Stories is a series of long-form interviews with impact capital providers and diverse mission-driven real estate developers.

Developer

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New Jersey

Siree Morris

MCI Property Management and Construction

Developer

 — 

California

Alan Dones

Strategic Urban Development Alliance

Alan Dones, Managing Partner and Co-founder of the Strategic Urban Development Alliance (SUDA), has spent his career breaking barriers across multiple industries. Today, he and a cohort of like-minded leaders are managing some of the largest developments in the Bay Area, each with the potential to revitalize the region and create huge numbers of new jobs and exciting new opportunities for its communities.

Developer

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Massachusetts

Taylor Bearden

Civico Development

For Taylor Bearden, Partner at Civico Development, real estate is the stage upon which urban life plays out, with each individual structure contributing to a rich tapestry that ultimately determines the quality of our lives and the health of our neighborhoods and communities.

Developer

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Connecticut

Yves Joseph

RJ Development + Advisors

For Yves Joseph, Co-founder and Principal of RJ Development + Advisors, every new deal is an opportunity to solve a puzzle, meet a challenge, and, above all, make an impact.

Capital Provider

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New York

Christine Wendell

Dure Investment Group

Christine Wendell, Co-founder of Dure Investment Group and Pronto Housing , has made it her personal mission to build and invest in housing, pioneering new technologies that make it as accessible as it is affordable.

Affordable Housing

Developer

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New Jersey

Victor Baker

Mid-Atlantic Investment Alliance

As Newark undergoes a major construction boom, Victor Baker, long-time Newark developer and co-founder of the Mid-Atlantic Investment Alliance, is working hard to bring more attainable housing to the city, partnering with local officials to ensure that Newark residents can continue to participate in and enjoy the fruits of their city’s growth.

Workforce Housing

Mixed-income Housing

Public-Private Partnership

General Construction

Developer & Investor

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Georgia, Alabama

Sonya Rocvil

Bedrock Real Estate Investors

As the Founder and Principal of Bedrock Real Estate Investors, Sonya Rocvil specializes in acquiring multifamily apartment buildings throughout the Southeast. While she prides herself on her successes as an investment manager, she is also determined to provide her residents with the quality workforce housing that she considers to be the bedrock upon which a healthy community and society is built.

Workforce Housing

Developer

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Pennsylvania

Derrick Tillman

Bridging the Gap

Derrick Tillman, the founder of Bridging the Gap, has made it his life’s work to build not just buildings, but also to build up communities and the people that live in them.

Public-Private Partnerships

Mixed-income Housing

Public Benefit Corporation

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New York

Melissa Burch

NYC Economic Development Corporation

Melissa Burch is a renowned civic developer whose remarkable successes in the world of commercial real estate have left a lasting impression on the New York skyline. Now, in her new role as COO of the NYCEDC, she is continuing her legacy of fostering the economic growth of her beloved city.

Government & Public Policy

Developer

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California

Coby Lefkowitz

Backyard

At Backyard, Coby Lefkowitz and his partners are on a mission to bring their vision for better and more livable neighborhoods to life, creating vibrant, walkable communities with bustling commercial activity anchored by human-scale multifamily housing.

Placemaking

Missing Middle Scale Development

Developer

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Michigan

Matthew Temkin

Greatwater Opportunity Capital

As Detroit grapples with disinvestment and affordable housing availability, Matt Temkin and Greatwater Opportunity Capital are stepping up to the plate

Workforce Housing

Economic Development

Historic Preservation

Adaptive Reuse

Opportunity Zones

Developer

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New Jersey

Atif Qadir

Amanat Properties

Atif Z. Qadir, a licensed architect turned developer, renovates historic buildings in New Jersey downtowns. As a founder of Amanat Properties and Commonplace, Hoboken City Planning Commissioner, and the host of the popular "Building America" podcast, he’s on a mission to promote developers doing projects that are meaningful, impactful, and local.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

OPPORTUNITY ZONES

URBAN ENTERPRISE ZONES

HISTORIC TAX CREDITS

NEW MARKET TAX CREDITS

Developer

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Florida

Louis Joachim

Narrative Property Partners

Louis Joachim built a career managing top artists in the music industry. Now, as he enters a new phase in his life, he is leveraging municipal partnerships and valuable professional relationships to build mixed-income housing and promote social mobility in Florida.

Mixed-Income Housing

Public-Private Partnerships

Developer

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New York, Massachusetts, Texas

Jenny Shen

Primary Development

Jenny Shen, one of three founding partners at New York City-based designer-developer Primary, sees every project site as an opportunity to set new trends

Design-Development

Public-Private Partnership