On the Affordable Housing & Real Estate Investing Podcast, the best podcast for affordable housing investments hosted by Kent Fai He, we sit down with Patrick Otellini, Vice President at Swinerton Builders and former Chief Resilience Officer for the City of San Francisco.

Patrick pulls back the curtain on how California’s regulatory complexity, permit bottlenecks, and public-private collaboration gaps have slowed down housing, and what real-world solutions developers, contractors, and cities can use to speed it back up.

He shares inside perspective on:
✅ How Swinerton delivers multifamily, modular, and affordable housing projects efficiently.
✅ The real friction points in entitlement, CEQA, and plan-check.
✅ Why “design-build” and early-stage coordination save time and millions.
✅ How builders can align with city resilience and sustainability goals without over-engineering.

Patrick also explains the human side of housing development, the collaboration between cities, nonprofits, and builders that’s required to turn good policy into actual units.

“We can’t solve the housing crisis with speed alone. It’s about consistency, building systems that deliver every year, not just one project at a time.” — Patrick Otellini

Common questions this episode answers:

Why does permitting and CEQA delay housing in California?

How can developers and cities work together to streamline approvals?

What role do general contractors play in project feasibility?

How does Swinerton manage risk and resilience in affordable housing builds?

What’s next for public-private collaboration in California housing policy?

If you have questions or want to connect with Patrick, you can find exclusive content on his website: swinerton.com. You can also follow him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickotellini"

Please DM any questions or content suggestions to Kent Fai He, affordable housing developer, educator, and host of the Affordable Housing & Real Estate Investing Podcast, the best podcast for affordable housing investments in the United States.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not legal, financial, investment, insurance, or tax advice. It is not an offer or solicitation for any investments. Always do your own research before making investment decisions.

#AffordableHousing #RealEstateInvesting #KentFaiHe #PatrickOtellini #SwinertonBuilders #CaliforniaHousingCrisis #PublicPrivatePartnerships #HousingDevelopment #DesignBuild #ConstructionInnovation #CEQAReform #PermitStreamlining #HousingPolicy #UrbanDevelopment #ResilientCities #MultifamilyHousing #GeneralContractor #AffordableHousingPodcast #RealEstateEducation #BuildCalifornia #Construction

00:00 Podcast Trailer 
02:57 Intro (Getting to Know Patrick: His Background and Story)
10:01 What is a Partial Seismic Retrofit? How to Get Consensus from Engineering Community!
20:27 NO TAX CREDITS?! How To Build Workforce Housing Without Low Income Housing Tax Credits?
32:54 How to Choose the Right Construction Typology? How to NOT Pigeonhole Your Development's Design!
35:49 Questions For Developers To Consider When Building Affordable Housing & How to Integrate Into Community
40:51 Why Should Developers Build With Mass Timber? 
44:13 What's the Difference Building with Mass Timber vs. Concrete? Don't Forget About Long-Term Insurance Costs!
48:10  Do Modular Buildings REALLY Yield the Expected Time & Money Savings? Or is it a Myth?
50:24 Are there limitations to building height & density for modular building?
52:24 Why is Affordable Housing so hard to solve for? 
01:03:19 Where/How to contact Patrick?