Mark A. Rhoades, AICP, Partner
Mark Rhoades has 20 years of experience as a land use planner in both public and private sectors. From 1998 until August 2007, he served as the Land Use Planning Manager for the City of Berkeley, overseeing the review and processing of development proposals during a period of unprecedented development activity and increasing politicization of land use in Berkeley. Mr. Rhoades has been acknowledged for his professional leadership by the City of Berkeley and by the American Planning Association (APA) which awarded him with the California State Chapter Award for Distinguished Leadership in 2003. He has lectured at UC Berkeley for graduate courses in planning and real estate.
As the City’s Land Use Planning Manager and Zoning Officer, Mr. Rhoades was responsible for both land use policy development and implementation. During his tenure in Berkeley, his major policy efforts revolved around fulfilling the City’s goals for new housing development while achieving a high degree of responsiveness to neighborhood issues and concerns. Approximately 2,000 housing units were built or approved during Mr. Rhoades’ tenure in Berkeley’s Planning Department.
In 2007, Mr. Rhoades joined Ali R. Kashani and formed Citycentric Investments, LLC. As partner in Citycentric, Mr. Rhoades brings expertise in design, planning, and community outreach.
Mr. Rhoades, his wife, Erin, and two children live in Berkeley. When he is not working or chasing his two boys, he enjoys photography, orchid cultivation and flyfishing. Mr. Rhoades grew up in suburban Los Angeles and as a result developed a passion for intelligent and responsible planning.
Ali R. Kashani, Partner
Ali R. Kashani has nearly 25 years experience in the construction and development industries in the Bay Area. As founding Executive Director of Affordable Housing Associates (www.ahainc.org) (AHA), Mr. Kashani oversaw acquisition, design, financing, construction and property management of over 1,000 housing units in the Bay Area between 1993 and 2004. He has extensive knowledge of the development process and the Bay Area real estate markets. During the last five years, Mr. Kashani led the acquisition and conversion of six properties, four of which are in Berkeley.
After completing his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1984, Mr. Kashani worked as Project Engineer, Cost Estimator and Project Manager for general contractors and developers in the greater Bay Area. He completed his Master of Business Administration at the University of San Francisco, with a minor in Nonprofit Management in 1990 and continued his real estate development work in both the nonprofit and the private markets. In 2005, he founded Memar Properties, Inc., a private real estate development firm specializing in in-fill mixed-use projects in the greater Bay Area.
Since summer 2007, Mr. Kashani and Mr. Mark Rhoades have joined to form Citycentric Investments, LLC.
Mr. Kashani, his wife, Gabrielle, and four children live in Berkeley. Outside of work, Mr. Kashani enjoys bicycling and cooking.
Mia M. Perkins
Mia Perkins has over seven years of experience in land use and real estate. Her background includes real estate law, specifically, in land use and development. Prior to joining Citycentric Investments, she worked for John Laing Homes in the San Francisco Bay Area Division as a sales counselor and project manager.
Ms. Perkins worked as a realtor for three years at Hammond Residential in Brookline, Massachusetts, prior to which she was employed by the law firm of Case Bigelow Lombardi in Honolulu. She joined Citycentric in March 2009 and has enjoyed working on both affordable and market-rate infill developments.
Ms. Perkins was born and raised in Hawaii and earned a B.A. from Occidental College and a J.D. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.