Distinguished Zoning Attorney Appointed New Associate Director

Dustin-Jones
Dustin Jones

“It was a complete frenzy,” recalls Dustin Jones. “Call after call… my phone would be ringing off the hook with developers and builders putting together plans for new communities- thousands of units, one right after the other.” Such were the circumstances in the suburbs and cities surrounding Phoenix, Arizona in the years before the Great Recession hit in 2008. As more and more investors participated, prices rose, and even doubled in some areas- then everything stopped. “The analogy I like to use is that of a big birthday party: music, confetti, everyone’s having a great time, then it was as if someone turned off the lights, music stopped, and all the people disappeared. You’re left thinking ‘what happened, and where did everyone go’?”

Jones, an award-winning zoning attorney, brings vivid insights and a wealth of development experience to the Baker Program of Real Estate as its new Associate Director. Armed with 15 years of field experience in communities that saw the extreme highs and lows of the last real estate cycle, he is uniquely positioned to provide perspectives on the social and political aspects of development through Real Estate Development Process, a course he is teaching this Fall. “Professor Jones’ development class has been a great perspective for someone like myself who is making a transition and planning to dedicate the remainder of my career to real estate,” said Sameer Godiwala (Baker ’16). “This course challenges me to think about the various intricate details of the development process and its players. Jones provides many real-world case studies from his own legal background and from current events that allow us to view this process from the mindset of a real-world developer.”

Jones received his J.D. from the University of Arizona College of Law, and a B.A. in political science and Latin American studies from the University of Arizona. Jones has practiced law at Arizona’s top law firms: he was a Partner at Phoenix’s largest law firm Snell & Wilmer after gaining experience as an Associate at Lewis and Roca. He was also a Partner at the distinguished real estate powerhouse of Tiffany & Bosco, where he was Chairman of its Real Estate, Land Use & Government Relations practice. From presenting at hundreds of town and city planning meetings, to lunches with mayors and council members, Jones knows first-hand what it takes to galvanize support for projects. “You can have the most sophisticated development pro formas, and the strongest financial backers, but without the entitlement, the project is not going to happen. Understanding land-use controls and regulations is key, and perhaps even more importantly, you have to gain the support of a community.”

Jones’s clients include developers, homebuilders, waste service companies, sand and gravel operations, mines, farmers, and general landowners in real estate development. The Phoenix Business Journal honored him as their “Most Admired Leader” last year in 2013, recognizing his strong performance as a community figure, and his tenacious advocacy on behalf of his clients and partners. While at Cornell, he intends to take the same approach as he does in his practice. “I’m here for the students; they are my clients, and it is my duty to fulfill their needs and the needs of the program.” A part of that duty is outreach; Jones is serving as liaison to the Cornell Real Estate Council, and coordinator for the Distinguished Speaker Series, a weekly seminar hosted by the program to bring-in industry professionals to share their experience and strategies with Baker students.

Dustin-Jones-Class

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