Exploring Multifamily Policy & Development Opportunities

Leveraging public-private partnerships to create more housing

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  Kenzie Bok

  Kenzie Bok is a lifelong Bostonian who grew up in the small downtown neighborhood of Bay Village. She cares passionately about making Boston a great city for people from all walks of life and all stages of life to flourish and put down roots. With a background in affordable housing, budget analysis, and civic engagement, Councilor Bok was elected to represent District 8 on the Boston City Council on November 5, 2019. Her district includes Mission Hill, Longwood, Audubon Circle, Fenway, Kenmore, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and the West End. At 30, she is currently the youngest serving Councilor. Prior to her election, Councilor Bok was the Senior Advisor for Policy and Planning at the Boston Housing Authority. She also previously served as Budget Director for another city council office. As a citizen, Bok helped lead the successful 2016 ballot initiative campaign to enact the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in Boston. She serves on the board of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA) and on the vestry of Trinity Church in Copley Square. Bok also formerly held community leadership roles as part of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), the Bay Village Neighborhood Association, the Back Bay Gateway CAC, the Spark Boston Council, the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee, and the Democratic State Committee. She lives on Beacon Hill, where her family has been deeply involved in neighborhood life for more than 65 years. Councilor Bok’s priorities include increasing housing affordability (both rental and homeownership) at every income level to anchor our families and seniors, improving our transportation system and public infrastructure to move people around more safely, efficiently, and equitably (whether by foot, bike, bus, subway, or car), ensuring excellent schools for all Boston’s children and great career opportunities for our youth, and making Boston a model for how to tackle climate change. In an increasingly unequal city, she is invested in partnering with the city’s non-profit and for-profit institutions to accountably share resources in pursuit of greater equity. Councilor Bok is committed to providing excellent constituent services, a voice for community planning of responsible development, and strong stewardship of public land and public assets like parks and libraries. After graduating from Harvard College, Bok earned an M.Phil and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Cambridge in England as a Marshall Scholar. She holds a lectureship at Harvard University, where she has taught courses on “Justice in Housing” and the philosopher John Rawls.

  Boston Housing Authority

  Administrator

  Keynote

  Kenzie Bok

  Administrator

  Boston Housing Authority

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  Edward Augustus

  Secretary Ed Augustus was appointed by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey in June 2023 to lead the newly created Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. An experienced, results-driven executive, Augustus has spent more than 35 years in public service, building effective teams and bringing people together to have a positive impact on communities. As the secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Augustus leads the state’s mission to create more homes and lower housing costs for Massachusetts residents. The executive office also distributes funding for community development initiatives, oversees the state’s public housing and operates homelessness prevention and housing stabilization programs. Before joining the Healey-Driscoll Administration, Augustus served as city manager of Worcester, where he led the state's second-largest city through a revitalization that became known as the Worcester Renaissance. Under his administration, the gateway city saw a wave of new development, infrastructure improvements and new housing that attracted statewide attention and restored pride to residents.

  State of Massachusetts

  Secretary of Housing

  Keynote

  Edward Augustus

  Secretary of Housing

  State of Massachusetts

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  Canan Safar

  Canan Safar manages real estate development projects for CV Properties and Accordia Partners, with her current focus on the Dorchester Bay City project, a $5 Billion, transformative 36-acre, 6.1 million square foot Transit-Oriented Development near the JFK/UMass Station. Currently received the City of Boston’s zoning approval and FEIR Certificate from the State, the project will create nearly 2,000 multifamily units and 4 million square feet of commercial and retail space, generate 25,000 permanent jobs, dedicate over 15 acres to open spaces with 3.7 miles of new bike lanes while implementing neighborhood-scale climate resilience measures. Canan has extensive experience in real estate development, having led complex urban mixed-use projects locally and nationally. Prior to joining CV Properties, she worked as the Director of Infrastructure for the Harvard Allston Land Company at Harvard University, where she was responsible for developing the strategic infrastructure master plan, construction feasibility, and the resiliency and sustainability aspects of the University’s 36-acre Enterprise Research Campus. She served as a member of the selection committee for the Enterprise Research Campus project RFP process on behalf of the University. Prior to Harvard, Canan oversaw the development of the 16 million square foot Suffolk Downs Redevelopment mixed-use project for HYM Investment Group and managed the acquisition and development of over 1,000 unit multi-family apartment projects in the Boston area. She has also worked on economic development projects for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, focusing on public-private partnerships to optimize the state’s underutilized real estate assets. Before her transition to real estate development, Canan was an architect at Elkus Manfredi Architects in Boston. Canan holds an MS degree in RED from MIT and a BA in Architecture from YTU in Istanbul.

  CV Properties

  SVP of Development

  Canan Safar

  SVP of Development

  CV Properties

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  Marianne Ajemian

  Marianne Ajemian chairs Nutter's Real Estate Department and was a member of Nutter's Management Committee for nine years. Her practice is focused on the representation of clients locally and nationally in complex transactional matters. As a real estate lawyer, she represents financing institutions, real estate investment funds, developers, real estate investors and advisors, pension fund advisors and their institutional investors, REITs, healthcare and senior housing companies, and nonprofit institutions. Marianne has significant expertise in sophisticated investment and financing transactions of all types, including joint venture, preferred equity and partnership transactions, construction, permanent, revolving credit, mezzanine loans, letter of credit facilities, sale/leaseback transactions, intercreditor arrangements, loan acquisition and dispositions, and workouts and debt restructurings. In addition, she advises clients on all aspects of commercial real estate acquisitions, development, dispositions, and leasing involving a broad range of projects, including mixed-use and transit-oriented developments, downtown and suburban office buildings, research and development properties, retail and industrial properties, multi-family housing projects, hotels, restaurants, and institutional uses. Marianne has particular experience in representing owners, operators, investors, management companies, and lenders in the healthcare and senior housing industries. She also has extensive experience in the negotiation, supervision and management of complex portfolio transactions, and has served as the lead transactional counsel for various publicly held entities. Active nationally and locally in the real estate industry, Marianne is a fellow in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), a past president of the Commercial Real Estate Women Network (CREW Network), a past president of CREW Boston, and a member of the Real Estate Finance Association (REFA). In 2006, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce honored Marianne with a Pinnacle Award for Achievement in the Professions, and in 2007, she received CREW Boston's Leadership Award. She is also a member of the Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations. Marianne is a frequent speaker on a variety of real estate and finance topics and is a guest lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Real Estate. In Boston, Marianne is a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the Board of Directors of Homestart, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that provides a comprehensive system of housing search, support and stabilization services to the homeless and indigent in the Greater Boston area. In 2013, HomeStart presented Marianne with the Trent Hankins Memorial Award.

  Nutter

  Chair of Real Estate Department

  Moderator

  Marianne Ajemian

  Chair of Real Estate Department

  Nutter

Innovative Approach to Operations and Design: Attracting & Retaining Tenants

Maximizing portfolio efficiency & capturing new tenant trends

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  Doug Arsham

  Doug Arsham serves as the Senior Managing Director of Mill Creek’s Boston office, and his responsibilities include the entire spectrum of development activities including site selection, planning, entitlement, design, construction, and asset sales in the Boston metro area. Prior to joining Mill Creek, Mr. Arsham was Vice President of Development for National Development where he was responsible for all phases of the development process for multiple communities. Prior to joining National Development, Mr. Arsham was a Development Vice President in the Boston office for Forest City Residential, where his responsibilities included all phases of residential development from site selection to stabilization. Mr. Arsham’s expertise includes various product types, from stick built to adaptive re-use to high rise, and all employed varying successful permitting strategies. During his career, he has been involved in the entitlement, development, and construction of over $1 billion of residential real estate. Mr. Arsham received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Tufts University in Political Science and is a member of both Urban Land Institute (ULI) and NAIOP. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Record Company, a local non-profit which strives to remove the technical and social barriers between music makers and their creative visions through affordable music workspace and professional development opportunities.

  Mill Creek Residential

  Senior Managing Director - Development

  Doug Arsham

  Senior Managing Director - Development

  Mill Creek Residential

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  Brian Killinger

  SVP, Asset Management

  LivCor

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  Lauren Dewey

  Lauren Dewey is a CRE consultant specializing in multifamily and PropTech. Lauren works with CRE owners, operators, and suppliers on go-to-market strategies, digital-marketing campaigns, sales enablement, PropTech enablement, and demand generation. With 12 years' experience on the owner/operator side, most recently as Director of Marketing at National Development, Lauren has created multiple large-scale marketing campaigns for new developments and acquisitions. Lauren is also an accomplished public speaker and thought leader; she is highly involved with the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, working with both REFA and MAA.

  Principal, CRE Consultant

  Formerly of National Development

  Lauren Dewey

  Principal, CRE Consultant

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  Ken Feyl

  Ken brings over 30 years of wide-ranging architecture experience with diverse building and construction types. Through his deep domain expertise, Ken has developed a unique leadership style combining business savvy, strategic thinking, hands-on problem solving, and thoughtful development of individuals and team dynamics. Ken intentionally fosters a collaborative project approach which builds and supports all team members for smooth, on-time, on-budget projects: a proven strategy for success. Ken has earned his strong reputation based on an exceptional track record of outstanding results for his clients.

  LYF Architects

  Principal

  Ken Feyl

  Principal

  LYF Architects

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  Laura Gollinger

  Laura has served as the Vice President of The Collaborative Companies for five years. She oversees and executes The Collaborative Companies’ research and design development programs, providing in-depth analysis on market conditions and trends. She has proven to be an essential resource for developers in Greater Boston on everything from product positioning to pricing to unit mix. Prior to joining TCC, Ms. Gollinger was Managing Director of Accelerated Marketing Partners, a nationwide auction company. She is responsible for over $600 million in sales from 2008-2011. Her early experience as an investment banking analyst for J.P. Morgan adds to her skill set ensuring success. Laura’s impressive client portfolio includes the Carlyle Group, Vornado Realty Trust, Canyon Johnson, Wood Partners, General Growth Properties, in additional to Boston’s premier developers: Samuels & Associates, National Development, HYM & Pan Am, New England Development, The Davis Companies, The Related Companies, Federal Realty, Boston Properties, Lendlease, Nordbloom, Corcoran Co and WS Development. Laura graduated as an Academic All American from Boston University’s School of Management.

  The Collaborative Companies

  Vice President

  Moderator

  Laura Gollinger

  Vice President

  The Collaborative Companies

Multifamily Deal Financing and Capital Markets

Explore creative strategies to make deals pencil in a prolonged tightened market

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  Suzanne Abair

  Suzanne serves as President and Chief Operating Officer for Northland, overseeing the day-to-day management of all aspects of Northland's operations and leading certain strategic initiatives. During her tenure as COO, Suzanne has focused on best practices, diversity and inclusion, technology initiatives, operating efficiencies, and creating a more employee-focused company culture. Suzanne joined the company in 2004 and served as Northland's General Counsel for twelve years before becoming COO. While General Counsel, Suzanne had oversight of all company legal matters, including all real estate transactions, financings, fund formation, investor matters, compliance, and litigation. Before joining Northland in 2004, Suzanne was a partner at the law firm of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC, in Boston, MA. Previously, she was an associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in New York City. Suzanne holds a BS from Ithaca College, magna cum laude, and a Juris Doctor from SUNY Buffalo School of Law, summa cum laude. She serves on the Board and as a member of the Finance Committee of YW Boston, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is eliminating racism and empowering women, and she is also a member of the Dream Big! National Advisory Board, a non-profit organization that seeks to empower girls and young women through sports and physical activities. She also serves on the Syracuse University Boston Regional Council.

  Northland

  President

  Suzanne Abair

  President

  Northland

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  Julie Kittler

  Head of Multifamily Asset Management

  AEW

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  Daniel Casey

  Daniel Casey is a Director at CBRE Investment Management focused on generating residential investments, as well as the financial evaluation, due diligence and closing of those transactions which range the risk spectrum from opportunistic development to core investments on behalf of discretionary internal funds and separate account clients.

  CBRE Investment Management

  Director

  Daniel Casey

  Director

  CBRE Investment Management

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  Matthew Bonney

  Matthew J. Bonney is a tax partner with over 25 years of experience focusing on all facets of his clients’ business and tax needs. He specializes in working with clients in the real estate sector, including owners/operators, developers, investors, private real estate funds, and REITS. He also advises law firms and a range of clients in the music, manufacturing, technology, and restaurant industries, as well as high net worth individuals. For his real estate clients, Matt provides a deep expertise in deal planning, structuring, and reviewing, helping clients to acquire, manage, and sell properties while limiting tax risks. He has a wide breadth of knowledge and experience in federal, state, and local tax credits, as well as managing investor relationships, analyzing internal controls, and assisting with financing opportunities. As a tax specialist, Matt also provides a range of general tax compliance and reporting services, including representing clients before government taxing authorities.

  Citrin Cooperman

  Partner

  Moderator

  Matthew Bonney

  Partner

  Citrin Cooperman

Addressing Boston's Housing Needs Amidst Limited Developer Incentives

Delivering product in a limited opportunity environment

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  Gilbert Winn

  Gilbert J. Winn is the Chief Executive Officer of WinnCompanies, an award-winning national multifamily development and management company dedicated to the highest standards of excellence. The company owns or manages real estate holdings valued at approximately $14 billion across the United States, including affordable, senior, mixed-income, market rate, military and mixed use properties. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Boston, WinnCompanies is the nation’s fifth largest multi-family housing manager and its largest manager of affordable housing. Mr. Winn plays a leadership role in the creation, planning, implementation and integration of the strategic vision and growth of WinnCompanies on behalf of nearly 3,000 employees working in 22 states and the Disrict of Columbia. As CEO, Mr. Winn oversees three affiliates: WinnDevelopment, the company’s property development arm; WinnResidential, which manages multi-family communities; and WinnReisdential Military Housing Services, which manages privizated military housing. Prior to joining WinnCompanies, he was an Associate at Related Capital Company, a full-service real estate investment company based in New York City, where he originated and implemented more than $150 million of equity investments. Mr. Winn graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Arts studying History and Psychology.

  WinnCompanies

  CEO

  Gilbert Winn

  CEO

  WinnCompanies

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  Adelaide Grady

  As a Senior Vice President, Addie is responsible for the firm’s multifamily and mixed-use investments. Over the course of her career, she has been responsible for nearly $1B in multifamily ground-up development activity in the Boston market, performing all aspects of the development process including sourcing, permitting, financing, design and construction oversight, marketing and leasing oversight, and disposition. Prior to rejoining Leggat McCall, Addie was a Senior Vice President with Pritzker Realty Group (PRG), where she was responsible for the execution of $370M of ground-up development, including a 28-story high rise in the Back Bay. Prior to PRG, she was a Director with Wood Partners, a national multifamily development company, where over the course of eight years she was responsible for the development of ten projects totaling over 1,800 units and over $500M in total cost. Addie began her career in real estate as a sustainability consultant. She originally joined LMP in 2004 in a development management role. Education: M.B.A., The Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan A.B., Architectural Studies, Russian Language and Literature, Brown University

  Leggat McCall

  SVP, Partner

  Adelaide Grady

  SVP, Partner

  Leggat McCall

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  Michael DiMella

  Michael DiMella is a nationally recognized leader in the real estate industry. For his innovative real estate sales & marketing skills and strategic thinking, he was chosen to receive the prestigious 30 Under 30 Realtors in America award from Realtor Magazine. He is also frequently cited in local and national news publications, like The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Boston Magazine, and Banker & Tradesman for his insight and perspective on the Boston real estate market. Michael has a strong educational background in Economics/Econometrics, in which he earned a Master’s Degree from Boston University (where he was also a member of the nationally ranked BU Terrier ice hockey team). Honed through education and years of empirical research, his ability to use sound statistical analysis to spot trends in the housing market and make investment recommendations is especially prized by clients. See our Boston real estate blog for examples of his market research. Michael is a leader in the real estate industry and is currently serving as President of the Greater Boston Association of Realtors. He has served on the Board of Directors at the Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB), the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR), and the National Association of Realtors (NAR). At NAR, he also Co-Chaired the 2011 National Association of Realtors Conference & Expo. Besides the “30 Under 30″ recognition, Michael has won awards for both leadership and for marketing. He was selected as a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Future Leader and has won the Massachusetts Association of Realtors Website Design Contest for best company website. Michael is also a Principal of IGNITION Residential, an interdisciplinary multifamily development advisory and marketing firm; and Charlesgate Property Management, a full service apartment and condo association property management firm. He lives in Boston’s South End, enjoys outdoor sports like sailing, skiing, and scuba diving in his spare time and definitely has a few strong opinions about cooking and eating great food…just ask him!

  Charlesgate Realty Group

  Managing Partner

  Michael DiMella

  Managing Partner

  Charlesgate Realty Group

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  Dartagnan Brown

  As founder of Embarc, Dartagnan personally ushers the majority of the firms’ projects through the approval process by working closely with the Boston Planning and Development Authority, various neighborhood groups, City Councilors, and the Zoning Board of Appeals. With the firms primary focus on designing multifamily housing, Embarc’s team works on approximately 4,000 units of housing from early concept through completion at any one point in time. Dartagnan’s significant project design and management experience is an asset to buildings and spaces of any size. His clients quickly see his passion and attention to detail in everything from Embarc’s luxury brownstone renovations to our new residential multifamily complexes, from master planning efforts to successful commercial projects for national brand companies. His dedication to a project’s needs and vision is evident in Embarc’s singular reputation for going above and beyond, ensuring that each client finds success in their investments. Dartagnan’s childhood years spent living in Iran, Singapore, India, and Hong Kong influenced his early love of design and aesthetic. He has spent the last 20 plus years working on some of Boston’s most impactful projects, giving him insight on every level. Dartagnan’s approach to design and architecture is focused on the balance of aesthetic and practicality, bringing a unique and intuitive vision to Boston and her neighborhoods.

  EMBARC

  Founder + CEO

  Dartagnan Brown

  Founder + CEO

  EMBARC

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  Karla Chaffee

  Karla Chaffee focuses her practice on land use permitting and real estate due diligence. She helps her clients maximize efficiency by charting a coordinated permitting strategy through a deal’s lifecycle.

  Nixon Peabody

  Counsel

  Moderator

  Karla Chaffee

  Counsel

  Nixon Peabody