Panel explores future of Whittier Boulevard

Panel Members from left to right: Xavier Gutierrez, Vanessa Delgado, Adriana Martinez, Ernie Vasquez, Kevin Tyrrell, Isidro Cerda (volunteer), Christine Aure (staff), Amitabh Barthakur, and Pablo Leon.

CRA/LA engaged ULI LA in a Technical Assistance Panel to offer ideas on improving Whittier Boulevard in the Adelante Eastsisde Region and prioritize investments in the corridor. The report will be available at the end of August.

Chair

Ernesto Vasquez, Partner, MVE & Partners, Inc.

Panel Members

Amitabh Barthakur, Principal, ERA
Vanessa Delgado, Director of Development, Primestor
Pablo Leon, Managing Partner, Golden Pacific Partners
Adriana Martinez, Adriana Martinez Group
Xavier Gutierrez, Senior Vice President, Capital Markets, Phoenix Realty Group
Kevin Tyrrell, Principal, Quatro Design

Panel Member Biographies

Ernesto Vasquez, AIA, Vice President, MVE Partners

Parking lots can become urban villages, and decaying streetscapes can be revitalized to frame urban places, if the right urban design and master planning is applied - so contends Ernesto Vasquez, AIA, Founding Partner of MVE & Partners.

Far from begrudging the political process attendant to urban revitalization, Vasquez embraces interaction with tenant groups, voters and homeowners, housing and transportation authorities, redevelopment agencies and school districts, to bring the goals of the community to fruition and improve the final product. Vasquez deeply honors the principles of smart growth, promoting the use of public transit, sidewalk communities and mixed-use developments. He creates environments that are socially and environmentally responsible, as well as economically viable - and his enthusiasm is usually the best ambassador from developers to community.

Amitabh Barthakur, AICP, Principal, ERA

Based in ERA's Los Angeles office, Mr. Barthakur serves as the Global Practice Leader of the firm's Economic Planning and Real Estate Practice. He has conducted a wide range of studies in the area of fiscal and economic benefit analysis, land use economics analysis, and public facilities analysis for numerous public and private sector clients.

He is currently engaged in leading the ERA team as part of a larger consulting effort to prepare a redevelopment strategy for the Jordan Down's public housing complex in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Vanessa Delgado, Director of Development, Primestor

Ms. Delgado is responsible for managing Primestor West Coast projects through the development cycle, community and government relations and marketing. Prior to joining Primestor, Ms. Delgado consulted for a number of public and private clients, including the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles. She also worked in redevelopment for the cities of Anaheim, Downey, and Pico Rivera. Ms. Delgado received her undergraduate education at Stanford University and completed a Masters of Public Administration at the University of Southern California (USC). She received additional training in Real Estate Finance and Development at UCLA and through the Ross Program at the Lusk Center at USC. Ms. Delgado currently serves as a Commissioner for the Small Craft Harbor (Marina del Rey) representing LA County Board Member Gloria Molina.

Pablo Leon, Managing Partner, Golden Pacific Partners

Golden Pacific Partners specializes in urban infill mixed-use and residential developments. Golden Pacific Partners employs a comprehensive approach to real estate development that encompasses substantial community outreach, careful interaction with city staff, and on-going discourse with civic leaders and elected officials. Consequently, Golden Pacific Partners has developed strong relationships in numerous cities that are eager to partner with the company to address their housing and redevelopment needs.

Pablo H. Leon, Managing Partner of Golden Pacific Partners, is a fifteen year veteran of the housing industry in Southern California, having held senior management positions at Phoenix Realty Group, D.R. Horton, and John Laing Homes. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the Building Industry Association. Mr. Leon graduated from Cal Poly State University at San Luis Obispo with a degree in Construction Management.

Adriana Martinez, Adriana Martinez Group

Adriana Martinez is formerly the Director of the LA Business Team and Associate Director of the Office of Housing and Economic Development for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. In this capacity, her main charge was to retain, grow and attract quality businesses, jobs and tax revenue to the City of Los Angeles. Her responsibilities included proactive outreach and service to the Los Angeles business and development community. Previously she was Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa's economic development deputy as well as field director in Boyle Heights.

Xavier Gutierrez, Phoenix Realty Group, Senior Vice President, Capital Markets, Phoenix Realty Group

Xavier A. Gutierrez is Senior Vice President, Capital Markets at Phoenix Realty Group, LLC (PRG), a national real estate investment company that manages private equity funds to invest in middle-market residential, mixed-use, and commercial development in urban and infill areas throughout the United States. Mr. Gutierrez is responsible for the creation, capitalization and management of PRG's real estate private equity funds. Mr. Gutierrez joined PRG as Vice President of Real Estate Acquisitions in June 2003, and now serves as the company's primary conduit to institutional investors and the capital markets. Prior to joining PRG, Mr. Gutierrez worked as a Corporate Attorney in the Silicon Valley office of the law firm Latham & Watkins, LLP. While at Latham, Mr. Gutierrez worked primarily with private equity and venture capital funds. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez has worked as a financial analyst in the Public Finance Group of the investment bank Lehman Brothers, Inc., the New York law firm Skadden, Arps, LLP, and in the League Office of the National Football League.

Kevin Tyrrell, Principal, Quatro Design

Kevin Tyrrell approaches architecture as an urbanist with a socio-environmental perspective, and is a firm believer that at its best, architecture can embody our nobler nature. He is a LEED^TM Accredited Professional with over 2 million square feet of LEED^TM Certified construction completed, and formed the QDG Sustainability Workgroup, a forum dedicated to the discourse and exploration of sustainable strategies.

Kevin brings over twenty years of experience on a wide range of project types. While his primary focus as Principal is the oversight of education, civic and urban design projects, his knowledge of housing, mixed-use and commercial projects is broadly utilized. On each project, he is heavily involved from initial design concepts to the smallest details, working closely with clients throughout the process. He is also knowledgeable on alternative project delivery methods, such as design-build.