debra

Debra L. Jeans, Principal, an economist, conducts market and economic research, investment analysis, and economic and fiscal impact analysis to: (1) estimate the demand for real estate and understand the attitudes and behavior of the groups who determine the success of development, planning, and public policy decisions; (2) evaluate the financial feasibility of serving the identified demands; and (3) estimate the effects developments and policies will have on government budgets and local and regional economies.

Market, real estate economic, and impact evaluation led by Debra Jeans have resulted in the development and redevelopment of many retail, office, industrial, hotel, self-storage, and a broad variety of housing projects, ranging in scale from a single building to large mixed-use projects.

Debra Jeans has contributed research, analysis, and strategic planning that has provided the foundation for comprehensive and specific plans, economic development plans, housing and other land use policies adopted by communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Her work has led to the revitalization of downtowns, commercial corridors and the adaptive reuse and re-positioning of buildings no longer in their highest and best use.

Ms. Jeans frequently evaluates and identifies asset enhancement and disposition strategies for surplus government and institutional properties. She played a major role in estimating the demand for office, retail, and residential uses and evaluating the real estate economics of alternative plans for the disposition and reuse of the 75-acre State of California closed Fred C. Nelles’ site in Whittier, California and contributed financial analysis to evaluate and assist in the negotiation of proposals for the purchase of the property which the selected team lead by Brookfield Residential is redeveloped into a mixed-use community. She also played a major role in the solicitation and evaluation of proposals for the ground-lease and development of surplus land for industrial and retail uses at a State of California correctional institution in Chino, California that resulted in the development of 3.1 million square feet of building space by the selected developer Majestic Realty under a participating ground lease. She led market research and real estate financial analysis and valuation of State of California surplus sites in Downtown San Francisco and San Diego. She co-led the formulation and implementation of a developer solicitation program for the disposition and redevelopment of the former 20-acre corporation yard of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) into a mixed-use transit-oriented development by SKK Developments planned to total 878 residential units, 20,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, along with various community amenities at an estimated value of $420 million. She also directed the evaluation of developer proposals and recommended the selection of M&R Development, which built a transit-oriented five-story mixed use development in Downtown Wilmette on land purchased from the Village of Wilmette, Illinois.

Ms. Jeans provided market research and financial analysis to support the identification of facility master plans and occupancy of space to house public workforces and provide for joint development and revenue-generating, enhanced use of surplus public real estate assets for the city of San Diego and counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma.

Ms. Jeans completed market research and financial feasibility analysis to evaluate and program revenue-generating interior station and parking lot development opportunities for Metra and the Chicago Transit Authority. She co-led the design and implementation of a revenue-generating tenant solicitation program for a broad variety of CTA stations.

She has also provided the market, economic and financial foundation and contributed to the preparation of strategic action plans to generate revenue from aviation and non-aviation development at DuPage International Airport, Northern Colorado Regional Airport, Phoenix-Mesa, Gateway Airport, Reading Regional Airport, and Southern Illinois Airport.

Ms. Jeans co-led a widely cited econometric analysis (hedonic price modeling) and survey research study to assess the effects of transit station proximity on residential property values for the Regional Transportation Authority.

Ms. Jeans has also completed fiscal impact studies to estimate the effect on operating budgets of local and county governments of the development of office, industrial, retail, hotel, and science and technology-oriented business parks as well as single-family and multi-family residential developments. She has also estimated the economic impacts of office and industrial buildings, shopping centers, hospitals, colleges and universities, fairs and fairgrounds including the Oregon State Fair. She has estimated the fiscal and economic impacts of infrastructure investments including highway interchanges, power plants, and the Chicago Executive Airport and the DuPage International Airport.
Ms. Jeans has led or made major contributions to the completion of housing need assessments and housing policy studies for Chandler, Arizona; Davis, California; the city and county of Pueblo, Colorado, Elbert County, and the cities of Brighton, Golden, and Lakewood, Colorado; Des Moines County, Iowa; Lea County, New Mexico; Blue Ash, Ohio; Brookfield and Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin; and the city and county of Sheridan, and the city of Gillette, Wyoming. She also directed a statewide housing needs assessment for the State of Iowa.

She has assisted numerous municipalities and developers with evaluating the need for and structuring incentives to bridge feasibility gaps to bring about the development of office, industrial, retail, restaurant, automotive dealerships. hotel and housing uses.

Ms. Jeans has completed market research, including survey research and demographic and economic analysis to identify the scale, type, and mix of market responsive and financially feasible real estate development for real estate investors and developers including the Alter Group, Crown Community Development, Hunter Properties, Regency Centers, Strong Capital Management, and The Verde Group.
For municipalities she has also conducted research to evaluate the demand for and financial feasibility of the development of sports facilities and conference and convention centers.

She has guest lectured on real estate market research and investment analysis at Ohio State University and Roosevelt University in Chicago.  Articles she has authored include “The Shortfall in the Production of Housing and Its Effects”, Economic Development Journal and “Transit Stations Influence Residential Property Values”, Urban Land.

Ms. Jeans earned an M.B.A. (with a specialization in Finance) from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Economics from Scripps College. Ms. Jeans is a member of the American Economic Association and the International Economic Development Council.