Over the past 25 years, Leon I. Walker, Esq., has spearheaded cutting-edge community
development projects that have generated thousands of new jobs and brought grocery stores
and health care services into the food and health care deserts on Chicago's south side.
As the CEO and Founder of DL3 Realty Advisors, LLC, Leon works closely with municipalities,
anchor institutions, and Fortune 500 companies to execute projects that are sensitive to a
neighborhood's character while creating economic opportunities for local businesses and
residents. DL3's projects are more than just bricks and mortar— they are designed to provide a
stimulus that ultimately lifts economic prospects and the quality-of-life in urban communities.
In the past five years, DL3's projects have created over 3,000 jobs on Chicago's south side, and
the firm is actively pursuing projects that will create over 10,000 new jobs by the end of the
decade. DL3's nationally recognized "Venture Development™" model is leading a new wave of
impact investing in Chicago's neighborhoods.
DL3 is executing transformative investments at several key transit nodes on the south side by
developing new luxury affordable, mixed-use anchor housing under the "Thrive" brand that
offers both market rate and affordable options for residents. Thrive Exchange and Thrive
Englewood are designed to build on the Invest South/West initiative by increasing walkability
and attracting additional capital to the surrounding neighborhoods.
DL3 is the first Black owned private development firm to successfully win and close a City of
Chicago 9% low- income housing tax credit award, and Leon is committed to lifting emerging
developers through his leadership of the Chicago Emerging Minority Developer Initiative
(CEMDI), so that developers of color can compete and execute tax credit and complex
commercial developments in neighborhoods across Chicago.
Prior to taking on the leadership of DL3, Leon worked in corporate real estate services at Jones
Lang LaSalle, and in real estate capital markets at Citicorp Securities. He is a graduate of the
University of Chicago Law School, Booth School of Business, and received his bachelor's degree
from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Speaking at
Wed Oct 30
2:30 PM — 3:30 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time
Resorts World Las Vegas - Level 2, Lotus AB
Reimagining Neighborhoods: “Missing-Middle” Housing and the Role of Public/Private Partnerships
Category
Housing/Residential
In fast-growing areas where job opportunities are booming, there is a critical shortage of affordable middle-income housing. This shortage poses a significant challenge for essential workers such as nurses, teachers, and firefighters, who earn too much to qualify for government housing subsidies but struggle to afford market-rate housing. To address this issue, the concept of attainable housing or "missing-middle" housing has emerged, aiming to provide housing options for middle-income households without relying on subsidies. Public/private partnerships hold the potential to play a crucial role in tackling this pressing housing challenge and ensuring that essential workers have access to affordable housing options.