Uncommon Developers Takes Community-Building Approach

Asked what Uncommon Developers seeks to bring about with its mixed-use and multifamily projects, co-founder Ryan Hekmat replied, “job creation.” More broadly, Hekmat told Connect CRE that the goal is to grow the local communities surrounding the projects. “Our focus is to create environments that strengthen communities economically and socially through housing, opportunity, public spaces, and experiences that elevate quality of life,” he said. 

Hekmat will be among the experts taking the stage for the “Development: Block by Block, Project by Project” panel discussion at Connect CRE Los Angeles 2026, scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown. As a preview of the panel, he provided insights into his company’s community-building approach. The company is a vertically integrated real estate platform that handles acquisition, entitlement, design, construction, and property management in-house across an LA–focused portfolio of multifamily, mixed-use, and large-scale development projects. 

A case in point is The 24, built on the site of a former Los Angeles Times printing facility in Chatsworth. “On the 24-acre campus, nearly five acres are dedicated to outdoor living, including dog parks, a community garden, four pools, walking paths, basketball and pickleball courts, a citrus grove, outdoor movie theater, and expansive community green spaces,” Hekmat said. “Every day, the campus comes alive with families gathering, neighbors connecting, and residents enjoying an active, vibrant lifestyle together.

“And the news gets even better—we are currently working on opening an on-campus preschool to truly offer a one-of-a-kind live, work, play, and grow experience,” he continued.

Beyond the outdoor amenities, The 24 offers elevated spaces for work, collaboration, and connection, including dedicated work lounges, conference rooms, and reservable event spaces designed for productivity, community, and modern living.

Development can require reserves of patience, fortitude and persistence, and it’s not a coincidence that both city and state governments have sought to streamline the approvals process in recent years. However, Hekmat believes such initiatives are undercut by red tape and a lack of coordination elsewhere in the system. “It’s not the straightforward things that these entitlement and new legislative rules account for; it’s the ancillary things that need to be dialed in,” he said. 

Take fee schedules, for example. “The changes in costs, like impact fees or the school fees, create instability and destroy underwriting for projects,” said Hekmat. “If we have that underwriting from the beginning of the project, we can see if the deal makes sense. But even a dollar-per-square-foot change in the school fees can destroy a project. So that stability is something that is tantamount to success” in a development project. 

Conversely, the company is positioned to capitalize on dislocations in the market. “We look at the turmoil and the difficulty in financing these projects and all the instability in local and state codes as an opportunity for us to grow,” Hekmat said. “We have been doing everything that we can to keep our eye on the markets and look for deals based on other people’s inability to make things work and we’re very disciplined. We’re able to take advantage of being vertically integrated and developing with modular [construction], which enables us to grow at a basis that makes sense even when there is turmoil in the market.” 

On May 28, Connect Los Angeles brings together 600+ high-level owners, investors, developers, brokers, and lenders shaping the region’s market for a full day of insights and networking. Be in the room with decision-makers driving deals across LA, SoCal and the nation—register now: www.connectLA26.com