Shelborne Development has hired Jill Ferrari as a to partner to lead predevelopment, financing and development activities for the company’s various mixed-use real estate projects located throughout Southeast Michigan and Florida.

Ferrari will manage Shelborne Development’s current partnership with Jefferson East Inc. to complete various mixed-use, mixed-income developments along the Jefferson Avenue corridor and its partnership with SER Metro Jobs for Progress, Inc. to develop workforce housing in Southwest Detroit.

“I am both enthused and honored to make the announcement that Jill will be joining me at Shelborne Development,” says Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, Shelborne Development’s founder and president. With Jill’s experience and knowledge of community development, her commitment to neighborhood and urban redevelopment and most importantly the people who live in those neighborhoods, she is the perfect fit for Shelborne.”

Ferrari is a licensed attorney and former non-profit CEO with 20 years of experience in community development, private real estate acquisition and development, legal practice and consulting. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Detroit and was a judge for the annual CREW Real Estate Impact Awards from 2011 to 2014. She was named the 2017 “Woman of Impact” by the Wayne State University President’s Council on the Status of Women.

Ferrari is also the 2016 winner of the Melvin Simon Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers Foundation and is currently the vice chair of the Executive Committee for the Urban Land Institute – Michigan Council, where she co-founded the Women’s Leadership Initiative.

“I feel very lucky to work with such an accomplished developer who has the same passion for real estate projects that truly meet the needs of the community.” Ferrari says. “And I am very excited to be working with these nonprofit partners to develop community-centered real estate projects in the City of Detroit and beyond.”

For more than 35 years Shelborne Development has worked to resurrect blighted Detroit neighborhoods by providing quality affordable and market rate housing along with integrating commercial space into these communities. It currently has more than 30 active projects in the City of Detroit.

“We look forward to building some exciting and unique redevelopment projects in the neighborhoods Shelborne has focused on in the city with the financing tools and creative ideas she brings,” Makino-Leipsitz says.

  Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), Inc., Jefferson East Inc., Jill Ferrari, Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, SER Metro Jobs for Progress, Shelborne Development, Southwest Detroit housing, Urban Land Institute – Michigan Council, Wayne State University President’s Council on the Status of Women