Design Workshop Launches New Services
for Distressed Assets

29 March 2010

Denver, CO – Design Workshop, an international landscape architecture, planning and strategic services firm, announced today that it is launching new services to support the financial recovery of distressed real estate assets. These services integrate the firm's strategic analysis capabilities, such as market research and feasibility studies, with its planning and design expertise to offer owners detailed recommendations.

The integration of market and economic analysis with planning, design and entitlements provides a comprehensive perspective to determine development strategy. Through this process, Design Workshop will partner with clients to identify cost-effective solutions that look at options for real estate assets such as repositioning, re-entitling, selling, or holding on a long-term basis. An emphasis is placed on gathering strategic information upfront before commitments are made or more dollars spent. This allows Design Workshop to examine the challenges owners could face and plan for the best way to resolve them.

“Experience has taught us that making these types of decisions requires a thoughtful approach customized to each situation,” said Becky Zimmermann, president of Design Workshop. “We bring a distinctive value to clients by combining our recognized planning abilities with in-depth analysis of each individual distressed asset. With a full understanding of the value factors, we're able to provide a candid assessment of a property's potential and then recommend disposition options accordingly.”

Previous Design Workshop projects that provide relevant experience in dealing with distressed assets include the following:

• Recommended change in planned amenities for 150-acre subdivision to better fit current market conditions
• Assessed redevelopment opportunity of dilapidated properties, including regulatory and political challenges in achieving redevelopment potential
• Completed market study and financial model for land lease associated with medical office complex
• Created master plan and development strategy for land adjacent to existing casino
• Assessed physical, market and financial feasibility of development options for parking lot structures in a central business district
• Recommended entitlement enhancement for existing golf and ski resort to increase future value
• Prepared national trends study and defined impact on redevelopment of former army base

About Design Workshop
Founded in 1969, Design Workshop is an international landscape architecture, land planning, urban design and strategic services firm with six offices in the U.S. and work spanning the globe. The firm has been recognized with over 150 prestigious awards for its work in new communities, urban centers, resorts, public parks, golf courses and residences. The firm's philosophy challenges the project team to equally integrate and balance artistic vision, environmental sensitivity, community values and sound economics to create unique places that stand the test of time. It refers to this approach as DW Legacy Design®.