Partnerships and Advocacy

The Partnerships and Advocacy unit of the Urban Projects Group works with external and internal partners to make plan visions a reality through innovative partnerships and creative problem solving. The team’s focus lies at the intersection of real estate, economic and community development, and project delivery.

There are two key functions of this team:

1. Coordinate public-private partnerships that foster mutually beneficial agreements between the City and the private sector. UPG is the City’s primary point of contact for sourcing and coordinating public-private partnerships (P3), from conception to implementation.
2. Provide project advocacy for complex and high-priority public and private development and infrastructure projects, ensuring projects can be reviewed and delivered as efficiently as possible. 

Our team’s work includes leading the coordination and negotiation of agreements with the private sector; conducting pre-development financial and urban design analysis for early-stage City projects; supporting City departments and external applicants in navigating the development review process; and identifying opportunities for continuous process improvement. Other departments that we collaborate with regularly to achieve these goals include Housing and Neighborhoods; Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources; Transportation; the Office of Strategy and Innovation; the Office of Sustainability; Engineering Services; the City Attorney’s Office; and the City Manager’s Office.