J.Roller Development advises public agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions, private property owners, and developers on challenging real estate opportunities—from initial concept and feasibility through financing, approvals, partnership formation, and execution.
Drawing on more than 20 years of firsthand development experience, we bring the perspective of an owner and developer to complex real estate challenges. We understand how financing, design, approvals, public-sector priorities, and community interests intersect—and how to translate those competing considerations into projects that can pencil out and move forward.
Our work bridges the private, public, and community sectors. We bring a developer's perspective to the questions that determine whether a project can succeed: What should be built? How can it be financed? Who should be involved? How can competing interests be aligned? And what will it take to move from vision to execution?
We specialize in projects where conventional approaches are not enough, including adaptive reuse, mixed-use development, affordable and workforce housing, public-private partnerships, and neighborhood revitalization. Services include:
Development Feasibility & Strategy A fixed-scope engagement to evaluate a real estate opportunity and establish a practical path forward. Depending on the project, the work may include program development, market analysis, preliminary financial modeling, capital strategy, entitlement considerations, partner selection, and implementation planning. The result is a clear assessment of the opportunity, key risks, and recommended next steps.
Senior Development Advisor Ongoing senior-level guidance for property owners, public agencies, institutions, and development teams that need experienced real estate judgment without adding a full-time development executive. We help clients evaluate options, structure financing, coordinate consultants and lenders, assess risks, and navigate critical project decisions from concept through execution.
Redevelopment Partner Selection Independent advisory support for public agencies and property owners seeking the right development partner. We help define project goals, prepare and evaluate requests for proposals, assess developer capabilities and financial capacity, and negotiate development agreements that align the interests of the owner, development partner, and community.
Have a Challenging Real Estate Project?
Whether you're evaluating a property, planning a redevelopment, selecting a development partner, or navigating a complicated financing or approval process, J.Roller Development can help you identify a path forward. We welcome conversations with public agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions, property owners, and developers seeking experienced, practical development guidance.
Selected Consulting Work
Bucks County Housing Authority
J.Roller Development serves as Senior Development Advisor to the Board of the Bucks County Housing Authority, providing experienced real estate development guidance as the Authority expands its development activities without increasing internal staffing and overhead.
The engagement began with the evaluation and selection of a private development partner for a program comprising 110 attainable townhouses for first-time homebuyers earning 80–120% of area median income and 56 market-rate single-family homes. Ongoing advisory work includes development agreement negotiations, coordination with the construction lender, construction oversight, and guidance throughout the development process. It draws upon our work at 440 W Kelly Ave in Jackson Hole Wyoming, a similar public private venture with deed restricted housing being the final product.
Midtown Cleveland was advancing a $152 million development initiative spanning housing, office space, hospitality, cultural institutions, and entertainment. J.Roller Development, working with Smith & Roller, conducted multiple rounds of intensive stakeholder interviews and helped develop an inclusive vision & deliverable toolkit for MTC in collaboration with diverse stakeholders to bridge audiences who have been historically divergent. MTC and stakeholders have since implemented several of our recommended tools to successful reception.
National Real Estate sought to assemble a compelling proposal for the City's and PIDC's redevelopment opportunity along and near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. J.Roller Development, working with Smith & Roller, helped shape the development vision and strengthen the proposal through local stakeholder engagement, cultural and institutional expertise, project design, and presentation strategy. J.Roller Development, working with Smith & Roller, crafted a vision to comprehensively move the African American Museum of Philadelphia (AAMP) to a brand-new building in a prominent location on the Parkway, provide an adaptive re-use of the iconic and historic Family Court Building into a premier lifestyle hotel and incorporate the Free Library of Philadelphia’s new Children and Family Center, all around a central courtyard. Consulting work included advising on the political landscape, meeting with City and neighborhood stakeholders, editing project design and presentation, museum best practices and cultural competency. The proposal was ultimately selected as the winning bid based on the vision and quality of the team including both development partners and world class architects, designers and cultural partners.
Have a project that could benefit from an experienced development partner? Let's talk.