Heritage Park, Minneapolis, MN   McCormack Baron Salazar is the nation’s leading for-profit developer of economically integrated urban neighborhoods. Since 1973 MBS has developed 137 projects in 33 cities. In partnership with local community leaders, grassroots organizations, and major institutions, we have created healthy, successful communities. Our core experience in housing development is our most visible success. We have built more than 15,260 units of attractive, high-quality housing for families, seniors, singles, and young couples. Guided by the belief that a strong neighborhood is economically, racially, ethnically, and generationally diverse, our communities afford the same housing opportunity for all types of people, for existing as well as new members of the community, for renters and homeowners. We achieve our goals through excellence in teamwork, design and development, finance, management, and community and resident involvement. Teamwork We believe that a multi-disciplinary approach is the best way to address the challenge of rebuilding neighborhoods. When we begin a project, we assemble a team of staff members combining expertise in finance, design, construction, law, management, and community involvement. We may engage outside planning and design firms, and partner with other developers, to complete large and complex developments. The team works together from inception of a development through the financial closing, design, and construction process. Unique in the industry, our emphasis on communication across disciplines leads to continuing improvement and refinement of our development product and brings the development to completion as quickly as possible. We are also committed to diversity in the workplace. Our workforce reflects the diversity of the communities in which we build. Design and Development The design and construction quality of MBS projects is unparalleled. We emphasize quality materials and creative design in every step of the development process – from infrastructure to neighborhood design to façade to landscaping to unit interiors. This driving principle creates homes and communities of lasting value. Every aspect of our master plans, and every unit in our developments, whether public housing, low-income or market rate, receives exacting attention to quality and detail. The result is a harmonious design that gives residents a sense of pride and a feeling of community. Our designs respect the environment and incorporate features of “green” architecture. Buildings are sited to take advantage of angles of the sun, and of views. We employ sustainable, recyclable, low-maintenance and durable construction materials. Thermal windows and high-efficiency furnaces maximize energy efficiency and keep residents’ utility costs low. Indoor air quality is increased by using operable windows and by filtering fresh air from the outside. We are proactive in working with the differently-abled. We maximize accessibility of sites and units for people with limited mobility. In many developments we design units that can be adapted for use by wheelchair-bound residents in the future. This allows residents to remain in their units if they suffer a mobility injury and as they age. Assisted and public housing design during the past 50 years has created an unforgiving legacy of “mega-block” developments that cut off street and pedestrian connections to surrounding neighborhoods. A fundamental principle in MBS neighborhood planning is to restore a network of safe, attractive, tree-lined streets and sidewalks that encourage use of outdoor space by residents of all ages. Restored connections to surrounding neighborhoods and central business districts are welcomed by residents who find they can easily commute to employment and walk, drive, or take public transportation to commercial areas. Finance Affordable and market rate communities combine many different sources of financing. MBS has become a leading expert in the once arcane field of mixed-finance housing development. A single mixed-income development may incorporate federal funds, bonds, conventional mortgage financing, foundation grants or loans, pension funds, and local government funding. Our finance professionals put together a workable financial structure that leverages the most private funding possible while ensuring that housing remains affordable for the long term. Our firm was a pioneer in the effort to increase housing production with innovations in finance. Drawing on their experience – and frustration – with the complexity of affordable housing finance, in 1993 Richard Baron and Kevin McCormack proposed a new approach for mixed-income, mixed-finance development to then-HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros. Their concept, which MBS employed in the first HUD demonstration projects in 1996, was incorporated into new HOPE VI regulations, allowing public housing units to be included within mixed-income developments. The mixed-finance approach leveraged private dollars into the mix. Since the advent of this innovative approach, HOPE VI has been an extremely productive and successful housing development program. Management MBS founded a management subsidiary in 1975 to maintain high-quality management practices and continue resident involvement. Today, McCormack Baron Ragan Management Services manages 82 apartment communities in 16 states, totaling over 14,970 units. McCormack Baron Ragan manages MBS developments and performs fee management services for other owners. McCormack Baron Ragan has decades of experience managing tax credit, subsidized, and conventional developments. The company is known for responsive service, understanding of complex government regulations, and commitment to partnerships with residents, community organizations, and the public sector. Community and Resident Involvement To further the development of community social networks and services, MBS engages a non-profit organization, Urban Strategies. Urban Strategies works with residents and neighborhood organizations to develop services that the residents determine are most important to them. By strengthening existing social services organizations, Urban Strategies connects residents to services such as job training, child care, after school programs, youth activities, and elder services.