December 3, 2004
“Urban Warrior” Michael
Lander shares expertise
with top U.S. homebuilders at Big Builders Conference
Minneapolis—The Twin Cities urban
housing movement gained national recognition last month when developer
Michael Lander, founder and president of The Lander Group, the Twin
Cities leader in urban multi-family and mixed-use developments,
was among those named “Urban Warriors” at the 2004 Big
Builder Conference, held November 9 -11 in Las Vegas. The conference
brings together leaders from the top 1,000 home building companies
in the country.
Along with others named
“Urban Warriors”, Lander participated in a panel discussion
on the role of mid-rise and high-rise projects, mixed-use development
and transportation-oriented development in the “back-to-the-city”
movement. Joining Lander on the panel were Hank Baker, senior vice
president, Forest City Stapleton and Tom Paradise, director
of land acquisition, Standard Pacific/ Entitlements and Urban Development
Division. Citiventures Associates President Marilee Utter was the
moderator.
“In response to the urban loft trend, many
developers whose experience is primarily in the suburban development
arena are doing urban projects and finding them to be a very different
animal. They are finding that the old axioms no longer apply when
it come to financing, marketing, building types or pretty much any
other aspect of development. Our session was designed to give those
developers some insights we’ve gleaned after years of focusing
exclusively on urban development,” said Lander.
Lander’s passion for urban development turned
professional in 1984 when he incorporated The Lander Group. Since
that time, he has been active in the planning, design, and development
of commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate projects in
California, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.
Since 1990, when Lander relocated his business
from California to the Twin Cities, he has worked both independently
and in partnerships with other firms to develop and sell many successful
infill residential projects and complete substantial renovations
of mixed-use commercial buildings. His urban development firm has
earned numerous accolades for its new construction, adaptive reuse
of existing properties and historic preservation and has been a
leader in the Twin Cities Loft Living trend.
In addition to his work with the Lander Group,
the developer served as a partner in the Twin Cities urban design
firm Town Planning Collaborative, where he helped create the award-winning
plan for St. Louis Park's new town center and an acclaimed design
charrette for Minneapolis' Uptown district.
Lander is a member of the Urban Land Institute,
the Congress of the New Urbanism, the Minnesota Multi-Housing Association,
and the Minnesota chapter of the AIA, and serves on the public policy
committee of the Builders' Association of the Twin Cities. He is
a licensed real estate broker and general contractor in Minnesota,
and holds the CCIM designation from the National Association of
Realtors. He is a past president of the Minnesota/South Dakota CCIM
chapter.
The Lander Group is currently developing the Midtown
Lofts and recently completed West River Commons in Minneapolis.
Current Saint Paul projects include Printer’s Row, West Side
Flats, and Market Lofts. The company completed the award-winning
9th Street Lofts this fall – there are 9 units remaining for
sale. Visit www.landergroup.com to learn more about current and
past Lander Group projects.
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