake Merritt in Oakland, Raburn’s involvement has resulted in significant accomplishments. He also has contributed to transportation policy changes: regional transportation planning now fully considers all modes of travel (i.e., Routine Accommodation), and reform of CEQA Guidelines was adopted by the State on January 1, 2010.

Doug Leventon serves as the Regional Vice President of Operations for Northern California which includes oversight of the Alliance management operations in the East Bay and Sacramento. Active in the multifamily industry since 2008, Doug is responsible for ensuring the achievement of optimum performance through the successful implementation of comprehensive programs, initiatives, and strategies throughout his portfolio while working directly with third party clients. Doug currently oversees 27 communities located throughout the Bay Area totaling more than 6,000 apartment homes. He holds expertise in developing strategies for mixed-use, high-rise, lease-up, affordable, and market rent apartment communities. His areas of expertise include lease-up execution, building teams, training and mentoring associates, and managing capital improvement budgets and projects

Ken Lowney is the Founder and President of Lowney Architecture, a multidisciplinary practice offering architectural, interior, and master planning services. With locations in Oakland and Honolulu, the firm focuses its practice on residential, mixed-use, hospitality and retail projects. In his hometown of Oakland, Ken leads discussions about community development, affordable housing and off-site construction design methods while serving in leadership roles for the Modular Building Institute, SPUR, the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and the Oakland Land Use Committee. Lowney Architecture first made its mark with expertise in urban retail, specifically grocery store design. The firm is now also synonymous with the design and delivery of innovative, prefabricated projects, having designed over 6,000 modular units.

Todd represents clients in the broad spectrum of land use, real estate and environmental issues in both litigation and administrative proceedings. He works with private clients and public entities, including landowners and developers of residential, infill, commercial and industrial property, as well as local agencies, providing property entitlement processing and local government land use approvals; CEQA compliance and litigation; planning and zoning law advice; and real property litigation. He also has experience with infill project streamlining, density bonus and housing laws, affordable housing and historic preservation regulations, as well as advising clients on public-private partnerships, the Subdivision Map Act, the Williamson Act, and cannabis land use regulations, along with easement and boundary dispute matters. A contributing editor on the 2010 – 2011 edition of State and Local Government Land Use Liability, and a reviewer of the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Municipal Law Handbook, Todd also has spoken throughout the state on land use law, with particular emphasis on CEQA.