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Department: Runstad Department of Real Estate

Jeff McCann

Jeff McCann has a breadth of experience in construction management, real estate sales, and development. He is the founder and owner of Outdoor Perspectives LLC, a land-use consulting company that helps clients navigate the complexities of land acquisition, feasibility and entitlement issues. Jeff has assisted clients in the development of over a thousand acres of land in the Puget Sound region and helped facilitate other major development projects across the state. He has also been a licensed real estate broker for more than 25-years.

Before pivoting into development, Jeff spent many years in construction management. As a third-generation dirt contractor, his family originally started out with two horses and a flatbed wagon hauling dirt in the Kent valley. Jeff is a lifelong Husky having earned three degrees from the UW. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Building Construction (BCON) (1994), a Master’s of Science in Construction Management (2000), and a Master’s of Science in Real Estate (2021).

Matthew Disston

With extensive background in real estate project management, marketing research and economic consulting for a broad spectrum of national and international clients, Matthew Disston brings to DMG important project management and analytical skills in both public and private sector work.  His experience includes market feasibility studies, fiscal and financial analysis, entitlement and development processing, consumer research and economic analysis. Disston’s professional experience includes projects throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.

Prior to forming DMG, Disston served as vice president for Valeo Companies’ west coast regional office.  As part of the Valeo team, Disston was responsible for the development, product planning, market and financial analysis, architectural review, entitlement and jurisdictional approval for both single-family detached and attached homes in Santa Cruz, Fullerton, Rancho Cucamonga, Perris and Blythe California.  Additionally, Disston served as a project manager for transient lodging, recreational commercial, event facilities and high-density residential components for mixed-use projects located in central Sonoma County, and Fullerton California.

Disston’s resume includes transient lodging, light industrial, office, single-family detached and multi-family residential feasibility analysis throughout California, Arizona and Nevada, traditional and entertainment retail feasibility in Mexico and Brazil, and consumer research throughout the United States.  Disston was also responsible for the feasibility evaluation and market analysis for long-range planning of office, retail, hotel and industrial projects proposed on the 75,000-acre Irvine Ranch.

Disston graduated from the University of California, Berkeley where he earned a bachelor’s degree in urban economics.  He is a past member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, and a past member of the Association of California Water Agencies and he served for twenty years as a Director of the Trabuco Canyon Water District, and five years as the president of the board of directors for the Southern Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA) Additionally, he has a 32-year association with the University of California, Irvine, where he teaches classes. Recently Disston served in an advisory role for the development of the Market Analytics classes extension at the University of Washington and has taught in the Runstad Real Estate Department since 2017.

Shannon Affholter

Shannon Affholter is currently providing consulting and advisory services in real estate investing and career preparation. He is also an instructor teaching leadership classes at the University of Washington, Runstad Department of Real Estate, and business classes at Everett Community College.

Shannon was the Chief Operating Officer at Oakpointe Communities, providing operational leadership for one of the largest land developers in the Puget Sound. Before Oakpointe, Shannon was the executive director at the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, the largest local homebuilders association in the nation, where he oversaw the Association in its entirety.

Prior to his tenure at the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, Shannon was the Vice President of Business and Economic Development for Economic Alliance Snohomish County and was elected to serve two terms on the Everett City Council. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Western Washington University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Pacific Lutheran University.

Building a more just and beautiful future: CBE’s new faculty cohort makes strides on campus

The new cohort of faculty have made a big impact in their initial time on campus. Please see the full story here. The cohort includes: Dr. Narjes Abbasabadi, an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture and affiliate data science faculty UW eScience Institute, studies computation and decarbonization of the built environment. Dr. Amos Darko, an assistant professor in Construction Management, studies how digital technologies can help people better monitor, assess, understand, and improve the sustainability performance of the built…

CBE Research Restart Funding: Progress and Updates

The College of Built Environments awarded Research Restart funding to multiple project teams in 2022. Below are descriptions of their progress and project status to-date. July 2022 Cohort: Arthur Acolin received funding for their project entitled “Accessory Dwelling Units as Potential Source of Affordable Housing Across Generations.” A no-cost extension was approved in May 2023 due to delays in implementing the survey for the project. In July 2023, design of the survey instrument and postcards was completed, and next steps…

Publication of the Largest National Study on Community Land Trusts and Nonprofits with Shared Equity Homeownership Programs

The Largest National Study on Community Land Trusts and Nonprofits with Shared Equity Homeownership Programs was recently completed. In partnership with the University of Toronto, Grounded Solutions Network has completed the largest and most comprehensive national census on community land trusts (CLTs) and nonprofits with shared equity homeownership programs (SEH) to date. The report was made possible through the support of Freddie Mac, and which was developed in partnership with and published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The…

Scaling Down from the Neighborhood in Urban Planning Research and Practice: The Potential Benefits of a Micro-Scale Focus

Walter, R. J., Tillyer, M. S., Ramiller, A., & Acolin, A. (2023). Scaling Down from the Neighborhood in Urban Planning Research and Practice: The Potential Benefits of a Micro-Scale Focus. Journal of Planning Education and Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X231175593

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Abstract

The neighborhood has been the dominant spatial unit in urban planning since the early 20th century. Criticisms of the neighborhood unit include disagreements about defining boundaries, methodological challenges in capturing neighborhood effects, and negative impacts on communities. With advancements in data management, and public data available at smaller units (street block or property), quantitative analyses are possible at the micro-scale. This commentary draws on crime research and prevention to illustrate the benefits of micro-scale approaches to quantitative analyses in the field of urban planning, arguing that the devolution to smaller scales may be a vehicle for efficient resource allocation.

Population Health Initiative awards multiple College of Built Environments teams planning grants

The Population Health Initiative announced 12 climate change planning grant awardees. Of those 12 teams, 4 include College of Built Environments researchers. Descriptions of their projects are below. Read the CBE News story here.   Linking Climate Adaptation and Public Health Outcomes in Yavatmal, Maharashtra Investigators Sameer H. Shah, Environmental and Forest Sciences Celina Balderas Guzmán, Landscape Architecture Pronoy Rai, Portland State University Project abstract This proposal collects primary interview data with landed and landless agriculturalists in Yavatmal district in…

College of Built Environments Announces 2023 Inspire Fund Awards

In 2021, the College of Built Environments launched the CBE Inspire Fund to “inspire” CBE research activities that are often underfunded, but for which a relatively small amount of support can be transformative. The Inspire Fund aims to support research where arts and humanities disciplines are centered, and community partners are engaged in substantive ways. Inspire Fund is also meant to support ‘seed’ projects, where a small investment in early research efforts may serve as a powerful lever for future…