SAN FRANCISCO—City Ventures, the rapidly-growing California homebuilder says that Phil Kerr has been named Northern California President.

Kerr, based in City Ventures' San Francisco office, has been promoted from his position as vice president of development. As division president, he will oversee the planning, development and implementation of all the company's communities in the region. In Northern California, City Ventures is focusing on the construction of townhomes, condominiums, lofts, mixed-use neighborhoods, live-work residences and single-family detached homes from the San Francisco peninsula through the Silicon Valley and in the East Bay.

“We own a tremendous amount of land in Northern California and see the region as key to our strategic expansion,” said City Ventures CEO Mark Buckland. “Phil has a successful track record of leading the development process for residential and mixed-use communities in the Bay Area. His passion for what we do as a company and his vast experience in land acquisition, entitlement, design and construction will ensure that we continue to grow and prosper. Phil clearly understands our business culture and development approach, as we've worked closely together for over 11 years, which makes him the absolute right choice for us as division president. We are proud to have him leading our operations up north.”

The announcement of Kerr's new position comes on the heels of City Ventures announcing that is sold approximately 2,000 homesites in separate transactions to William Lyon Homes and Lennar Corp. According to Buckland, City Ventures plans to use the approximately $350 million in capital raised in those land transactions to purchase more land throughout California.

“We remain aggressive in our pursuit of land,” said Buckland. “We are specifically focused on Northern California, so the timing of Phil's new position could not be better. He and his team will source land acquisition opportunities that fit our mission of buildings homes in areas that need them most.”

City Ventures is focused on repositioning underutilized real estate into thoughtfully designed homes in supply-constrained urban infill areas and high-demand suburban markets.

Kerr has actively worked with land owners, government agencies and cities to develop high-quality communities throughout California.

Prior to joining City Ventures, Kerr oversaw acquisition, design, entitlement and construction for the Bay Area Townhome and Mid-rise Division of Intracorp. Before Intracorp, Kerr was with The Olson Company where he managed the entitlement and development of projects in the East and South Bay markets of the San Francisco region. Kerr earned his MBA from Harvard University and his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College.