Simon Baron Development Group is a real estate development firm with more than $1.7 billion in real estate, most of which is in New York City. Founded in 1990 by Jonathan Simon as the Simon Development Group, the firm now focuses on ground-up and redevelopment projects, as well as off-market transactions needing special development expertise. It owns rental buildings on 31st Street and on East 86th Street, as well as the Crescent Club in Long Island City and a handful of other properties in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Simon Baron also has partnered with several leading banks and private equity firms. In 2014 Simon Baron purchased a Carnegie Hill building from Nostra Realty for $105 million, with plans to convert it into luxury condos. In early 2016 the firm purchased 12 Franklin Street on the Williamsburg waterfront for $24 million with plans to develop similar to the Meatpacking District had decades earlier.