Michael L. Dieden - Developer
Creative Housing Associates
Mr. Dieden is currently head of site acquisition, pre-development
design, entitlements and marketing for CHA.
Michael Dieden founded Creative Housing Associates in 1997,
and he has established a national model on how to create
transit-oriented developments. CHA is based in the Los Angeles,
and Michael seeks to solve the larger public policy issues
of suburban sprawl and sustainable development through his
visionary designs.
Michael began his career by working in politics, where he
learned how to negotiate with government agencies and listen
to community needs. A long-time political activist, Mr. Dieden
organized against the Vietnam War and for the United Farm
workers in the 1960-70s. Mr. Dieden worked on Jerry Brown's
first successful gubernatorial campaign in 1974, and he served
as Political Director of the Campaign for Economic Democracy,
a statewide public interest organization. He continues to
be active in local and statewide politics and was also the
lead political strategist for the successful campaign to
defeat the Ward Valley nuclear waste dump next to the Colorado
River. In his first dealings with real estate in the mid-1970s,
Dieden and his brother Edward built single-family homes in
the Oakland Hills.
When the recession hit, Michael’s interest in building
evolved into shaping public policy. He moved to Los Angeles
to become political director of a statewide public interest
organization. Sifting consensus from controversy, Dieden
successfully managed Tom Hayden's initial campaign for the
California State Legislature in 1982.
Prepared for contentious causes, Michael looked beyond politics
and set his own agenda by blending his career passions, continually
stepping closer to home building with a sense of humanity.
In 1983, he launched The Michael Dieden Company, a public
affairs company that specializes in real estate entitlement
campaigns.
Michael quickly earned a reputation as the premier community
consensus-builder in California by leading entitlement campaigns
for many controversial projects, including the Water Garden
in Santa Monica, Venice Renaissance, Stanford Ranch in Placer
County and Playa Vista for Maguire Thomas Partners. Urban
Land magazine profiled Michael’s groundbreaking approach
in an article "Listening to the Community, New Rules for
Successful Development."
In 1986, Michael headed The R.A.M.M. Partnership, a group
of investors who rehabilitated dilapidated buildings in Venice
into desirable and profitable homes. In 1988, Michael partnered
with Harlan Lee & Partners to develop award-winning urban
infill projects such as Venice Renaissance, a 132,000-square-foot,
mixed-use building in Los Angeles, and Crossroads, 176 for-sale
condominiums in Inglewood.
Michael was raised in the Oakland/ Berkeley area. He was
educated at Gonzaga University, Laney College and the University
of California at Berkeley, where he studied Sociology and
Philosophy.
During the PCBC (Pacific Coast Builders
Conference) event, Los Angeles builder Michael Dieden asked
housing professionals to embrace the concept of openness.
Success in residential development "is based on trust,
not manipulation," he said. "If you don't have that kind
of authenticity, the community will detect it right away
... You have to care."
Sources:
Creative Housing Web Site - Company Principals
USC Center for Sustainable Cities - Sustainable Cities Board of Advisors
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