Urban One Team:
Dennis Allen, Managing Partner
As Principal of Urban One, Dennis is responsible for management, strategy, and operations of the firm including general oversight of each of Urban One’s projects. He is also the Executive Director of Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc., the non-profit corporation formed to build a modern day streetcar system in Downtown Los Angeles.
Prior to Urban One, Dennis was a Director of Acquisitions and Development at The Kor Group in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for the sourcing, analysis, and execution of Kor’s new acquisition and development opportunities. During his tenure at Kor, Dennis was involved with the acquisition, financing, development, and disposition of over 1,000 new units with values in excess of $300 million. Notable projects include the adaptive reuse of the Eastern Columbia Lofts in Downtown LA, the Broadway Hollywood Lofts in Hollywood, and the Sunset Silverlake condo project.
In addition to his acquisition and development activities, Dennis was instrumental in developing and implementing key processes that enabled the rapid growth of Kor’s Residential Division. The overall operational strategy included the development and integration of systems for hiring, budgeting, accounting, project management, financial reporting and communication.
Dennis’ real estate background also includes positions at Starpoint Properties, where he was involved with sourcing, analysis and acquisition of multi-family, retail, and office projects, and at UBS, where he was an analyst focused on CMBS, REIT, and alternative investment research.
Dennis is a graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business where he was a Presidential Scholar. He has taught Real Estate Investment and Development classes at UCLA Extension, is a frequent guest lecturer in USC’s Real Estate program, and is actively involved in both the Urban Land Institute Los Angeles and the Lusk Center.
JR Riddle, Partner
As a partner in Urban One, JR Riddle is responsible for the project development and construction related activities for each client, including estimating, costing, budgeting, scheduling, and general construction oversight. Mr. Riddle is a skilled development professional with a wide range of project experience and leadership tools to effectively manage construction projects on time and on budget.
Prior to joining Urban One, JR Riddle was a Project Manager of Design & Construction for Clarett West Development (formerly The Clarett Group), a New York-based residential developer. Riddle helped manage the design and construction process for all of Clarett’s west coast projects, including the large scale mixed-use development, Blvd6200 in Hollywood, CA. He would oversee the General Contractor, Architect, Engineers, and all other Specialty Consultants throughout the entire process, from project inception to building occupancy.
Before joining Clarett, Riddle was a Construction Manager at Los Angeles-based residential developer and hotelier, The Kor Group. At Kor, Riddle managed the day-to-day construction of several historic buildings that were adaptively reused into high-end loft condominiums. His projects at Kor included The Broadway Hollywood in Hollywood, CA and The Barker Block located in downtown Los Angeles, CA.
Prior to The Kor Group, Riddle was a Project Engineer and Estimator at general contractor Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, where his projects included the 3161 Park Place project for Maguire Properties in Irvine, CA and the Biological Sciences 3 project for UCIrvine in Irvine, CA. At Dinwiddie, Riddle managed the majority of the construction trades by evaluating bids, scoping necessary work, awarding and writing subcontracts, reviewing all submittals, overseeing procurement, coordinating contiguous trades, and performing cost control. As an estimator, he worked with the executive management team seek, bid, and acquire prospective work.
Mr. Riddle completed his B.S. in Civil Engineering Building Science, as well as an M.S. in Construction Engineering and Management, both from the University of Southern California. He is also a LEED Accredited Professional.
Eric Metz, Partner
As an Associate at Urban One, Eric brings a strong background in urban planning, infrastructure, and economic development to the company and has a broad range of responsibilities. Eric skillfully handles all day-to-day oversight of the Downtown L.A. Streetcar Project, in addition to executing and planning the project’s long-range development and fundraising strategies. This scope encompasses management of project consultants, interaction with public agencies, deployment of public outreach initiatives, implementation of organizational decisions, and general administration of the project.
Eric’s work with infill, redevelopment, and project management on Urban One’s core real estate focus has covered entitlements, permitting, and bid review for development projects throughout California. This work also includes underwriting potential acquisitions and development projects, proforma and cash flow modeling, and investment analysis.
This hands-on experience with development management and urban planning leverages his academic strengths, as he has conducted and led extensive research efforts for the University of Southern California, the United Nations, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. Eric’s collaborative research and professional work has been published in several formats and mediums.
Eric holds a Master of Urban Planning degree with an Economic Development emphasis from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in American Studies (Highest Honors) from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Ben Feingold, Associate
As an associate at Urban One, Ben provides a range of services for development and construction management projects. For the Downtown L.A. Streetcar Project, he is responsible for financial modeling for the proposed Community Facilities District, and he is heavily involved in public outreach and consensus building with Downtown property owners.
Prior to joining Urban One, Ben worked with the Economic Development Unit of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, where he assisted in the development of several citywide economic and business development initiatives. At CRA/LA, Ben played a key role in the development of the Agency’s Economic Impact Assessment model, which is used to estimate the impacts of development projects on various sources of public revenues, including sales, utility, business, and transient occupancy taxes, as well as temporary and permanent job creation. Ben also worked for the Business Assistance Program of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).
With economic development experience in both the public and private sectors, Ben brings expertise and insight into projects that contain public-private partnership components and the unique processes that apply to those projects.
Ben completed his Master of Urban Planning degree with an Economic Development concentration at the University of Southern California, and he holds a B.A. in Public Policy (with Distinction) and a minor in Economics from the University of Michigan.
