Meet the Team

A collective of developers, designers, and visionaries shaping spaces with purpose and intention. Here are a few of the key people behind the work — and the projects that reflect their approach.

John Renner - Lead Developer

John has 20+ years of real estate development and financing experience with completed projects in New York City, New Haven, the Baltimore/Washington area, and Rwanda. Having worked the past 13 years in Baltimore City, John has built a reputation for perseverance and integrity, and has cultivated positive relationships with the fully litany of public and private sector players needed to make complex real estate developments successful. During his career, John has overseen a wide variety of project types including affordable housing, market-rate multifamily, for-sale housing (condos, townhomes, and single-family), commercial office, non-profit programming space, and retail. John has a unique depth of experience with adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and urban infill, as well as with most of the funding sources needed to make high impact urban development projects financially feasible: New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs), state and federal historic tax credits, Opportunity Zone investments, tax increment financing (TIF), governmental grants, CDFI lending, PACE, green building incentives, bond bills, and so forth. Over the course of his career, John has managed seven NMTC finance closings involving $150M+ of allocation.

Hoen Lithograph Building

2101 E. Biddle St.East Baltimore

87,000 sq. ft.

Program: Construction workforce training center, Outlook OVFX (animation studio), shared office space, non-profit program space, Morgan University

Role: Lead developer as employee of Cross Street Partners

Lion Brothers Building

Hollins Market neighborhood Baltimore

40,000 sq. ft.

Program: Arts studios for UMBC, biotech, non-profit office space, Neopol Smokery.

Role: Lead developer as employee of Cross Street Partners

The Octagon

Roosevelt Island in New York City

555,000 sq. ft. of adaptive reuse space

Program: 500 apartments, amenities, and 4,000 sq. ft. of office space

Role: Development manager while working for the owner/developer, Becker + Becker Associates.

Area 405

Station North Arts District in Baltimore City

Size: 70,000 sq. ft.

Program: Artist and maker studios, gallery/events space, and the Station North Tool Library.

Role: Development advisor for the Central Baltimore Partnership

The Parlor

Station North Arts District in Baltimore City

Size: 9,000 sq. ft.

Program: Artist studios, creative offices, bar/restaurant

Role: Owner/Developer

Matthew Oppenhiem - Co Developer

Matthew went to school at Hobart William Smith for Architectural Studies and Studio Art, later earning a Masters in Real Estate Development at the University of Maryland with a focus on landscape design. He spent time at Whiting Turner as a Project Engineer, supported the capital market group at Walker and Dunlop, co-founded and operated boutique real estate development firm Warmington Oppenheim Development which operated in the Washington DC and Baltimore region for eight years.

511/513 M St. NE, Washington, D.C.

Condos

Collaborators: Architecture – KUBE; Interior Design – Megan Lynn Interiors; Developed with WOD

831 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW, Washington, D.C.

Condos

Collaborators: Architecture – Lee Design Studios; Developed with WOD & DAKS Development

Newton House, Washington, D.C.

Condos

Collaborators: Developed with WOD & PT Blooms Development

Hooper House

100 E 23rd St, Baltimore MD

Program: Restaurant, Gallery, Retail, Offices, Artist Studios, Event Space

Role: Owner/Developer

Ridge St. NW, Washington, D.C.

Single Family Home

Collaborators: Developed with WOD

Michael Haskins Jr - Co Developer

Born and raised in Baltimore,MD Michael discovered his passion for brand identity and retail experiences during his high school years. Alongside his studies in business law, Michael set on a path that led him from Baltimore to Las Vegas and New York City. Following his interests in streetwear, Michael spent valuable time in Las Vegas, immersing himself in trade shows. This experience led him to New York City, to pursue a career in fashion design. His time in New York City fueled his creativity but importantly deepened his appreciation for art and architecture.