David Prowler has a long track record of bringing people together to solve complex problems. He applies a unique range of skills, relationships and experience to project management, entitlement, planning and development challenges. David Prowler sat on the San Francisco Planning Commission, directed the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, served as Mayor Brown’s Project Manager for both Mission Bay and the Giants Ballpark and developed what SPUR called ‘the perfect project”. Over the past thirty years, David Prowler has helped developers, public agencies, and non-profits reach their goals. Prowler, inc. brings these services to help reach your goals.
Project Management
Prowler, inc. specializes in the management of complex public and private projects requiring the coordination of diverse agencies and viewpoints to achieve success. •
Glen Park Marketplace “The perfect project”, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. The Marketplace is a fully entitled, mixed-use project of neighborhoodserving grocery, branch public library, and 15 condominium units, 2 of them low- income. David Prowler assembled the site and the development team, defined the program, obtained entitlements, negotiated sale of the grocery and library condominium units, and identified financing. Approvals by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors were unanimous. The project was sold in October 2003 and will be completed in spring, 2006.
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Pacific Bell Ballpark David Prowler served as Mayor Willie Brown’s Project Manager for the land transactions (site assemblage and ground lease), community relations, entitlement, crafting of mitigations, and publicly financed portion of Pacific Bell Ballpark. Approvals by the Planning Commission, Redevelopment Commission, and Board of Supervisors were unanimous. Today, Pacific Bell Ballpark is the jewel of San Francisco’s waterfront.
Mission Bay
David Prowler served as the City’s Project Manager for the 303-acre Mission Bay Redevelopment Project, with responsibility for negotiating transactions, entitlements, and government and community relations. Mr. Prowler brought together a wide range of community constituencies, a dozen City agencies, and the City’s elected officials to achieve a consensus proposal. Approvals by all agencies were unanimous.
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Unreinforced Masonry Building Ordinance Mr. Prowler worked with the architectural and engineering professions, along with affected communities, as the designer of the City’s program to mandate the retrofit of the City’s 2000 unreinforced masonry buildings. This is the first retrofit program in the United States to result from a comprehensive cost benefit analysis. Board of Supervisors approval was unanimous and followed by voter approval of a $350 million general obligation bond for seismic retrofits.
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Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety Prowler, inc. headed up a team of structural engineers, economists, architects, and public education experts in a landmark study on behalf of the City’s Department of Building Inspections to assess the structural, use, demographic, and geotechnical status of each privately owned building in the City. This data was used to model physical and socio-economic impacts of a range of likely earthquakes. Phase 2 will design mitigations.
Project for Affordable Non-Profit Space
Prowler, inc. was Project Manager for a foundationfunded effort to assist San Francisco non-profits to secure space during the dot-com boom. Results have included the creation of a pro-bono panel of architects, lawyers, engineers, and lenders to assist non-profits, a loan fund of $2.5 million,30 grants to non-profits to purchase or rehabilitate space, and a continuing effort within the Mayor’s Office of Community Development. •
Chinatown Community Plan On behalf of the Chinatown Resource Center, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and Asian Neighborhood Design, David Prowler managed the creation and adoption of the City’s Chinatown Master Plan. This groundbreaking plan, stressing housing preservation and commercial vitality, was unanimously adopted by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.
Government and Community Relations Over the past 30 years, David Prowler has built relationships of trust and respect within the community, government, and private sectors - relationships which bridge the gaps and gain acceptance of change. Experience at community groups including the Trust for Public Land and Chinatown Community Development Corporation, and within City Hall as a Planning Commissioner and department head, have brought an unequalled range of relationships. In turn, project sponsors, public agencies, and community groups have benefited. Examples of recent clients include: •
One Rincon Hill Prowler, Inc. led the successful effort to gain approvals for the tallest residential towers in the west, at the crest of Rincon Hill. The two towers, rising 45 and 55 stories, will contain over 700 condominium units. The first tower is complete, sold out, and occupied.
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Paul Avenue Telecommunications Center. On behalf of WaveExchange, Prowler, inc. crafted the strategy to win community support and unanimous approval for a 7-acre telecommunications campus in the Bayview district.
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Piers 27 – 31 (Mills/YMCA Partnership) On behalf of the Mills Corporation, Prowler, inc. brought in the San Francisco YMCA as a partner to pursue a long term lease on Piers 27-31 as a new YMCA, recreation retail center, and office building. David Prowler developed strategy and delivered public presentations leading to the decision by the
Port Commission to grant the team the exclusive right to negotiate a lease. •
Joie de Vivre Hotels/Emerald Fund On behalf of a partnership composed of the Emerald Fund and Joie de Vivre Hotels, Prowler, inc. was on the lobbying team for a hotel on a site land leased from the Municipal Railroad. The hotel, Hotel Vitale, is open for business.
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San Francisco General Hospital Heliport On behalf of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Prowler, inc. provided community outreach for a study of the feasibility of developing a helipad atop San Francisco General Hospital. Health Commission action to move ahead with the helipad was unanimous.
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Pine Franklin Towers Prowler, Inc is leading the community and government relations effort for this 282-unit condominium and retail project in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights. A companion development will include a gymnasium, the Booker T. Washington Community Center, and 75 units of housing, including housing for young adults moving out of foster homes.
Prowler, inc. is registered with the San Francisco Ethics Commission to provide lobbying services and certified by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission as a Local Business Enterprise.
Sample Client List
AF Evans Development: unit condo project.
Entitlement of 285
GiftCenter: Amendment of Eastern Neighborhoods Plan to accommodate office conversion.
WaveExchange: Conditional use approval for 7-acre telecommunication campus.
The Mills Corporation/YMCA: Exclusive Right to Negotiate for Piers 27-31.
Joie de Vivre Hotels/Emerald Fund: Approval for hotel on City-owned Embarcadero parcel. Under construction.
Sprint PCS: Lease for cell phone antenna in 3Com Park. Approved.
Pulte Homes: One of the largest home developers in the U.S has contracted with Prowler, inc. assisted in the lobbying for a 2.5 acre mixed use project South of Market.
Urbanwest Associates: Entitlements team for One Rincon Hill.
San Francisco General Hospital: Community outreach for helipad feasibility study. Approved.
Department of Building Inspection: Manager of Seismic Impacts study.
Partnership for Affordable Non-Profit Spaces: Project Manager for loan fund and technical assistance to non-profits.
Pro Bono Homeless Prenatal Program: Board president
About David Prowler “David’s outstanding and dedicated work for the City has earned him the respect of his colleagues and the gratitude of the citizens of San Francisco.” Mayor Willie L. Brown
“If it weren’t for David’s leadership within City Hall, we’d probably still be negotiating and entitling Mission Bay. He was an effective problem-solver and advocate for the agreements between the Mayor and Catellus and his commitment to the deal helped to solidify community support.” Andrea Jones, Senior Vice President Catellus Development Corporation
“David led our organization’s work to develop collaborative strategies with other community organizations and the City Planning Department leading to broad consensus and support for the passage of the Chinatown Rezoning. The Rezoning was an extremely important accomplishment, protecting thousands of existing affordable housing units as well as the scale and character of Chinatown.” Gordon Chin Executive Director Chinatown Community Development Corporation
“Homeless Prenatal Program was stuck. Our Board and staff had spent years consumed with a difficult real estate question - whether to develop an asset we owned or move on and buy an existing building to meet our needs. David pushed the Board to form a real estate committee, led the committee, and really got us moving. He framed the question to help us decide, set criteria and found us a new home - a $4.6 million dream come true. Then he worked with the staff, the lender, the City, and the architect to make it happen. His leadership skills really got us there.” Jeanne Myerson, President and CEO The Swig Company member, Board of Directors, the Homeless Prenatal Program “Politically well-connected high powered lobbyist…” San Francisco Bay Guardian “Mild mannered do-gooder” San Francisco Examiner