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About Oak City Development
Oak City Development is a Raleigh-based real estate development and general contracting firm focused on small-scale infill and redevelopment projects that strengthen neighborhoods and endure over time.
We work at the intersection of planning, design, and construction—guiding projects from early feasibility and entitlement through delivery—where context, walkability, and long-term stewardship matter as much as financial performance. Our work typically includes commercial, mixed-use, and adaptive reuse projects in already-built environments, where thoughtful decision-making and execution are essential.
Oak City Development operates as a low-volume, high-involvement practice. Each project receives direct principal oversight, allowing for disciplined risk management, clear decision-making, and close coordination with owners, designers, engineers, and contractors throughout the project lifecycle.
We are selective about the work we take on and intentional about how it is delivered. That approach allows us to focus on quality, constructability, and long-term performance rather than volume, while remaining deeply engaged in the communities where we build.
Jeff Havener is the Founder and Principal of Oak City Development. He brings more than 28 years of experience in real estate development and construction management across residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects throughout the Triangle and the Mid-Atlantic.
Prior to founding Oak City Development, Jeff held senior leadership roles with established regional and national firms including Epcon Communities, Bobbitt, and Ashland Construction Company. In these roles, he was responsible for site acquisition, due diligence, entitlement, preconstruction, budgeting, subcontractor procurement, contract administration, and delivery of complex projects across industrial, medical, retail, hospitality, office, mixed-use, and master-planned residential sectors. Collectively, this work represents more than $800 million in delivered development.
Jeff’s background spans the full development lifecycle—from early planning and infrastructure delivery through construction oversight—with a strong emphasis on quality control, safety, and long-term performance.
Jeff is a licensed General Contractor and Real Estate Broker in North Carolina, a certified planner (AICP), and a LEED Accredited Professional in Neighborhood Development (LEED AP ND). This training informs Oak City Development’s approach to sustainability and placemaking—not as a one-size-fits-all checklist, but as a practical framework for evaluating walkability, site context, infrastructure efficiency, and long-term stewardship.
While not every project pursues formal certification, LEED-aligned principles are incorporated where they meaningfully support project goals, owner priorities, and long-term value. Sustainability, for Oak City, is less about labels and more about making durable, well-connected places that perform over time.
Our approach is informed by LEED-aligned principles, including energy efficiency, responsible material use, water conservation, and site walkability — integrating these considerations into projects where they support long-term value and owner goals.
Oak City Development is committed to building places that fit their context, respect their communities, and remain relevant well beyond initial delivery. Our work reflects a belief that good development is as much about judgment and stewardship as it is about execution.