KTGY Principals to Speak at Building Industry Show on New Realities in Master Planned Communities and What Consumers Want

IRVINE, CA – November 1, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, is pleased to announce that KTGY Principals Ken Ryan and Manny Gonzalez, AIA, LEED AP have been invited to speak at the 22nd Annual Building Industry Association of Southern California’s Building Industry Show (BIS) 2011 on November 9-10 at the Long Beach Convention Center. BIS is the official tradeshow of the Building Industry Association of Southern California and has been the number one trade show for the region’s building industry professionals.

On Wednesday, November 9, Ryan will moderate a panel on “The New Reality of Master Planned Communities,” from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Attendees will hear from a diverse selection of successful and forward thinking industry leaders discussing their individual enlightened perspectives on neighborhood design, placemaking and market demographic shifts. Formatted to be an interactive dialog with the audience throughout the session, attendees will learn what land owners, developers and builders are doing different and how they are addressing the significant challenges of the next generation in new community planning. Points of discussion will include design, entitlement, land plan flexibility, consumer preferences, demographic, community involvement, politics, market segmentation, project finance and what the building community is doing to add value.

Speakers will include president of Brookfield Homes, Adrian Foley, Erik Pfahler, vice president of acquisitions and forward planning for Shapell Industries, Inc., and Chevron Land and Development Company’s Jim Pugliese. Foley brings the Brookfield Homes’ reputation for quality, design and customer service. As a leader in the industry, he has proven his understanding of the homebuyer by creating inviting communities that enhance the lives of owners. Erik Pfahler has held a variety of executive level positions at a number of companies. His extensive acquisition and entitlement work in both robust and difficult markets combined with his reputation for creating place brings a thoughtful perspective based on real world opportunities to the discussion. Chevron’s Jim Pugliese brings a global point of view having just completed work in South Africa and currently overseeing the 510+ acre West Coyote Hills Master Plan recently approved in the City of Fullerton.

Overseeing KTGY’s Community Planning and Urban Design studios, Ken Ryan has served as leader on projects involving complex regeneration planning, urban infill, large scale master plans, transit-oriented development, resort/recreation studies, community participation programs and intergovernmental coordination. Ryan is a planner known for his leadership, strategic insight and communication skills. Through his experience as a past two-term Mayor and his ongoing involvement on numerous city and community advisory and governing boards, Ryan brings a unique perspective and significant entitlement experience to the planning process. Ryan is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and has won numerous awards for his work, written articles for industry publications and is a guest on television broadcasts.

Also on November 9, Gonzalez will be a speaker at the session, “The Consumer Speaks; Are You Listening?” from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Speakers will also include Molly Carmichael, principal, John Burns Real Estate Consulting; and John Thatch, principal, Dahlin Group Architectural Planning. Gonzalez and Thatch will offer new designs to address the changing demographics outlined in the research results from a nationwide survey that John Burns Real Estate Consulting performed.

The panel will discuss what is the highest density for detached and attached product that designers can provide and when does it make sense to shift from attached to detached or detached to attached. Whether its multi-generational housing or shared housing, what is the solution for tomorrow’s financially strapped boomers and their Gen Y children? Consumer’s want green, they want light, and they want space — including an office, so what are the best designs and best cost that will attract them?

Gonzalez, citing some of John Burns Real Estate Consulting’s recent research results, “While new homes may currently be getting smaller, when you ask consumers what they want, they are still looking for more square footage. However, non-family households will generally require less space than a family household. For example, non-family households are more likely to choose a home under 2,500 square feet and family households are more likely to choose a home under 3,000 square feet. More than two-thirds of non-family households want three or fewer bedrooms; two-thirds of family households want four or more bedrooms.”

Family households are more likely to stretch for size over location. “Non-family households are more likely to value location over size. They want to be close to work, entertainment, and shopping. While the family and non-family household preferences are similar in terms of community and home, non-family households are less likely to choose features like media rooms, community pools and tot lots,” Gonzalez stated.

Gonzalez is the senior partner in KTGY’s Santa Monica office and president of KTGY Group, Colorado. He is responsible for the design, land planning, and production of developments throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado as well as active adult and affordable multi-family communities nationwide. In his more than 25 years of practice in residential development, Gonzalez has won numerous awards for his outstanding designs and has served as Chair of the AIA Housing Committee, on the Board of Directors for the BIA, and on national committees for the NAHB Multifamily Leadership Board, The 50+ Symposium and University of Housing. He has written and contributed to scores of articles on residential design and is a frequent presenter at industry conferences. Gonzalez has presented his ideas on design trends in the homebuilding industry at the BIS for more than a decade.

About BIS

BIS is the show for Southern California’s homebuilding industry decision-makers, purchasing agents, builders and executives who come to engage with the companies that offer the most innovative and effective solutions, building contacts with established and prospective clients. BIS is designed to offer education, networking events and a dynamic trade show floor to those who facilitate the growth of the building industry. For more information about the event, visit www.buildingindustryshow.com.

About KTGY Group, Inc.

Celebrating its 20th year this month, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, market trends and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons Corner, Va. See www.ktgy.com.

Media Contact:

Anne Monaghan
Monaghan Communications