By Merlisa Lawrence Corbett
As the real estate development landscape evolved in 2024, developers faced complex challenges demanding innovative solutions. Nashville-based developer Urban Campus & Core CEO Jennifer Horne shared her thoughts on successes and hurdles cleared this year and strategies for growth in 2025.
In 2024, developers faced complex challenges, including shifting work trends, growing demand for mixed-use developments, the affordable housing crises, and sustainability imperatives. Horne credits UCC’s ability to meet these challenges to embracing strategies prioritizing community-centric development, green technologies, and resilience against market volatility.
“UCC successfully navigated a unique commercial real estate landscape, navigating competitive markets in vibrant cities and constantly evolving rate environments,” said Horne. “As a firm, we successfully built a unique foundation and impact investment relationships that supported our continued growth.”
Horne stressed the importance of strategic vision and staying true to UCC’s mission of transforming under-resourced communities through sustainable real estate development. She added that it’s important to focus on the lives of the people who inhabit the spaces developers transform.
“We strategically invested in growing our team and strategic partnerships to support operational efficiency and the ability to scale and grow in new markets,” Horne said. “We also incorporated industry leading technology to optimize pipeline management and improve development management.”
Horne is most proud of the project Northview Active Senior Housing Community, which includes 254 units of active senior housing in North Nashville, a historically underinvested community.
“This project exemplifies Urban Campus & Core's mission to address critical community needs through thoughtful, collaborative development,” said Horne.
“Northview was developed as a direct response to the growing demand for affordable senior housing in North Nashville, combining accessible design with amenities that promote a vibrant and engaged lifestyle for residents.”
“Bringing Northview to life required extensive collaboration and partnership and UCC worked closely with faith-based organizations, community leaders, and public agencies to navigate challenges and secure the resources needed to see the project through to completion,” she said. “This collaborative approach not only strengthened trust with stakeholders but also showcased the powerful impact of aligning shared values to create long-lasting community benefits.”
Horne said Northview serves as a model for the faith-based developments we hope to pursue in the coming year. “By partnering with organizations that share our vision, we aim to continue creating projects that address housing affordability while fostering stronger, more connected communities.”
Horne’s Keys to Growth:
Strengthened Leadership Through Intentionality: This year, I’ve become more intentional about allocating my time and energy. I’ve learned to focus on the areas where I can make the most significant impact—nurturing key relationships, empowering my team, or leading strategic initiatives. This intentionality has not only improved my effectiveness but also allowed me to lead with greater clarity and confidence.”
Navigated Complex Challenges with Resilience: 2024 presented new challenges, from navigating funding processes to ensuring the successful execution of key projects. These experiences pushed me to think creatively, stay adaptable, and trust my ability to problem-solve under pressure. Each challenge reinforced my resilience and strengthened my confidence in making tough decisions.
Expanded Community Impact: Winning the 2024 NEXT Award in the Real Estate and Construction startup category marked a significant milestone as a recognition of my work and a testament to the meaningful impact Urban Campus and Core is making. I’ve grown in my ability to communicate our mission, build partnerships, and deepen our impact in affordable housing and community development.”
Balanced Ambition with Authenticity: I’ve grown to understand the importance of authenticity in business. This year, I’ve focused on staying true to my values, even as I’ve expanded Urban Campus and Core’s reach. Whether working with diverse stakeholders or mentoring aspiring leaders, I’ve embraced the power of leading with integrity and purpose.
Invested in Organizational Capacity: Recognizing the importance of building for the future, I’ve worked to strengthen Urban Campus and Core’s internal systems, expand our team’s capabilities, and set the stage for long-term growth. This has included bringing on key talent and refining processes to ensure we’re well-positioned for the opportunities ahead.
Reframing Obstacles as Opportunities
The past year was not without challenges. Rising interest rates, inflationary pressures, and shifts in investor sentiment created significant hurdles, particularly in securing financing for affordable housing projects and maintaining stakeholder confidence during periods of uncertainty. Additionally, fostering trust with new partners and community stakeholders required consistent efforts to demonstrate reliability and value.
Horne said one key to meeting challenges was to reframe obstacles as opportunities. When it came to tightening financial markets, Horne sought innovative funding solutions. “UCC leveraged its expertise in public-private partnerships to secure alternative funding, including grants, housing equity funds, and tax credit opportunities,” said Horne. “This adaptability ensured that projects remained financially viable.”
When faced with building trust with faith-based organizations and community groups, UCC engaged the broader community, focusing on transparency and showing stakeholders how their underutilized assets could be transformed into housing solutions with long-term community benefits.
The growing cost and demand for land in urban areas created an opportunity to forge innovative partnerships. “By collaborating with faith-based organizations, community land trusts, and public agencies, UCC identified creative ways to access and repurpose underutilized properties,” Horne said. “These partnerships enabled the company to keep land acquisition costs manageable, ensuring projects remained within workforce and affordable housing budgets while addressing critical community needs.”
“The challenges of 2024 reinforced the importance of transparency and timely communication as critical tools for advancing projects and partnerships.,” Horne said.
Lessons Learned:
Proactive Engagement: Keeping stakeholders informed about market changes, project updates, and potential risks helped build trust and fostered a shared commitment to project success.
Flexibility in Problem-Solving: By maintaining a solutions-oriented mindset, UCC was able to pivot quickly in response to changing conditions and identify opportunities in seemingly challenging circumstances.
Collaboration as Strength: Deepening partnerships with community leaders, investors, and public agencies emphasized the value of working collaboratively to overcome shared obstacles.
Resilience in Uncertainty: These experiences strengthened UCC’s ability to navigate complex projects and reinforced the need for scalable systems and processes to manage growth effectively.
As 2025 approaches, Horne said she’s excited about the new opportunities to advance workforce and mixed-income housing across our communities. The growing demand for housing that meets the needs of working families and individuals presents both a challenge and a chance to innovate.
“We are particularly energized by the increasing focus on finding solutions through unique and emerging funding sources, such as public-private partnerships, impact investment funds, and philanthropic contributions,” Horne said. “While we know that delivering these projects will require creativity and strategic problem-solving, we are encouraged by the momentum of support from stakeholders across sectors. This collective commitment to addressing housing affordability gives us confidence that we can continue developing projects that meet market demand and create inclusive and equitable communities.”