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May/June 2011

Regional Vision and Action Plan from Vision North Texas Selected for APA Award

North Texas 2050, a regional vision and action plan created by the Vision North Texas, has been selected to receive a 2011 National Planning Excellence Award for Innovation in Sustaining Places from the American Planning Association (APA).

Vision North Texas, co-sponsored by ULI North Texas, is a private, public and academic partnership created to serve as a forum for dialogue and action on growth and development issues in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. The partnership, formed in 2004, was established by the district council in conjunction with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the University of Texas at Arlington.

The partnership, which has conducted research, hosted forums and convened stakeholders to explore solutions for accommodating growth, is directed by a management committee chaired by ULI North Texas member Fernando Costa, assistant city manager for the City of Fort Worth. “Business and civic leaders throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area told us they didn’t want ‘business as usual’ growth patterns. The Vision North Texas process combined their input with expert advice to create a shared approach toward a better future.”

The award to North Texas 2050 “recognizes Vision North Texas’ hard work and dedication to improving the quality of life for North Texas residents and the long-term sustainability of this fast growing region,” stated an APA press release. One of two Innovation in Sustaining Places awards being announced this year, it will be presented to Vision North Texas at APA’s National Planning Conference in Boston on April 11, 2011.


ULI Receives $250,000 Rockefeller Foundation Grant to Continue Infrastructure Initiative

ULI has received a $250,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to advance the Institute’s efforts linking the coordination of infrastructure and land use planning to sustainable community building.

The new funding, which builds on a grant previously made to ULI’s infrastructure-related work from the Rockefeller Foundation, will support a new initiative, the ULI Transportation Policy and Financing Project. Through this project, the Institute will work with ULI members and other stakeholders to develop new approaches to funding transportation investments to further the creation of more compact and sustainable communities. ULI will use its extensive local network of District Councils and public- and private-sector connections to maximize the effectiveness of the program. The new project seeks to capitalize on infrastructure trends and issues while building on the ULI National Transportation Dialogue, which was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation from 2008-2010.

The $250,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to support the ULI Transportation Policy and Financing Project is being matched by a $250,000 grant from the ULI Foundation. The new project is expected to be completed by mid-2012.

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Emerging Trends in Real Estate®: The Americas 2011 Debuts in Israel

Emerging Trends in Real Estate®: The Americas 2011, was presented in Israel earlier this year as part of ULI’s ongoing efforts to expand its global reach. The findings, which suggest tempered improvement within the U.S. commercial real estate market in the months ahead, were discussed during a January 12 program, “Emerging Trends Conference: U.S. Real Estate Investment in 2011” held at the Leonardo City Tower Hotel in Ramat Gan.

“Through the insights offered by Emerging Trends, we are aiming to help inform the business decisions of Israeli real estate professionals operating in the United States,” said Dean Schwanke, ULI Senior Vice President for Capital Markets and Real Estate, who presented the report in Ramat Gan.

The program was sponsored by ULI and report co-publisher PricewaterhouseCoopers in partnership with Israeli law firm Gross, Kleinhendler, Hodak, Halevy and Greenberg and Company; and Goulston and Storrs, an international law firm with offices in Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston and Beijing.

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Alazne (Ali) Solis and Diane Tomb Appointed to National Advisory Board for ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing

Widely renowned affordable housing policy experts Alazne (Ali) Solis and Diane Tomb have joined the National Advisory Board of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing.

The ULI Terwilliger Center, established in 2007 by former ULI Chairman J. Ronald Terwilliger, supports the development of housing affordable to moderate-income workers. Terwilliger, chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, committed $5 million to the creation of the Center.

Solis is senior vice president of public policy and corporate affairs for the Columbia, Md.-based Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. In that position, she develops and advocates policies to advance the development of affordable housing and sustainable communities with the administration, Congress, state and local policy stakeholders and other national industry partners. She also oversees Enterprise’s internal and external communications and marketing functions.

Tomb is the president and chief executive officer of Tomb & Associates, LCC, a public affairs company she founded in 2004, and she is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Previously, she served as the assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Prior to her presidential appointment, she was the senior vice president for communications at the Fannie Mae Foundation. She also held a senior position with the White House staff from 1986-1992.

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New ULI Report Explores Impact of International Events on Growth in European Cities

Cities in Europe are increasingly vying for major international entertainment or sporting events as a way to expedite development and investment that will provide an economic boost lasting far beyond the actual events, according to Urban Investment Opportunities of Global Events, a new report from the ULI.

The report examines the experience of European cities that have already hosted international events, are preparing to host such events, or are considering whether such events can be effective for their own development. The case studies are: Barcelona (Summer Olympics 1992), Paris (FIFA World Cup 1998), Lisbon (EXPO 1998), Turin (Winter Olympics 2006), London (Summer Olympics 2012), Glasgow (Commonwealth Games 2014), Milan (EXPO 2015), and Amsterdam (Summer Olympics 2028). The report was published by ULI Europe, which serves ULI’s members throughout Europe.

It points to multiple advantages gained by the city and nation hosting an international event:

  • The infrastructure and amenity requirements of the event are also useful for the city before and after the event;
  • The boost in tourism is beneficial on its own, and it leads to other types of investment and trade opportunities;
  • The land redevelopment required to host the facilities can spark regeneration of difficult sites and is also a stimulus for development planning, site assembly and preparation and property and land investment overall;
  • The global media exposure of an event allows a city or nation to reposition its identity and image to international markets, as in showcasing new niches, recent improvements and little-known assets;
  • The scale of the effort required and the fixed nature of the deadlines mandate project management efficiency. This often leads to institutional innovation and improved governance and collaboration; and
  • The international and inter-governmental commitments made to win the event have the effect of “locking in” investment planning to protect it from being cast aside by other priorities.

Urban Investment Opportunities is based on the conclusions of a workshop sponsored in 2010 by ULI’s Urban Investment Network. The network, developed in collaboration with leading European cities, institutions and private sector organizations, aims to foster an ongoing dialogue between public- and private- sector leaders on ways to bridge investment gaps and overcome urban development challenges.

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ULI Full Members in the News

John Gleeson has been appointed president-elect of the Gulf Coast Venture Forum Board, based in Naples, Fla. The purpose of the Gulf Coast Venture Forum is to promote the success of the region's new and emerging businesses by bringing together entrepreneurs, educational resources, capital providers, and service providers.

Gleeson is the owner of Gleeson Real Estate Group and CFO Vision LLC in Naples; both companies specialize in advising organizations on start-up/growth strategies, and business plans, though the former focuses on building/development. He is treasurer of ULI Southwest Florida, and he serves as vice president of finance for the Economic Development Council of Collier County, Fla.

Drew Brown, chairman of the Board of DMB Associates, Inc. in Scottsdale, Ariz., has been elected to Scottsdale Healthcare’s board of directors, marking his return to serving the Northeast Valley’s only locally based nonprofit health system.

Brown was a member of Scottsdale Healthcare’s board from 1997-2008 and served as board chairman 2006-2007. He begins a three-year term on the board this month.

Benson Elliot Capital Management, founded by ULI UK Chairman Marc Mogull, and UK developer Stanhope have acquired a majority interest in the company established by Sackville Properties for the landmark Station Hill redevelopment in Reading.

The transaction represents the first investment for the €500 million (EUR 602 million) fund, Benson Elliot Real Estate Partners III. Benson Elliot is a London-based private equity real estate firm.

Thompson Hine partner Linda A. Striefsky has been named by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top 50 women lawyers in Ohio for 2011. Super Lawyers recognizes only 5 percent of Ohio's lawyers; women earning the best scores in its blue ribbon process are named to the Top 50 Women Ohio Super Lawyers list.

Striefsky, a member of Thompson Hine's Real Estate practice and a leader of the firm's growing Global Sourcing & Procurement practice, focuses on real estate acquisitions, sales, financing and tax issues; corporate facilities management; and leasing, easement and related agreements.

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May/June 2011

Hines Winners Propose Redevelopment Plan for Seattle Neighborhood

A team of students representing the University of Michigan has won the $50,000 top prize in the 2011 ULI Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition with a redevelopment plan for a Seattle neighborhood that emphasizes sustainability through neighborhood diversity, affordability, walkability, and environmental conservation.

The Michigan team edged out teams from the University of Maryland, the University of Oklahoma, and a second team from the University of Michigan in the final round of the competition, held March 31 in Seattle. The three finalist teams split $30,000 in prize funds.


The Ability to Reinvent Is a Must, Not an Option, Says ULI Report

Positioning a city as progressive and innovative in the post-recession economy is requiring public officials to think and act like entrepreneurs in order to maximize the economic development potential of anchor institutions. Read about the recommendations offered in the new ULI publication "Building on Innovation: The Significance of Anchor Institutions in a New Era of City Building."

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ULI Report Suggests that Chester Embrace Change

An international panel of real estate and land use experts convened by ULI advised the city of Chester, England, on how best to revive its aging retail district and leverage those efforts to create further revitalization programs. The city is trying to be “too many things to too many people,” panel members said. Read what areas the panel suggested Chester should focus on.

First-Tier Suburbs Are Magnets for Urban Growth

The appeal of close-in neighborhoods is rising due to their proximity to major employment centers and to transit options—unlike far-flung exurbs, many of which are experiencing a high volume of foreclosures resulting from the recession. Read about ULI CEO Patrick Phillips’s keynote presentation on the subject at the “Sustainable Suburbs: Re-Imagining the Inner Ring” event.

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ULI Names MGPA’s Simon Treacy Incoming Chairman of South Asia

As the new chairman for ULI South Asia, Simon Treacy will guide ULI's program of work in the region, including various real estate trends conferences and topical forums, strengthening of ULI's brand, outreach to new partners, land use– and real estate–related research relevant to Asia, and ULI advisory services panels providing assistance to Asian markets. Read about the strengths he brings to this job.

ULI Full Members in the News

Crescent Resources LLC of Charlotte, North Carolina, has hired ULI full member and Charlotte real estate attorney Nina Shor to serve as general counsel and create the company’s in-house legal department. Shor brings more than 25 years of experience to the new post. She is a member of ULI’s Inner City Council, Home Builders Association of Charlotte, Charlotte Regional Partnership’s Film Commission, Women Corporate Directors, Charlotte Women’s Executive, and the Mecklenburg Bar Association’s Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Bar Center Search Committee.

BB&T of Washington, D.C., has named ULI full member Maureen Dwyer to its Washington, D.C., advisory board. Dwyer is the director of ULI sustaining member Goulston & Storrs P.C. She has been named one of the top zoning attorneys in the city by Chambers USA and one of Washington’s best real estate lawyers by Washingtonian magazine. Dwyer is a member and former president of Commercial Real Estate Women and a former adjunct professor at American University.

Texas governor Rick Perry has appointed Earl Broussard, Jr., to the Texas Historical Commission for a term that expires February 1, 2017. The commission works to preserve Texas’s architectural, archeological, and cultural landmarks. Broussard is president of ULI sustaining member TBG Partners, and he is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, Texas College University Professionals, and American Planning Association, and is a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named ULI sustaining member Jones Lang LaSalle a 2011 Energy Star Partner of the Year for its leadership in promoting and implementing strategic energy management programs to achieve significant energy and financial savings on behalf of clients, and for its commitment to maximize energy efficiency across its entire operation. The awards recognize organizations that use energy efficiently in facility operations, integrate superior energy management into overall organizational strategy, and promote the use of Energy Star programs and tools among staff, clients, and tenants. This marks the third time Jones Lang LaSalle has been named an Energy Star Partner of the Year.

ULI sustaining member Federal Realty Investment Trust has promoted Evan Goldman to vice president, development. Goldman joined Federal Realty in 2008 to manage the redevelopment of Mid-Pike Plaza in North Bethesda, Maryland, and other redevelopment opportunities in the company’s portfolio. Before joining Federal Realty, he was a partner at the Holladay Corporation, a mixed-use development company in Washington, D.C., where he began his involvement with the White Flint Partnership. He has also worked as an associate for Tishman Speyer Properties and as vice president of design for LeRoy Adventures. Goldman is on the advisory board and management committee of ULI Washington.

Colliers International has hired ULI full member Warren Dahlstrom as president of its Investment Services Group. Dahlstrom has represented owners and investors of institutional commercial real estate since 1986 and has sold, financed, or built property valued at over $6 billion across the office, retail, industrial, land, hotel, and apartment sectors. Most recently, Dahlstrom was the principal of his own firm, Dahlstrom Real Estate Advisors. Previously, he spent nearly 13 years as a top producer for Cushman & Wakefield, where he led the investment sales team in Washington, D.C.

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