Hollis

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Hollis /taub/9″/dt1st/mark2nd

Calvin Hollis II

Senior principal

Keyser Marston Associates Inc.

Specialty: Redevelopment consulting

When local municipal governments analyze a redevelopment project determining if it will attract partners, if it will make money and how much the city will have to contribute they often turn to Calvin Hollis II.

Hollis is senior principal and co-manager of the downtown Los Angeles office of Keyser Marston Associates Inc., a San Francisco-based firm that specializes in real estate consulting for cities and other public entities, such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in L.A., the Bay Area Rapid Transit in Northern California, and various universities.

Among the projects on which Hollis has recently consulted are TrizecHahn Corp.’s Hollywood & Highland retail project adjacent to Mann’s Chinese Theatre; the ground lease for the Queen Mary in Long Beach; the facelift of the Plaza Pasadena mall (also being done by TrizecHahn); and the mall being planned by Pacific Theatres for the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.

“We do two things: We evaluate the private economics of the project to determine the extent the public needs to be involved,” said the 47-year-old Hollis. “The other half of the numbers is to figure out what the best way is for the city to invest their funds. We try to minimize the city’s investment and maximize their return, just like we would for a private client.”

Hollis said his job is more challenging than consulting for a private developer, because he not only must analyze a project for its financial pros and cons but for how it will sit with the local city council. “With everything we come up with, ultimately, we have to be consistent with the governing body’s policies,” he said.

Hollis, who grew up in the Inland Empire and has lived in Pasadena for 22 years, received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Cal State Los Angeles in 1975. After college, he went to work for John Grey and Associates, a defunct downtown financial consulting firm.

After three years there, Hollis formed Katz Hollis Inc., a downtown L.A. firm that specializes in revenue bond analysis. Hollis, who is no longer associated with the firm, joined Keyser Marston 16 years ago.

Daniel Taub

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