The Placemaking Podcast

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

The Art & Science of Making Places Into Living Spaces with Alberto Mattiello – Ep. 51

About the Guest

I am extremely excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Today on the show I have Alberto Mattiello, the Creative Director of the Placemakers Group of Companies and Founder of Eitherland. Alberto is an award-winning entrepreneur, business futurist, author, and keynote speaker. Author of ‘Mind The Change’ and ‘Marketing Thinking’ and curator of the local edition of the MIT Sloan books, he is a technology and business innovation expert. As Creative Director of the Placemakers Group, Alberto guides the design direction of several companies that all revolve around enhancing public spaces. As you’ll hear in this episode, he is also the Founder of Eitherland, a company focused on outdoor workspaces.

The Placemakers group is the world’s biggest street furniture manufacturer group. They are exclusively committed to anticipating future trends and designing urban spaces that enhance interpersonal connections, citizens’ wellbeing, engagement and performance as a whole. The group consists of six companies currently. They are Metalco, Bellitalia, CityDesign, MyEquilibria, 1984, and of course Eitherland. The Placemakers mission is simple: start with a beautiful public space and transform it into a living place that brings immediate and tangible benefits to communities, municipalities and people who use it.

In this episode, we are going to dive deep into the ideas behind effective placemaking, understand how being outdoors can actually reshape neural pathways in the brain, and a look into the future of public spaces and the various activities that will be brought back into the public realm. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Alberto for taking the time out of his tremendously busy schedule to discuss this topic of the art & science of making ordinary places into truly living spaces with me.

 As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another enjoyable episode to record. I honestly threw out the topics I had written for the show and just began diving into various topics as they arose. Alberto really understood the built environment and was in tune with how people interacted with the public realm. The way the Placemakers group is literally re-shaping the public areas is unbelievable.  There were so many great talking points that Alberto made throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding of placemaking that they both possess.

Citizens are no Longer Loyal to A Certain City

The Pandemic and Theory “U”

The Best Way to See How People will React to your Placemaking Ideas is to Actually Implement them

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Citizens are no Longer Loyal to A Certain City

This first point is one that we in the U.S. probably don’t always relate to but at some level we do have a loyalty to our hometown. The same is true for most around the world. However, with the globalization of the world, we are seeing less and less loyalty to the places our family is from or where we grew up. As Alberto mentioned, this trend is becoming more apparent in Europe where there was often a strong tie to stay “close to home” when starting adulthood.

This point was brought up due to the fact that cities are changing. People are moving to cities they actually want to live in. Employment locations are not as big as a factor as they once were due to the great reshuffling that is occurring in this pandemic.

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

Providing Access to Technologies Through Investing in Communities with Bryan & Alex – Ep. 50

About the Guest

I am extremely excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Today on the show I have Bryan Feil and Alex Jones of Bitwise Industries. Bryan Feil serves as the VP of Real Estate Development at Bitwise Industries, overseeing the coworking, building development, and hospitality teams. Bryan assistants in locating, designing, and identifying architectural partners for each Bitwise Real Estate project. He especially enjoys being able to help Bitwise’s city expansion projects and revitalizing downtowns through growth and development. Bryan Feil grew up in Bakersfield, CA with the desire to use business as a tool to impact lives. That passion took its first form in co-founding and developing Neighborhood Industries, an organization focused on operating businesses that reveal value in people so that they can be positive contributors to their community. Alex has seven years of experience in the Civil Engineering industry.  He has worked on water & wastewater treatment projects, residential subdivisions while working as an Assistant Engineering for consulting firms located within the Central Valley of California.  Currently, Alex works for Bitwise Industries as a Project Manager for the Real Estate Development Team. Day-to-day activities include defining and tracking project scopes, schedules, and budgets to meet project targets. He also monitors progress and coordinates work with architects, contractors, and engineers. 

Since July 1, 2013, the day they opened Bitwise Mural District, they’ve focused on connecting humans from marginalized communities and stories of systemic poverty to skills and resources necessary to access opportunities in the tech industry. They do this through their three main pillars which include Bitwise Real Estate, Bitwise Technology Consulting, and Bitwise Workforce Training. This company has an interesting business model. I would highly recommend you learn more about their work by finding them online at bitwiseindustries.com.

In this episode, we are going to discuss how their campus projects help to fulfill the mission of Bitwise, a behind-the-scenes look into the criteria they use when evaluating potential projects, and how to build excitement in the surrounding community for your upcoming project. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Bryan and Alex for taking the time out of their extremely busy schedules to discuss this topic of providing access to technologies by investing in communities with me.

As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another fun episode to record. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about Bryan and Alex’s experience at Bitwise. It’s fun to hear how two seemingly very different individuals can team up to make really cool things happen in these communities through Bitwise Industries. Some might say that the lack of formal training has actually been their greatest asset when tackling these projects. They don’t take anything for granted and ask tons of questions. This mindset will take them a long way with Bitwise. There were so many great talking points that Bryan and Alex made throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding of placemaking that they both possess.

1. How to Build Excitement and Connection with the Surrounding Community with your Project2. Who said Older Buildings aren’t Exciting3.

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

Understanding the Importance of Placemaking in Masterplanned Developments with Brian Sutherland – Ep. 49

About the Guest

I am extremely excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Brian Sutherland, Vice President of Development at Argo Development Corporation, and the development lead for the Lakeview Village project on the shores of Lake Ontario. Brian Sutherland has over 15 years of experience in the land use planning and land development industry. With experience working for a municipal government, planning consulting firm, and land developer, Brian has a wide range and vast level of experience and perspective towards community building and land use planning. Brian has managed large landowner groups, obtained approvals for dozens of subdivision, zoning, and site plan applications, and overseen successful construction of large-scale residential subdivisions. Brian has experience working on projects across the GTA collaborating with residents, community groups, builders, elected officials, municipal departments, and agencies to create exciting, vibrant, and successful places for people to live work, and play.

ARGO is a leading-edge land development company with more than 25 years of experience. They are a dedicated team of driven industry experts that rivals the largest developers in the Nation with a streamlined and nimble operation which enables us to provide a competitive advantage. Inspired by their successful past, today they proactively strive to create thriving communities.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the impact that finding the right team can have on a large development masterplan, a behind-the-scenes look into several innovations their development team is exploring on their projects, and how to build excitement in the surrounding community for your upcoming project. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Brian for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of understanding the importance of placemaking in masterplanned developments with me.

 As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another fun episode to record. I thoroughly enjoyed the story Brian shared on the history behind the Lakeview Village project. The consortium that is working on this project is truly creating something special there on the shores of Lake Ontario. By handpicking the various members of the project team, they were able to bring on groups that could fortify their strengths and shore up their weaknesses on the project. There were so many great talking points that Brian made throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding of placemaking from the standpoint of masterplanned communities that Brian possesses.

Picking the Right Team is Absolutely Crucial

Utilizing Effective Placemaking to Create Ideal Developments

Creativity and Flexibility are Paramount When Designing Truly Unique Developments

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-aways” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Picking the Right Team is Absolutely Crucial

This is the first point for a reason. When forming this consortium of team members, they realized it was absolutely critical that the right group was brought together to tackle the unique challenges inherent in this colossal undertaking. The team as a whole represents various skills and expertise that form a true knowledge bank for the g...

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

Building Better Neighborhoods Through the Use of Incremental Development with Monte Anderson– Ep. 48

About the Guest

I am extremely excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Monte Anderson is the President of Options Real Estate a multi-service real estate company specializing in creating sustainable neighborhoods in southern Dallas and northern Ellis counties in Texas. Monte began his real estate career in 1984 and since that time has concentrated solely on improving the living and working environments in these communities where he was born and raised. Monte is an outspoken and frequently recognized advocate for policies and practice to serve urban neighborhoods. He currently focuses his development practice in three areas in North Texas: the southern neighborhoods of the city of Dallas, the first ring suburb of Duncanville and exurban town of Midlothian.

Options Real Estate was founded in October of 1991 as a full service commercial real estate company specializing in Southern Dallas County with one mission in mind: To make their neighborhoods and business owners better through the built environment. Their team believes in enhancing the quality of life of Southern Dallas & Northern Ellis Counties and advancing its image, in order to provide an enduring inheritance to future generations. They hope to build a community where residents can enjoy educational and employment opportunities that utilize the technologies of the 21st century, find cultural and spiritual fulfillment, and have a diversity of OPTIONS for shopping, dining, entertainment, living, or homes.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the importance of finding and cultivating your own territory or “farm”, how to raise capital for your next real estate development deal, and what it truly means to be an incremental developer. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Monte for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of improving communities through the use of incremental development with me.

 As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another fun episode to record. I hate to pick favorites because it is so hard to do, but this one is up there as one of my favorite episodes to record. I thoroughly enjoyed Monte candidly sharing his story as well as the story of the Options Real Estate. Monte really provided some great inspiration for those looking to get into development but may not know how to get in to development. He showed through his story that anybody really can get into development. Even someone whose job is to pick up trash in a parking lot. There were so many great talking points that Monte made throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding of incremental development that Monte possesses.

1. Finding and Cultivating your “Farm”2. How to Develop Incrementally out of Necessity.3. Don’t chase money. Let money chase you.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-aways” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Finding and Cultivating your “Farm”

Monte provided so many great analogies during the course of our discussion to better paint a picture of what he is doing in south Dallas. One of the comparisons made was of the area he consistently “cultivated” for development to a farm. This is not hard to conceive visually. He is constantly tending to his farm by planting seeds of developmen...

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

Creating and Sustaining Thriving Communities Worldwide Through ULI Membership with Wes Craiglow, AICP – Ep. 45

About the Guest

I am extremely excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Wes Craiglow is the Northwest Arkansas Coordinator for the Urban Land Institute. In this capacity, he is responsible for uniting the mission of ULI with NWA real estate trends and land-use professionals through the use of technical assistance, events, and leader development. Before joining ULI as the NWA Coordinator, Wes worked as a Planner and Deputy Director for Planning for over 10 years at the City of Conway, Arkansas. While studying Geography at UCA, Wes got a taste of how the built environment impacts the behaviors of individuals within the community. He then took this a step further in understanding and obtained a Master’s Degree in Community and Economic Development.

ULI is a member-driven organization dedicated to advancing leadership in the responsible use of land and creating and sustaining thriving communities. At its core, ULI is the sum of its members, who themselves deliver the ULI mission, positively shaping the future of real estate and land use disciplines in ways that lead to the development of built environments that better serve more people. ULI members include real estate developers, builders, owners, finance and investment professionals, brokers, architects, engineers, urban planners, public officials, and more.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the importance of the Urban Land Institute’s Mission, how members can benefit from the ULI Organization, and all about the various events that ULI hosts in order to provide benefit to its members. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Wes for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of real estate development and the Urban Land Institute with me.

 As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another fun episode to record. I thoroughly enjoyed Wes candidly sharing his story as well as the story of the Urban Land Institute. Wes is extremely passionate about the ULI organization, so I figured there was no one better to discuss the mission of this organization. His enthusiasm for the organization was evident when discussing the benefits of the organization to its members. There were so many great talking points that Wes made throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding in the mission of Urban Land Institute that Wes possesses.

1. ULI was started as a member network by real estate developers that wanted to share knowledge and network almost 85 years ago.

2. Networking and Education are essentially the two main pillars of benefits provided to members of ULI.

3. ULI is the “second-most” important membership that someone in the industry should be a part of.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

ULI was started as a member network by real estate developers that wanted to share knowledge and network almost 85 years ago.

According to ULI.org, “The National Real Estate Foundation for Practical Research and Education—the predecessor to the Urban Land Institute—is chartered in Illinois, with Walter S. Schmidt as its first president on December 14th, 1936. The model is that of a real estate college—a school of urbiculture—that could stand as an objective and recognized source of research an...

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

From Venezuela to Miami, Learning Real Estate From the University of Life with Reinaldo Padron – Ep. 46

About the Guest

I am extremely excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Reinaldo Padron is a Civil Engineer, Real Estate Analyst, MSRE, and Blockchain Advocate to name just a few hats that he wears. Reinaldo has an amazing story that I can’t wait to share with you all. He was born in Venezuela in 1985. In July 2008 he graduated from his University as a Civil Engineer. Always choosing classes that were toughest to truly test himself. Soon after he graduated from the traditional University, his real test came in the form of government turmoil.

In 2008, Hugo Chávez nationalized Venezuela’s telecommunications, electricity, steel, and cement companies. This was only the beginning of the troubles that faced the citizens and Reinaldo’s father’s development business. Reinaldo was thrust into leading his father’s troubled real estate development business through extremely tough times in an area where corruption and violence was prevalent. He eventually moved to the United States in search of new opportunities to learn and grow in his real estate development skills. He ultimately ended up in Miami where he is now and has been partnering up on some really interesting projects in the areas surrounding the City. With an eye on the future, Reinaldo is hoping to integrate blockchain technologies and NFT’s in his real estate ventures going forward. Reinaldo’s story is one of passion, grit, and perseverance and I can’t wait to share it with you.

In this episode, we are going to discuss Reinaldo’s experiences in Venezuela, how he was able to persevere through extremely tough situations, and how he was able to keep the dream alive in his many ventures going forward. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Reinaldo for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of real estate development with me.

As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another interesting episode to record. I thoroughly enjoyed Reinaldo candidly sharing his story and the various revelations he came across on his journey. Reinaldo shared his personal experiences growing up in Venezuela and the various hardships he encountered along the way. At the age of 24, he was thrust into the leadership position of his father’s real estate development company that was $24M in debt and working on five residential developments at the time. Reinaldo learned quite a bit from this experience, mainly that if he could handle that, he could tackle just about any challenge that came his way. There were so many great talking points that Reinaldo throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding of real estate development that Reinaldo possesses.

Nothing replaces perseverance and hard work when seeking success.

It never hurts to ask. Even if you don’t think it’s possible that you will receive something.

Always leverage the tools you have to achieve the outcome you want to obtain.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Nothing replaces perseverance and hard work when seeking success.

“Grit is that 'extra something' that separates the most successful people from the rest. It's the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until ...

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

Finding Success in the Development of Workforce Housing with Scott Choppin – Ep. 45

About the Guest

I am extremely excited to share this next conversation with all of you. There is tons of gold in this episode, I can promise you that. Scott Choppin is the Founder of the Urban Pacific Group of Companies. Scott oversees all operations of the Urban Pacific family of companies, including business development, capital acquisition, and strategic planning. Prior to forming Urban Pacific, Scott was Director of Land Acquisition for the Multi-Family Development Division of Irvine-based Sares-Regis Group. In that position, he was responsible for all land acquisition activities for the development of luxury, market rate and senior rental communities throughout California, Colorado, and Arizona. Before joining Sares-Regis, Scott was with Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group. As Senior Project Manager, he was responsible for all activities related to multifamily development, including the acquisition, entitlement, syndication and development of over 1,900 affordable multifamily units throughout the Western United States. Prior to that, Scott was a project manager with Irvine-based Snyder Langston Real Estate and Construction Services. Needless to say, Scott has tons of practical experience in the real estate development field.

For over 50 years, Urban Pacific and it's founding family have been developers of premier residential and commercial projects. Including development of the Long Beach World Trade Center, and the Axis at Westminster project, Urban Pacific and the Choppin family have built superior identities of trust, value, authority, and leadership in the real estate development domain throughout the nation.

In this episode, we are going to discuss founding Urban Pacific, the attributes of successful developments and how they can impact the surrounding neighborhoods and towns, and how developers can potentially make the leap from working with a firm to owning their own development firm. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Scott for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of workforce housing development with me.

 As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another interesting episode to record. I thoroughly enjoyed Scott candidly sharing his story behind founding Urban Pacific and the various revelations he came across on his journey. This was a really interesting look at not only the economic benefits of workforce housing but the potential societal impacts that such developments bring to the surrounding communities. There were so many great talking points that Scott shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding of workforce housing and real estate development that Scott possesses.

1. If you want to launch into your own real estate development firm, it might be best to work for a firm and build a large network before doing so.

2. There are many traits that make Workforce Housing desirable for development.

3. Building Trust is absolutely necessary in the Real Estate Development Industry.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

If you want to launch into your own real estate development firm, it might be best to work for a firm and build a large network before doing so.

As mentioned previously,

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

Strategies in Building Strong Towns with Incremental Developments with Charles Marohn, P.E. – Ep. 44

About the Guest

One of the best shows yet is coming your way! I am excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Charles Marohn is the Founder and President of Strong Towns and the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity. He is a Professional Engineer (PE) licensed in the State of Minnesota and a land use planner with over two decades of experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota. He has presented the concept of Strong Towns in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. He is featured in the documentary film Owned: A Tale of Two Americans, and was named one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time by Planetizen.

“Strong Towns supports thousands of people across the United States and Canada who are advocating for a radically new way of thinking about the way we build our world. Strong Towns believes that in order to truly thrive, our cities and towns must:• Stop valuing efficiency and start valuing resilience• Stop betting our futures on huge, irreversible projects, and start taking small, incremental steps and iterating based on what we learn• Stop fearing change and start embracing a process of continuous adaptation• Stop building our world based on abstract theories, and start building it based on how our places actually work and what our neighbors actually need today• Stop obsessing about future growth and start obsessing about our current financesBut most importantly, they believe that Strong Citizens from all walks of life can and must participate in a Strong Towns approach—from citizens to leaders, professionals to neighbors, and everyone in between.”

In this episode, we are going to discuss the mission of the Strong Towns movement, the attributes of successful developments and how they can impact the surrounding neighborhoods and towns, and how developers can learn from the past in order to help build developments that ultimately benefit their cities and communities. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Charles for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of Strong Towns with me.

As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another interesting episode to record. I thoroughly enjoyed Charles candidly sharing his story behind founding Strong Towns and the various revelations he came across on his journey. From just beginning to ask questions about “successful” City spending to the formulation of his thoughts on what truly successful developments are and can be. As mentioned in the show, this wasn’t just a dive into the history of Cities, but truly a deep dive into understanding humanity as a whole. There were so many great talking points that Charles shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding in City Planning, Engineering, and Development that Charles possesses.

As an incremental developer, you are fighting against forces much bigger than yourself. (i.e. subsidized capital)

Private Public Partnerships; the good, the bad, the ugly.

There are a lot of basic business principles that Cities could very well adopt that will make them much stronger.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

Engineering Successful Developments: The Process Behind Building a Development Firm with TJ Moore – Ep. 43

About the Guest

Another amazing episode of the show is coming your way! I am excited to share this next conversation with all of you. TJ is a Partner and President of ECM Development in Arlington, Texas. Born and raised in Arlington Texas, TJ Moore is a civil engineer who fell in love with land development. After getting his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, TJ worked for Graham Associates Engineering where he designed over 3,000 residential lots and several multifamily developments. He then decided to pursue a career in land development with David Weekley Homes. There he gained experience and cultivated his passion developing over 1,100 lots, specializing in high-density urban infill. In early 2019, TJ created his own development company, ECM Development.

The guiding philosophy for ECM Development is to design and construct high-quality communities that create value, provide homes for a diverse population, and exceed every expectation of project stakeholders. They aim to achieve superior returns for their investors while mitigating the risk with a diversified portfolio of projects ranging from fee simple lot development to single-family rental communities. Every day they strive to live out their mission of creating value to restore hope by knowing Him and making Him known.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the lessons TJ learned in transitioning from an engineer to founder of a real estate development firm, the role of single-family for-rent developments in commercial real estate, and the ways that ECM diversifies itself from the competition and other asset types. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated TJ for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of single-family rental real estate development with me.

As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another really fun episode to record. TJ has an interesting, but not all to unique, background in Civil Engineering. He took that understanding in the horizontal realm of development and built on it by learning about debt, equity, vertical construction, and so much more. He noticed a real need in the community to provide for-rent single-family developments to the DFW metroplex. TJ decided to take a leap of faith and founded ECM Development in 2019 to fill this need. There were so many great talking points that TJ shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding in the real estate development processes that TJ possesses.

It’s about the WHO, not the WHAT.

Single Family For-Rent Developments Provide Another Alternative to Traditional Multifamily Developments.

Creating Processes in Real Estate Development is Absolutely Crucial.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

It’s about the WHO, not the WHAT.         

Real estate development is a people-business, plain and simple. TJ recognized this early in his career and lived by the principle of “It’s about the WHO not the WHAT” in all of the practices relating to his business. The beauty of this statement is in its simplicity. TJ has used this guiding principle successfully in steering his company closer to ECM’s Mission Statement every day.

Facebook-f

Twitter

Linkedin

Instagram

Real Estate Entitlement Hurdles & How to Overcome Them with Ryan Smith– Ep. 42

About the Guest

Another insightful episode of the show is coming your way! I am excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Ryan is the managing member of Gemini Capital Management, LLC. Ryan has been working in the property development and management industry since 2008. Ryan has worked on a wide range of real estate development projects including build to suit for multiple Fortune 500 Firms, missing middle housing developments, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, hospitality, and small scale single and multi-family renovations to name a few. Ryan completed his undergraduate work at Alma College with double majors in Business Administration and Economics. In 2013, Ryan earned a MBA degree from Central Michigan University as well.

As mentioned, Ryan is the managing member of Gemini Capital. Gemini Capital Management, LLC was created in 2012 by Ryan & Kirk Smith. Gemini Capital Management is located in Mid-Michigan and is a real estate investment firm which acquires, develops, manages, leases and operates commercial, industrial, and residential properties.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the most important first steps when beginning the entitlement process on your next project, how to engage surrounding property owners when you begin this process, and some of the biggest lessons learned from Ryan’s experience as a real estate entrepreneur. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Ryan for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of real estate development entitlement hurdles with me.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another fun episode to record. Ryan has had a passion to continue his learning even past college. With a “step-up-to-bat” mentality that Ryan possessed, he quickly found success in real estate investing and development. He started out in acquisition and then learned all he could about the management side of the business. This provided a sturdy foundation for his future endeavors in real estate development. With a “can-do” attitude, Ryan was able to persevere through many trials in building Gemini Capital into what it is today. There were several great talking points that Ryan shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding in entitlement processes that Ryan possesses.

The Law of 300 Feet.

You’re never going to make everybody happy with your development, but it doesn’t hurt to try (a little).

NIMBY’s to YIMBY’s

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

The Law of 300 Feet.   

I bet you might be wondering right now, what is so important about “The Law of 300 Feet”. We did not explicitly discuss this in the episode, but it bears discussion here. Essentially, the Law of 300 Feet refers to the 300-foot radius that can be drawn around your development and all those property owners that reside within that radius. Sometimes this boundary can be extended 500 feet or more but more regularly this boundary extends from 300-500 feet from your property. This varies from City to City so verify with your local jurisdiction.

So why are we talking about an imaginary boundary around your property? Well as many of you already know, this boundary is typically used as an outer limit for sending out notifications for an upcoming public hearing for your property. When a project requires a public hearing, the City that your project is in is required to notify all surrounding property owners within a certain di...