Nationally Renowned Land Use and Urban Planning Experts to Present Future Vision on June 12

For more information, contact: Robert Krueger at 202-624-7051

WASHINGTON (June 8, 2015) – Today a panel of nationally renowned land use and urban planning experts begin a five-day evaluation of metro Boston’s growing industrial land development issues. The Urban Land Institute (ULI) advisory services program convened the panel in order to help the cities of Malden, Massachusetts and Everett, Massachusetts create a plan for how to build on the growing business and mixed-use developments and further develop their unique regional presence and identity.

The panel is being sponsored by a local collaborative partnership, including Mass Development, the City of Malden, and the City of Everett. This week the 8-member panel will examine how the two districts can provide development that will help the current jobs base thrive while improving connections to regional infrastructure and adjoining neighborhoods. In addition, the panel will address how the two districts utilize state, city, business and nonprofit actors work together to maintain their diverse economic base in order to catalyze private investment the overall development vision.

This week’s panel will spend five days touring the subject study area as well as meeting with stakeholders and members of the local community. After carefully analyzing the area and interviewing up to 100 individuals, the panel will then spend two days framing their recommendations and drafting a report that will be presented to the public.

The advisory panel is chaired by Kamuron Gurol, city manager, City of Burien, Washington; Stephen M. Antupit, principal urban strategist, CityWorks, Inc., Seattle, Washington; Leigh Christy, senior project architect, Perkins+Will, Los Angeles, California; Brian Coleman, chief executive officer, GMDC, Brooklyn, New York; Norbert Jakubke, founder, The Idea Partner Marketing Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia; Sandra Kulli, president, Kulli Marketing Company, Malibu, California; Ralph L. Núñez, partner, Landscape Architect | Urban Designer, DesignTeam Plus, LLC, Birmingham, Michigan; and Michael Reynolds, principal, The Concord Group, LLC, Newport Beach, California.

Now in its 67th year, the ULI advisory services panel program assembles experts in the fields of real estate and land use planning to participate on panels worldwide, offering recommendations for complex planning and development projects, programs and policies. Panels have developed more than 600 studies for a broad range of land uses, ranging from waterfront properties to inner-city retail.

According to Thomas Eitler, vice president of ULI’s advisory services program, the strength of the program lies in ULI’s unique ability to draw on the substantial knowledge of its 34,000-plus members, including land developers, engineers, public officials, academics, lenders, architects, planners and urban designers. “The independent views of the panelists bring a fresh perspective to the land use challenge,” Eitler said. “The advisory services program is about offering creative, innovative approaches to community building.”

Past sponsors of ULI advisory services panels include: federal, state and local government agencies; regional councils of government; chambers of commerce; redevelopment authorities; private developers and property owners; community development corporations; lenders; historic preservation groups; non-profit community groups; environmental organizations; and economic development agencies.

NOTE TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS: The ULI panel’s recommendations will be presented at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 12 at Rivers Edge located on River’s Edge Drive in Medford, Massachusetts. The event is open to the public.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 34,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.