Matt Brown, formerly with the Portland Office of Transportation, improved the City’s Local Improvement District assessment system and managed South Waterfront projects.

PORTLAND, OREGON – December 30, 2005

Williams & Dame Development, one of Portland’s leading real estate development firms, announced today it has hired Matt Brown as a project manager to assist with its burgeoning portfolio of business in Los Angeles and other Western markets. Brown was formerly with the City of Portland’s Office of Transportation (PDOT), where he led successful projects in urban design, transportation planning and citizen involvement.

"We are delighted that Matt will be joining our team," said Homer Williams, the firm’s co-founder. "Matt has shown exceptional leadership in a number of our region’s most important urban design and transportation projects. He is a problem-solver and knows how to work with people, two essential assets in our business."

At Williams & Dame, Brown will assist with the firm’s growing business in various Western regional markets where Portland’s approach to transit planning and community involvement are being used as models for development. In Los Angeles, Brown will represent the firm in The South Group, a collaboration with Portland-based developers Gerding/Edlen, to revitalize the South Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The South Group is currently working with the City of Los Angeles to develop several thousand residential living spaces and associated ground-floor retail opportunities in the South Park neighborhood, linking the neighborhood with the City’s growing light-rail and commuter-rail systems. The group’s goal is to create an environmentally sustainable, mixed-use neighborhood with an eclectic and compelling atmosphere that engages pedestrians and encourages activity.

Brown had served as a project manager with the Portland Office of Transportation (PDOT) since 1994. He began his career with the City by leading the Capital Highway and Hawthorne Boulevard improvement projects for the City’s Pedestrian Program. In 1998, Brown was assigned to revamp the City’s local improvement district (LID) assessment system. The new LID process was approved by the City Council in 2000.

Since 2000, Brown has served as PDOT’s primary manager for transportation projects in the South Waterfront District. These projects have included work on the arterial and local streets as well as the development of the Portland Aerial Tram. During the past two years, he worked extensively to resolve neighborhood issues through the City’s Tram Citizen Advisory Committee. In August 2005, Brown transitioned to part-time work for the City of Portland and created LOCI, an independent urban design and planning firm.

"I am proud of the work we have done in Portland to bring neighborhoods together and to incorporate the values of the community into our projects," said Brown. "Homer and Dike share this approach to strengthening communities, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with them."

Brown is a graduate of Cornell University in New York, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in landscape architecture. Before joining the City of Portland, he spent five years as an associate with Land Design Research International, in Columbia, MD.

About Williams & Dame Development

Williams & Dame Development is a Portland-based real estate development firm led by Homer Williams and Dike Dame, who together have more than 70 years of experience in real estate development and finance. The firm has an organic approach to urban transformation, collaborating with public and private partners to create unique neighborhoods that blend quality housing, vibrant street life and new business opportunities. The firm has led the redevelopment of Portland's Pearl and South Waterfront Districts and is helping revitalize the South Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Contact:

John Mangan
MAP Communications, (503) 701-7503
john@map-communications