JDS Development Group is a privately held New York City-based real estate development and acquisition firm. The firm was founded in 2002 by Michael Stern and specializes in luxury residential, hospitality and mixed-use projects and has more than 7 million square feet of property under development. Among its recent projects are 111 West 57th Street, 626 First Avenue and the record-setting Walker Tower in Chelsea (where a sold penthouse clocked in at more than $50 million). JDS has had clashes with unions in recent years, even being used as a poster child for irresponsible practices in 2015 by New York City laborer unions over its use of non-union labor in erecting one of the city's tallest towers, located at 111 West 57th Street. JDS also has focused across the East River, building or buying smaller-scale residential and mixed-use properties in Brooklyn and partnering with the Chetrit Group on larger-scale projects in that borough. The firm also has acquired lots for development in Miami's South Beach.