Neighborhood Series: Culver City

Tom is responsible for Southern California commercial property development, particularly urban infill and mixed-use development. He is overseeing development of Ivy Station, a mixed-use property at the Culver City EXPO station and recently completed the Garey Building, a residential/retail property in the downtown LA Arts District. Past projects include the 1.8 million square foot Exchange mixed-use development in Hawthorne and over 350,000 square feet of commercial space in Calabasas and Santa Monica. He is a member of ULI, ICSC, US Green Building Council, and serves as a Board Member of the California Business Properties Association. He is past President of the Executive Board of the Southern California chapter of NAIOP and a current member of the corporate Board of Directors. Tom is a USGBC LEED Accredited Professional. Education: University of Southern California, BArchitecture; University of Southern California, MRED

Jim Suhr, principal of James Suhr & Associates LLC, has focused on urban infill development of all product types throughout his career in Southern California real estate. His 35+ years in the field encompass experience in acquisitions, entitlements, development and asset management of a wide range of land uses. Jim has been involved in developing a number of transit-oriented mixed-use projects, including Washington National Station in Culver City and Wilshire Vermont Station in Koreatown, as well as industrial, office, apartment, condominium, hotel and historic rehab projects in markets across Southern California. Jim has provided development management and economic advisory services to a range of public and private sector clients, including Hackman Capital Partners, Hilton Universal City, Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, the State Bar of California, the Port of Los Angeles, and many others. Prior to forming JSA, he held positions with BRE Properties, Newhall Land & Farming, Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., and The Ratkovich Company. He is a graduate of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and School of Urban Planning.

Jonathan Watts, AIA is a partner at KFA Architecture in Culver City. He has worked closely with Lowe Enterprises and the City of Culver City for the past six years to create, design, and lead the development of Ivy Station, one of the most significant TOD mixed-use projects in Southern California. Culver City has been a collaborative partner in the design process which has resulted in an important fit between the project and the City. Jonathan has a strong relationship with City leadership and staff, a deep understanding of how the City works in terms of its urban design and is currently working on studies for other interesting sites within Culver City. He has been practicing architecture and land-use planning since moving from the UK to Los Angeles 33 years ago. His passion for great design and livable communities has led to work in many cities and on myriad building types including mixed-use urban infill, multi-family housing, hotel, office, retail, and entertainment. Jonathan has served as Chair of two Urban Land Institute committees; he is the immediate past Chair of the ULI’s Building Healthy Places Initiative, which is an effort to use the ULI’s global networks to improve community health through shaping projects and places.

Sol Blumenfeld is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and received Master Degrees in city planning from the Graduate School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania and in landscape architecture from California Polytechnic University. He has worked in the areas of architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, urban design and land planning in the public and private sectors as a Planning Director, Community Development Director and Program Administrator.

For over 15 years, Elisa Paster has worked as a land use lawyer assisting her clients with development, planning and placemaking. She specializes in navigating complex entitlement and environmental processes across California, including Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Culver City, Long Beach, and Beverly Hills and the unincorporated County of Los Angeles. Elisa is involved in all aspects of the development process: assisting clients in the initial due diligence stages before purchase of property, strategizing on development and redevelopment of land, processing applications and overseeing environmental compliance (CEQA/NEPA), representing clients in front of public bodies, including appellate bodies, and defending the entitlements in litigation. Before law school, she worked as a planner for five years and she is well connected to the professional planning community. Her previous “behind the counter” experience allows her to think creatively about legal issues and provides clients with a unique perspective. Elisa is committed to creating great places, working to produce housing for all income levels, and building strong and effective relationships. She regularly represents private developers in development of high end hotels and large scale developments, mid- size developers in transformative urban mixed- use projects inside and outside former redevelopment areas, and a wide variety of property owners in the Coastal Zone. An important part of Elisa’s practice involves working with affordable housing developers and streamlining the process for these projects. She’s proven to take on any land use challenge, big or small, and provides the necessary level of advice and guidance to get the job done through effective legal advocacy, strategic advice and personal relationships. Whether a project involves strategic advisement or a full environmental and planning process, Elisa’s extensive range of experience in land use and environmental law is an asset to her clients. Elisa is a long time Boardmember of Menorah Housing, a provider of low income senior housing, and the past president of the Westside Urban Forum, a 30 + year old organization that brings together industry leaders to debate urban policy issues. She is active in the Urban Land Institute, the California Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing. Elisa is also a frequent speaker at law, real estate and planning conferences. Elisa is admitted to practice law in Missouri, New Mexico and California. She is an appointed member of the City of Santa Monica Planning Commission.