COURSE NUMBER: MBA 287.2

 

This course is cross-listed with the EWMBA program and with the School of Law.

 

COURSE TITLE: Land Development and Investment: The Art of the Deal

 

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3

 

INSTRUCTOR: Bill Falik

 

E-MAIL ADDRESS: billfalik@gmail.com 

 

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu  

 

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Thursdays 5:00 – 8:00PM

 

PREREQUISITE(S): None

 

CLASS FORMAT: Some lectures, frequent guest speakers and significant class participation.

 

REQUIRED READINGS: Course reader containing cases, articles and commentary on course topics.

 

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Class participation – 20% and final take home exam – 80%.

 

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

Although the real estate market is currently in the doldrums, this is probably the best time in several decades to learn about, and ultimately invest in, real estate.  This course is designed as an interdisciplinary approach for business and law students to learn about every aspect of deal making in the land development process.  The course will also be available to a limited number of public policy and city and regional planning students.  Although the course will focus on real estate and land investment, the thrust of the course will be on deal making, whether it be on acquisition, financing, environmental review, entitlement, obtaining community support, or ultimate disposition of a successful project.  Law students will learn to evaluate business risks and to make deals, and business students will gain a conceptual framework for understanding legal issues which are critical to the real estate development and deal making process.  The course will also introduce the use of green technology and the inclusion of affordable housing in the development process.  There will be frequent guest lecturers who are some of the leading experts in the deal-making, planning, environmental, and investment fields.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Bill Falik, Lecturer

 

Bill Falik has practiced land use, real estate, and environmental law and mediation in Northern California for the past 37 years and during this period he has pursued a dual career as attorney and real estate developer.  He graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University in 1968 and from Harvard Law School in 1971, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. During his legal career, Mr. Falik has been a partner in three San Francisco law firms in which he chaired the environmental and land use law departments.  Currently, in addition to serving as an Adjunct Professor at Berkeley Law School and a member of the Professional Faculty at Haas School of Business, he is the Managing Partner of Westpark Community Builders which developed 1,500 acres in Roseville, California and planned and entitled 4,300 residential units which were sold to the three largest builders in the United States.  In addition, as CEO of Live Oak Enterprises, he has developed the Whitney Oaks master planned community in Rocklin, California with a championship Johnny Miller designed golf course and 2,000 homes.