OAKLAND, CA—DTZ, a global leader in commercial real estate services, says that commercial real estate veteran Walter Cohen has joined the firm.

In his role as senior vice president with DTZ, Cohen will continue his longstanding work with owners, developers and colleagues in Oakland and throughout Northern California in repositioning assets, obtaining development approvals and managing the entitlement process. He brings over 35 years of real estate experience in both the private and public sectors including expertise in repositioning of assets, land use planning and code compliance.

“Walter possesses great skill, knowledge and insight in the development arena, while his deep relationships are all bound by his professionalism, expertise and strong community leadership throughout the Bay Area,” said Jeff Starkovich, senior managing director with DTZ's Oakland office. “We are excited that he has come aboard with us as we emerge this new year as DTZ. Without question, Walter further strengthens our roster of talented professionals in Oakland.”

Prior to joining DTZ, Cohen was the founder and president of The Enterprise Group LLC, which provided owner representation services to business clients, the development industry and institutional investors. The Group assisted with obtaining development approvals throughout the Bay Area for office, residential, industrial and R&D product, including the following high profile developments: America Center (Legacy Partners); Maybury Industrial Park (JP Morgan Investors); Berryessa Industrial Park (UBS); Villages at Museum Park (Legacy Partners, Residential); and The Ellington (Lehman Brothers).

In 2009, Cohen was appointed by mayor Ron Dellums as director of the community and economic development agency (CEDA) for the City of Oakland. In that capacity, he was responsible for city planning, building services, and other economic development aspects of the city government.
Cohen also previously held the position of director of planning and community development in the City of Mountain View and director of program development in the City of San Jose.
“I am excited to join DTZ, which provides a broad global platform together with its strong Northern California roots,” said Cohen. “I look forward to utilizing and building upon my skills, knowledge and relationships in conjunction with the invaluable resources and contacts provided by DTZ to deliver superior results and service to our clients. I am eager to being part of many more new projects in our powerful regional marketplace.”