FOUNDERS
Steven Pontes, Avi Ben-Zaken, and Eric Cress founded Urban Development Partners in 2006 with a shared vision of how a company can work to enhance communities by rehabilitating urban properties.
Avi and Steven met several years ago when their daughters both attended the same Montessori school. Both Avi and Steven had successful track records in real estate acquisition and development, and Avi's company specialized in retrofitting historic brick buildings. Eric Cress, who had a strong interest in transit-oriented urban development, joined Avi's company in 2004.
Steven, Avi, and Eric first worked together on the Mutual Creamery Lofts, an adaptive re-use project in an urban environment. The historic structure in downtown Oakland was originally built for industrial purposes in 1918. By preserving the existing building, a valuable and beautiful component of the urban landscape was kept intact. They converted the Mutual Creamery building into 26 live/work lofts, preserved the brick exterior, installed new industrial windows, and incorporated state-of-the-art interiors—creating a beautiful contrast between historical features of the building and modern components that were installed.
Following the success of the Mutual Creamery Lofts, Avi, Steven, and Eric were inspired to form Urban Development Partners (UDP).
We are saddened to report that Steven Pontes passed away in early 2008. In addition to being a visionary businessman, Steven was a dear friend and a constant inspiration. Steven had a real passion for real estate, and creating UDP was the realization of a dream for him. We are dedicated to making UDP a company that he would be proud of.
You can read more about Steven Pontes in this article from The Oakland Tribune. Please see Avi's and Eric's write-ups under "Team" to learn more about them.
