Two years into Bill de Blasio’s mayoralty and his administration has proven far more hospitable toward development than many initially expected. So why hasn’t the mayor won more hearts in the real estate community?
For our February issue, The Real Deal took a closer look at de Blasio’s love-hate relationship with city developers and why, despite taking number of stances that can be described as pro-development, many are only grudgingly accepting of the mayor at best.
As part of our examination of de Blasio’s complex relationship with the city’s real estate industry, we take stock of his top allies — a list that includes the likes of Rob Speyer, Bruce Ratner and John Banks – as well as the developers who rank among his top donors.
Elsewhere, you’ll find our investment sales rankings for 2015, featuring a list of the top brokerages that capitalized on a historic year for New York City real estate deals. There’s also a look at what the Treasury Department’s new LLC disclosure rules could mean for the industry, and which real estate investment trusts have performed best for investors over the last five years.
We also trace the downfall of disbarred real estate attorney Luigi Rosabianca, who’s currently awaiting trial on grand larceny charges, and examine how Douglas Elliman is shelling out major dollars as part of an unprecedented marketing and national expansion campaign.
Finally, in the Closing interview, JDS Development head Michael Stern talks about getting kicked out of yeshiva, butting heads with the unions and his prolific car collection.
To read the February issue of The Real Deal, click here on or the “Magazine” tab on the top left of the homepage. Enjoy! – Rey Mashayekhi