a Community Development Group committed to preserving cultural districts and developing urban villages with multimodal transit access

 

We keep it simple.

We understand how complex community development work can be, that’s why we keep things simple. We are a group of Real Estate Developers and Community Development Consultants helping property owners, small businesses, and purpose-driven organizations administrate projects for long-term success. We act as Real Estate Development Project Managers and involve you in the steps that you need to be a part of, while we handle the rest.

Support every step of the way.

Developing housing and preserving cultural assets can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to navigating city and state regulations, working with project partners, managing daily project activities, and the list goes on. That’s why we support you from start to finish and communicate all the technical jargon you need to know in a way that’s easy to understand.

 

Meet the Founder, Preston Lam (he/him/his)

As the son of immigrants from Hong Kong, my work in community development is informed by my experience growing up in the Bay Area restaurant business and walking the streets of San Francisco and Oakland Chinatown with my grandparents searching for the best produce at the lowest prices.

Building on this formative experience as a young person and first-generation college graduate, Densify Lab was conceived years later in 2017 while helping my mom secure financing to develop an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) as an additional source of income when she retires.

Notable Projects

  • 2060 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA

    I led the development of 2060 Folsom through construction loan closing, construction, marketing, and lease up as the Senior Project Manager with Chinatown Community Development Center. Developed in a joint venture partnership with Mission Economic Development Agency, 2060 Folsom provides 127 affordable family rental apartments with 29 units set-aside for formerly homeless transitional age youth. The development’s design is conceived as a ‘front porch’ overlooking In Chan Kaajal Park at 17th and Folsom. 4 Mission District based nonprofits will find homes at Casa Adelante—2060 Folsom, including PODER, Youth Speaks and First Exposure, and Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, alongside a small cafe operator facing Folsom St.

  • 838 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA

    I led the rehabilitation of North Ping Yuen Public Housing through construction, marketing, lease up, and permanent conversion as the Project Manager for Chinatown Community Development Center. In 2014, San Francisco opted to use HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program as an opportunity to transfer public housing buildings to developers with community ties who could rehabilitate and operate the buildings long-term. North Ping Yuen is one of four public housing properties that Chinatown CDC rehabilitated, owns, and operates under HUD’s RAD program. This 12-story, 200 unit building features some of the only family units in Chinatown.

  • 1535 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA

    I led the development of 1535 Jackson through acquisition and bridge financing as the Small Sites Program Project Manager for Chinatown Community Development Center (Chinatown CDC). In April 2019, Chinatown CDC acquired 1535 Jackson, a former church with 19 residential hotel units above. CCDC converted the former ground floor church space into 11 additional residential hotel (SRO) units, bringing the total unit count to 30 units. Chinatown CDC’s Small Sites Program (SSP) is a mission-driven acquisition and rehabilitation program working to preserve affordable housing for extremely low to moderate income households in San Francisco’s core and greater Chinatown.

Project Portfolio