Effective management of BMR Programs

Workshop Summary

Your city has mandated BMR units, and developers are delivering. Now what? What are the best methods for managing BMR programs? What works and what doesn’t? This workshop covers best practices, common mistakes, how to fix them, and insights from three cities.

Workshop and Moderators

Moderator – Aaron Aknin

Aknin, AICP, is a Principal and Co-Owner of Good City Company. He has nearly two decades of Bay Area municipal experience, including serving in an executive capacity for several different Peninsula cities. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and the American Planning Association. Aaron has frequently spoken at regional events, as well as served on panels at national conferences on topics related to development, downtown planning, transportation, parking, affordable housing, and related issues. Most recently, Aaron was the Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director with the City of Redwood City where he oversaw a 70+ member department, which included the Planning, Housing, Engineering, Transportation, Front Counter Services, and Code Enforcement divisions. He holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from San Francisco State University and an M.A. in Public Policy from Cal State Northridge.

Panelist – Sandy Council

Sandy Council has over 35 years of experience in program design, implementation, and administration of a wide range of housing and community development programs, primarily with the City of San Mateo. She has worked closely with both nonprofit and market-rate housing developers supporting the new construction of affordable housing units, including the planning, construction, and ongoing monitoring of rental and ownership units, especially in conjunction with local inclusionary and state density bonus law requirements. She retired from full-time work in 2022 but continues to support housing programs through her part-time consulting work.

Panelist – Nori Jabba

Nori is the Housing Coordinator for the City of Foster City and has over 30 years of experience in affordable housing, community development, and corporate real estate. She manages Foster City’s below-market-rate housing programs, including the city-owned workforce housing development and implementation of the City’s Housing Element. Nori’s experience includes business development, compliance, and property management for HIP Housing; development consulting for nonprofit and market-rate developers; public and community affairs; and real estate portfolio management for a public utility. She holds a master’s in urban and regional planning from George Washington University. 

Panelist – Steven McDonald

Mr. McDonald has nearly 40 years of experience in managing multifamily residential housing, including high-rise, conventional market-rate, affordable, and subsidized housing programs.  Among local community property management companies, Mr. McDonald has worked for MidPen Housing, the John Stewart Company, R.W. Zukin Corporation, and Westlake Realty Group; he retired from HIP Housing Affordable Ventures, Inc. in 2022, where he served as Vice President, Property Management. During his career, he directed the successful lease-up of 21 LIHTC projects and managed over 5,000 units in 100+ properties in 12 Bay Area counties. Mr. McDonald held numerous certifications and was credentialed as a Certified Property Manager (CPM). He currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Tax Credit Management Insider, a monthly publication, and has written numerous articles for Tax Credit Management Insider, Assisted Housing Management Insider, Multi-Housing News, Apartment Owners Association, and the California Apartment Association.

Panelist – Lenelle Suliguin

Lenelle Suliguin is a Senior Management Analyst for the City of Daly City and has over 15 years of experience working on affordable housing programs for the City of Daly City.  She also facilitates the administration of the City’s CDBG and HOME programs.  Prior to working for the City of Daly City, she worked for the American Red Cross Bay Area and received her MA in Public Administration from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.  She is currently working on a Creative Writing Certificate from the City College of San Francisco.

Panelist – Tim Davis

Tim Davis is the Director of Consulting Services for HEART of San Mateo County. Tim recently moved to the Bay Area from Boston, Massachusetts, where he most recently served as the Deputy Director for Policy Development & Research at the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing. Tim has almost 30 years of experience working in housing, focusing on a range of policies and programs. For the last eight years, he has been instrumental in the managing and updating of Boston’s inclusionary development policy. Tim holds a BA in Geography and Urban Studies from Macalester College and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.