It is with great sadness that we share the news that HR&A Partner Kate Coburn has passed away.

 

Kate Coburn was a key player in the real estate industry for over 30 years, specializing in the retail and entertainment arena. You can read more about her legacy and impact here.

Kate brought an extensive background in planning, marketing and leasing mixed-use developments, downtown revitalization strategies, retail/entertainment programming and open space placemaking. Her work focused on incorporating retail and other commercial uses into projects as activating components. Kate’s ability to understand the needs of the private and public sectors, as well as community members — from initial concept development through tenant selection — created significant benefits for her clients. Her clients included business improvement districts, economic development agencies, universities, real estate developers, and transportation agencies across the country.

Recent projects included a market analysis identifying revenue-generating uses for the renovation of the 660-acre Greenwood Community Park in Baton Rouge; a revitalization strategy for the University Avenue corridor in Lafayette, LA; a market feasibility study for an observation deck in New York City; an analysis for mixed-used development and phasing strategy for the Fort Wayne, IN waterfront; and an industry trends analysis to identify potential tenants for a new office building in Rochester, MN.

Kate was part of a master plan team retained by the Osage Nation in Oklahoma to identify market supportable uses and conduct a financial feasibility analysis for the property surrounding their casino in Tulsa. She led an HR&A team retained by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation to identify potential tenant types for a 500,000 square foot former Ford Plant located on the waterfront near downtown Buffalo NY, examine the financial feasibility of the various tenanting scenarios, and suggest a phasing strategy for implementation.

Prior to joining HR&A, Kate served as the Founding Partner in the New York office of Economics Research Associates (ERA). While there, Kate worked with the Port Authority to develop a retail revenue enhancement strategy for all Port-controlled airport, bus and rail facilities. Additionally, she conducted market analyses and tenant recruitment strategies for a number of retail districts including Lower Manhattan, Times Square, Princeton University and Columbia University.

Prior to her work with ERA, Kate spent ten years as the Vice President of Retail Leasing and Marketing for the 18-building Rockefeller Center development in New York. In that capacity she was chief strategist, responsible for planning, marketing and leasing over 800,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space in that mixed-use complex. She has also served as Director of Retail Services for Cushman & Wakefield.

Kate earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin.

 

Member, International Council of Shopping Centers

Member, Real Estate Board of New York Stores Committee

Member, Urban Land Institute

Member, Women’s Executives in Real Estate

Former Chairman Young Men’s and Women’s Real Estate Association

Former Trustee, New York City Police Museum