SF New Developments

San Francisco Business Times - October 27, 2006 by J.K. Dineen

By the time he was 30, Michael Johnson had the kind of clout and stature most developers only aspire to.

Living in Atlanta, Johnson developed the first midrises midtown Atlanta had seen in decades. He was a city planning commissioner. He was a member of the Atlanta library board of trustees. He was picked by Atlanta Magazine as one of the most influential residents under 40.

As a planning consultant, he worked with Coretta Scott King to create the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District and build the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change.

Looking for a Martin Luther King quote to embed in the sidewalk outside the center, Johnson recalled asking King for a recommendation.

“She suggested “I”m a drum major for social change,”" recalled Johnson. “That resonated with me quite a bit at the time and it still does.”

New city, new challenges

Two decades later, Johnson, 51, has moved to San Francisco. And as a busy developer running a company that has built more than $300 million in properties, he lacks the time to do the sort of public sector committee work he did as a young man in Atlanta. But the spirit of what he did in Atlanta — development that revives inner-city neighborhoods with a diverse portfolio of housing — is still very much alive.

Operating in a loft-style brick building in Hayes Valley, Johnson”s EM Johnson Interest has developed 2,000 housing units at a cost of more than $300 million. Much of the work has focused on affordable housing, including a $125 million public housing redevelopment in Richmond and North Beach Place, a $102 million public housing development that also includes a Trader Joe”s.

J.K. Dineen covers real estate for the San Francisco Business Times.

Original Article