Affordable housing developer Dan Markson died unexpectedly on May 4. He was executive vice president of development for The NRP Group, co-founding the Cleveland-based firm’s Texas office in San Antonio in 2003.
“Our sympathy and prayers are with Dan’s family, which he valued above all things. Dan leaves behind his 4-year-old son, Maury, the love of his life. This is also an indescribable loss to NRP and a profound loss to the affordable housing industry overall,” said J. David Heller, co-founder and CEO of The NRP Group. “Dan delivered 30 years of unmatched creative leadership in affordable housing development and spearheaded the creation of over 20,000-plus apartment homes that changed the lives of families across Michigan, Florida, Louisiana, and in the past 16 years, over 17,000 apartment homes in Texas alone.”
Markson had been instrumental in creating housing for people of all incomes, working hard to turn around NIMBYs in many communities, and was a pioneer in creating opportunity by providing supportive services, like Homework First and other programs, for residents.
In the 1980s, when he studied urban planning at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., his senior thesis explored redevelopment of a public housing project in that town. Markson went undercover as a resident and found that the public housing was good quality, but it was isolated and had weak public transportation links, which are critical for people to get to jobs and other services.
He also found that the absence of social services left many residents without child care, jobs, medical services, and even education. “It is hard to respect oneself, one’s home, and one’s neighbors without these simple needs being met,” he told Affordable Housing Finance in 2006.
“Dan’s efforts in San Antonio have changed the face of our city,” said Texas state Sen. Jose Menendez. “From the redevelopment of San Juan Homes, which included the demolition of decaying public housing and the rebuilding of a mixed-income community, to the construction of the initial residential community at Brooks, to the building of Cevallos Lofts and Tobin Lofts at San Antonio College during the economic downturn, these developments have allowed neighborhoods to redefine themselves. All of these residential communities have provided the foundation for greater public and private investment, which has led to more high-quality, sustainable, affordable communities that have strengthened the neighborhoods in which they are found.”
Markson was an active leader in the affordable housing industry, serving as the national director of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for the Greater San Antonio Builders Association, on the Federal Government Affairs and Housing Finance Committee of the NAHB, and as a director and president of the Texas Association of Affordable Housing Providers. He was a state director of the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) and 2003 chairman of the TAB Multifamily Council. In addition, Markson was a trustee of the NAHB Multifamily Council and a chairman of the NAHB Housing Credit Group, a key advocate for the low-income housing tax credit.
He also was deeply involved in the Jewish community, serving on the board of Temple Beth El San Antonio and a former board member of the San Antonio Jewish Family Services. Last year, he received Chabad’s 2018 Distinguished Community Service Award.
“We will remember Dan for how he gave of himself in so many ways: from family man, to civic leader, to prolific real estate developer, to persistent voice of the underserved, to warm compassionate friend,” added Heller. “We are all the beneficiaries, and we cannot describe how important Dan has been to NRP and how profoundly we will miss him and how hard we will work to keep the torch burning on his dream of providing homes that give people joy, hope, and opportunity.”
