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Residential Forum

May 28, 2026 @ 8:00AM – 12:30PM ET Convene 601 Lexington, 601 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022
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2026 Agenda
ALL EVENTS

Speakers

Miki Naftali Residential Forum

KEYNOTE

miki naftali

Chairman & CEO

Naftali Group

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Miki Naftali

Chairman & CEO, Naftali Group

Miki Naftali is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Naftali Group, the privately owned global real estate development and investment firm established in 2011, which also includes a lending platform. Over the course of his distinguished 35-year career in the global real estate industry, Mr. Naftali has acquired, developed, and managed over $15 billion and over 31 million square feet in real estate assets across North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Mr. Naftali is known for recognizing unique opportunities and spearheading projects that raise the standard for creative real estate developments both domestically and internationally. From ground-up development to the meticulous preservation and restoration of landmark buildings, his success has resulted in unparalleled demand and value.

In New York City alone, he has assembled a seminal portfolio of over 25 luxury condominiums to date with a pipeline of several new developments throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. His most notable project in New York has been the $1 billion, 1-million-square-foot restoration and transformation of the iconic Plaza Hotel into a successful mixed-use development comprising a five-star hotel, private residences, celebrated retail, and a world-renowned food hall. One of the most active developers in New York City, Naftali Group has successfully launched and sold out three record-breaking luxury condo projects in Manhattan since 2020, including The Benson at 1045 Madison Avenue, 200 East 83rd and The Bellemont at 1165 Madison Avenue. Mr. Naftali has several new development projects in the pipeline in Manhattan as well as Brooklyn, where the firm’s waterfront development, Williamsburg Wharf, is currently in progress and recently completed its first phase. The transformative masterplan project includes 1 million square feet of residential, commercial, and a beautiful waterfront esplanade. In addition to his active projects in New York, Mr. Naftali is developing over 3 million square feet of premier residential and mixed-use space across two projects in South Florida, including JEM in Miami and Viceroy Residences in Fort Lauderdale.


Distinguished for his development, marketing and financial prowess, Mr. Naftali is ranked No. 46 on Commercial Observer’s Power 100. He is also ranked No. 18 on New York Observer‘s Top 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate.

Joshua Benaim Residential Forum

Joshua benaim

Founder & CEO

Aria Development

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Joshua Benaim

Founder & CEO, Aria Development

Joshua Benaim is Founder and CEO of Aria, an award-winning real estate company focused on next generation multifamily, value investment and special situations investing, and creative real estate development. Benaim founded Aria in 2009 with partners David Arditi and Timothy Gordon to generate outsized risk-adjusted returns by marrying traditional hands-on real estate to classic value investment principles. With Benaim at the helm, Aria’s development portfolio has grown to more than 4,000 units and $1.5 billion of institutional-grade multifamily assets across the United States, including value add, special situations and opportunistic investments. Aria specializes in transforming illiquid and underutilized real estate in great locations into cash flowing multifamily.

Prior to founding Aria, Benaim was a Managing Principal at Square Mile Capital Management LLC. He learned real estate development and old world business values with Manocherian Brothers, his family organization with a seventy-year track record as a multifamily owner/operator in New York City.

Benaim has a passion for thought leadership in our industry serving as Co-Chair of the HBS Real Estate Alumni Association during the initial development of that organization, and as an advisor to Professor Arthur Segel in the creation of HBS’s first online real estate course. Benaim is the author of Real Estate: A Love Story, which has been described as “a must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, and real estate lovers.” He’s also an operatic baritone who has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera. Benaim received his A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in New York City with his wife and three children.

Daniel Berman 1 Residential Forum

daniel berman

Executive Director

MetroLoft

Elysa Goldman Residential Forum

elysa goldman

Senior Vice President, Development

Extell Development Company

Genghis Hadi Residential Forum

genghis hadi

Co-Founder and Managing Principal

Nahla Capital

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Genghis Hadi

Co-Founder and Managing Principal, Nahla Capital

Nahla Capital is a private real estate developer and investor in U.S. gateway cities, recognized for delivering projects that combine architectural distinction, enduring quality, and a strong sense of place. Led by Genghis Hadi, the firm’s portfolio includes The Raleigh Rosewood Residences Miami Beach, 1122 Madison Avenue, Rosewood Residences Beverly Hills, 152 Elizabeth Street with Tadao Ando, 221 W 77th Street, and Austin Proper Hotel & Residences. With $3 billion in assets under management and $600 million in equity deployed, Nahla Capital builds landmark developments that create lasting value.

Genghis Hadi has over 22 years of real estate private equity experience in the United States. Most recently, he spent seven years with Carlyle Group and worked on several billion dollars of transaction volume including new acquisitions and asset management of existing transactions with a focus on New York City.

Prior to Carlyle, Genghis was part of both the Acquisitions and Asset Management team at Boston Capital. He completed his Masters of Science in Real Estate Development at Columbia University, and his undergraduate studies in Economics at Tufts University. Born and raised in Dubai, UAE, he has now lived in the US for over 26 years. Formerly, he served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Masters of Science in Real Estate Development Program.

Noah Hale Residential Forum

noah hale

Managing Director and Head of Development

Fairstead

Miriam Harris Residential Forum

miriam harris

Head, Transit-Oriented Development

MTA

Jason Hill Residential Forum

jason hill

Director of Marketing

Domain Companies

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Jason HIll

Director of Marketing, Domain Companies

A seasoned real estate professional with over 22 years of experience, Jason Hill is a marketing director known for leading strategy, brand development, and marketing innovation across the real estate sector. A graduate of Indiana University, Jason began his career collaborating closely with industry leaders, building a proven track record in marketing institutional developers and their assets across New York City and beyond. Jason has successfully launched and leased up more than 30 transformative mixed-use residential developments spanning all five boroughs, Miami, and other major urban markets, guiding each project from the conceptual phase through stabilization and ensuring the perfection of every detail. Among his most notable projects are Summit NY, a 429-unit high-rise in Midtown East; Jasper, a 499 unit development in Long Island City; 1 QPS Tower, a 391-unit high-rise in Long Island City; and 19 Dutch, a 460-unit high-rise in the Financial District, each setting new high-watermarks at lease-up.Known for synthesizing vision with execution, Jason has built a career leading high-performing teams and delivering record-setting results for institutional owners, developers, and partners. His deep understanding of New York City’s ever-expanding neighborhoods, developed over more than two decades in the industry, now drives the marketing strategy he brings to The Domain Companies, where his expertise in market dynamics, consumer behavior, and brand storytelling shapes campaigns that captivate and engage at the highest level. Jason’s cross-disciplinary approach, rooted in creativity, data, and long-term impact, continues to set the standard for how exceptional developments are brought to market.

Ray Houseknecht Breatheroom Residential Forum

ray houseknecht

Executive Vice President of Operations & Head of Residential

Rudin

Ravi Kantha Residential Forum

ravi kantha

Founder & Principal of The Kantha Team | Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker

SERHANT.

Elizabeth Koutsoubis Residential Forum

Elizabeth koutsoubis

Associate Principal

KPF

William Macklowe Residential Forum

william S. macklowe

Chief Executive Officer

William Macklowe Company

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William S. Macklowe

Chief Executive Officer, William Macklowe Company

William S. (Billy) Macklowe is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of William Macklowe Company (WMC), a vertically integrated real estate development, investment and operating company. WMC’s business centers on the acquisition, development and redevelopment of prime commercial, medical, and residential assets in New York City and the boroughs, real estate correlated investments, portfolio acquisitions, and third-party management.

WMC redeveloped the office buildings at 636 Avenue of the Americas, 386 Park Avenue South, 311 West 43rd Street and 156 William Street, which it successfully repositioned as Downtown Manhattan’s premier medical office building. WMC recently developed the medical office building 333 East 61st Street, leased entirely to Memorial Sloan Kettering, and both completed and sold 100% of the units at 21 East 12th Street, a luxury, 23-story condominium designed by Annabelle Selldorf. WMC is currently developing Paseo on Fifth, a ground-up -275,000 square foot (sf) mixed-use complex in prime Park Slope Brooklyn, as well as an office to multifamily conversion at 291 Broadway in Tribeca.

Previously, as President of Macklowe Properties, Billy was responsible for the firm’s successful development and redevelopment of over 25 million square feet, valued in excess of $15 billion, including, the office buildings at 340, 400 and 540 Madison Avenue and 140 West 57th Street, the high-rise multifamily buildings at 777 Sixth Avenue and Longacre House, and the highly successful residential condominium projects at 310 E. 53rd Street and 145 E. 76th Street. Additionally, he played a major role in re-establishing The General Motors Building as the preeminent office tower in the world. Billy was the point of direct oversight of a 14 million square foot portfolio of Class A, midtown Manhattan office buildings and 3,000 multifamily units.

Frank Monterisi Updated Residential Forum

frank J. monterisi Jr.

Executive Vice President

Related Companies

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Frank Monterisi

Executive Vice President, Related Companies

Frank J. Monterisi, Jr. is Executive Vice President at Related Companies. Since joining Related in 2007, Mr. Monterisi has been involved in the development of over 5,000 residential units, $5 Billion of project cost and 7 Million square feet of space in New York and Chicago. He has been involved in the development of projects such as Willet’s Point, Harborside 4, Hunter’s Point South, MiMA, Lantern House and Riverwalk in New York and The Row, 400 Lake Shore Drive, 500 Lake Shore Drive, 111 West Wacker Drive in Chicago.


He is a board member of the YMCA of Greater New York, Holy Cross High School in Flushing, NY and the Long Island City Partnership. Prior to Related, he served as an Officer in the Marine Corps for six years. Mr. Monterisi resigned his commission as a Captain after serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2004. He is a graduate with Honor and Distinction with a Bachelor of Science in History from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and he received his Masters of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jay Roberts Residential Forum

jay roberts

Founder & CEO

Prosper Group

SOPHIE HEAD SHOT Residential Forum

Sophie scott

VP of Leasing & Marketing

Fetner Properties

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Sophie Scott

VP of Leasing & Marketing

Sophie Scott serves as Vice President of Leasing and Marketing at Fetner Properties, credited with driving the leasing and marketing strategy behind the company’s rapid growth – six new properties brought to market in under two years. With over a decade of experience spanning lease-ups, repositioning, and full-cycle brand launches, she brings equal fluency in creative vision and operational precision.
Her work is rooted in a belief that great residential spaces don’t just meet functional needs, they reflect the personality of a neighborhood and the lives of the people who inhabit them. That philosophy has shaped every project she’s touched and drives the campaigns, teams, and operations she builds at Fetner today.
The results speak for themselves: driving rents to the top of their respective submarkets and rebuilding underperforming assets into high-occupancy, low-friction operations. She has a particular gift for building teams – mentoring emerging talent and creating structures that hold up at scale.
Raised across ten U.S. states and educated in France, Sophie brings a genuinely global lens to her work and a fluency in the lifestyle expectations of today’s most discerning renters.

Victor Sigoura 4f6db8 Residential Forum

victor sigoura

Founder & CEO

Legion Investment Group

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Victor Sigoura

Founder & CEO, Legion Investment Group

Victor Sigoura is the Founder and CEO of Legion Investment Group, a New York City-based real estate development firm recognized for delivering architecturally ambitious, design-forward developments in Manhattan’s most carefully considered neighborhoods.

Over a career spanning more than two decades, Sigoura has spearheaded the development of over six million square feet of luxury residential real estate totaling more than $10 billion in value. His experience encompasses ground-up condominium development, complex assemblages, and the redevelopment of landmark properties, including the iconic Plaza Hotel.

Under his leadership, Legion completed 109 East 79th Street on the Upper East Side, widely recognized as one of the most successful luxury residential developments in the neighborhood in recent years. The 31-residence building achieved a total sellout exceeding $400 million, with blended pricing surpassing $4,000 per square foot, making it the largest new residential development west of Lexington Avenue in a generation.

Legion’s current portfolio includes four active ground-up condominium developments: 1122 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, 550 West 21st Street in West Chelsea, 11 West 13th Street in Greenwich Village, and 38 Gramercy Park East in Gramercy Park.

A graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a former attorney at Greenberg Traurig, Sigoura brings a rigorous legal and transactional foundation to every stage of the development process. His approach is defined by a commitment to design excellence, contextual sensitivity, and an uncompromising standard of quality that shapes neighborhoods for generations.

Jennifer Sun Residential Forum

jennifer sun

Executive Vice President of Planning

EDC

John Valladares Residential Forum

john valladares

Managing Director, Development & Affordable

Slate Property Group

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John Valladares

Managing Director, Development & Affordable, Slate Property Group

John joined Slate in 2018 and serves as a Managing Director of Development and Affordable at Slate Property Group. John oversees Slate’s affordable, supportive and homeless housing initiatives. He also manages many of the company’s projects involving land use actions and in particular, rezoning. Prior to Slate, John was at BFC Partners and was responsible for the rezoning of the Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights and oversaw the successful submission to NYCHA’s next Generation Ingersoll RFP. John spent 10 years in the commercial real estate banking industry with Bank of America and TD Bank in multiple roles including Underwriter, Loan Workout Officer, and Relationship Management. He began his career at Columbia University as the Assistant Director of Campus Planning during their Manhattanville expansion. John received a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and a Master of Real Estate Development from Columbia University.

Anna Zarro Residential Forum

anna zarro

President and Principal

One Wall Street // AZ&Co.

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Anna Zarro

President of Sales, One Wall Street

Anna Zarro serves as President of Sales at One Wall Street, where she leads the sales, marketing, and strategic direction for the $2B transformation of the iconic Art Deco tower at Wall Street and Broadway—the largest office-to-residential conversion in New York City. Under her leadership, the project has become a model for repositioning commercial assets into high-performing, lifestyle-driven residential destinations. With over 20 years of experience and $15B+ in luxury real estate oversight, Anna’s experience through multiple market cycles, spans every stage of the development cycle—from pre-development planning to market launch, absorption strategy, and repositioning. She has played an integral role in the design, development, and marketing across a range of assets from boutique SoHo lofts to landmark adaptive reuse projects and ground-up developments in the multi family, luxury, ultra luxury, and branded residential categories. Anna has held senior leadership positions at several brokerage and development firms, including Extell and Town Residential, where she directed the sales and marketing of more than 7,000 units citywide. She is the founder of AZ&Co., a consulting firm specializing in new development, hospitality, and branded residential strategy; often fusing them with subtle alchemy.

JASON HERSHKOWITZ 1 Residential Forum

MODERATOR

jason hershkowitz

Partner

Belkin Burden Goldman

Kelly Mack Residential Forum

MODERATOR

kelly mack

President

Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group

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Kelly Mack

President, Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group

A trailblazer at the intersection of real estate, luxury brands, and global culture, Corcoran Sunshine President Kelly Kennedy Mack has spent two decades defining innovation in the planning, design, marketing, and sales of luxury residential developments.


With an instinct for meeting the needs of high‑end consumers, Kelly advises the world’s most noteworthy real estate developers on properties that set new standards for residential luxury, achieving record‑breaking pricing and velocity while elevating the world’s most important cities. Her approach to new development sales and marketing is rooted in industry‑leading market research, planning expertise, and elite brand partnerships spanning fashion, art and design, hospitality, wellness, gastronomy, and media. Kelly has worked alongside some of the world’s most preeminent architects and designers, including Herzog & de Meuron, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Foster + Partners, David Chipperfield Architects, Roman and Williams, and Pembrooke & Ives.


Alongside her team of experts in market research, marketing, planning and design, and sales, Kelly has empowered more than $60 billion in residential sales, placing Corcoran Sunshine at the top of The Real Deal’s list of new development marketers each year since the publication initiated the ranking in 2009.


A Manhattan native, Kelly is a respected art collector and supporter of institutions including 92NY, NYU Langone’s Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children’s Center, and New York University, where she serves as Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Kelly holds a BA from Georgetown University and an MBA from NYU’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

Sheila Pozon Residential Forum

MODERATOR

sheila pozon

Partner

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

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Sheila Pozon

Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Sheila M. Pozon represents private developers and property owners, cultural, educational, health care and nonprofit institutions, lenders and investors in the planning, acquisition, development, and financing of major projects throughout New York City. Sheila advises clients on municipal law issues, the development potential of sites, and the land use and environmental review processes. She has appeared before and secured approvals from key New York City agencies, including the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals, the New York City Department of Buildings, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the New York City Department of Finance, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the City Planning Commission, in a variety of land use actions including zoning changes, special permits, complex tax lot mergers and apportionments, landmark proceedings, authorizations, certifications and variances. Sheila has extensive experience representing both developers and sellers in zoning lot mergers for the purchase and sale of development rights. Her work includes drafting and negotiating complex transactional documents, including purchase and sale agreements, zoning lot development and easement agreements, and license and access agreements. Among her most notable recent work, Sheila represented Extell Development Co., one of the most active developers in New York City, in its acquisition of development rights from multiple owners for its development sites throughout Manhattan, including the International Gem Tower, One57 and 215 West 57th St. (also known as the Nordstrom Tower, which is the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere).

Stuart Saft Residential Forum

MODERATOR

stuart saft

Partner

Holland & Knight Law

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Stuart Saft

Partner, Holland & Knight Law

Stuart M. Saft is a partner at Holland & Knight and serves as practice group leader of the firm’s New York Real Estate Practice Group. He also co-chairs the global Condominium Development and Conversion Team and previously co-chaired the Hospitality, Resort and Timeshare Group.
He has extensive experience across the full lifecycle of real estate transactions, including development, financing, leasing, restructuring, and the acquisition and disposition of residential, commercial, and hospitality assets throughout the United States. His work frequently involves complex condominium and cooperative structures, including leasehold condominiums, conversions, syndications and sale-leasebacks, as well as branded residences and mixed-use projects.

Stuart represents both borrowers and lenders in mortgage lending and workouts, giving him a dual-sided perspective on real estate finance. His experience also extends to adaptive reuse projects, including the conversion of office buildings, retail centers and industrial assets into residential, hospitality, medical, and institutional uses.

In addition to his legal practice, Stuart is a prolific author, having written 44 books on commercial real estate and more than 100 articles on real estate, economics and finance. He is also the author of the three-volume “Commercial Real Estate Workouts,” published by Thomson Reuters. He has held notable leadership roles outside the firm, including serving as chair of the board of the National Cooperative Bank and as chair of the New York City Workforce Investment Board.

Samantha Sheeber Residential Forum

MODERATOR

samantha Sheeber

Managing Partner

Starr Associates LLP

Andrew Wachtfogel Residential Forum

MODERATOR

andrew wachtfogel

Co-Founder, Managing Principal

Redeavor

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Andrew Wachtfogel

Co-Founder, Managing Principal, redeavor

Andrew Wachtfogel, Co-Founder, Managing Principal at Redeavor, has over 20 years of real estate experience and a reputation as one of the foremost experts in residential development planning, financial feasibility, and execution. His unique expertise is built on the range of roles he’s held across the industry including construction management, real estate development, national research, sales, and new development consulting.

Andrew began his career in project management with a top privately held commercial construction company in Los Angeles. He then served as Development Manager for a pioneering firm in mixed-used development, followed by a position as Head of New Construction Research for a national, publicly traded real estate data company. He later held executive and ownership positions at New York’s top new development consultancies. His diverse career has provided him with in-depth experience and unique expertise across all stages of real estate development, from site selection to construction to sales—from coast to coast and internationally.

Andrew has played a key role in the pre-development planning and sales management of high-profile residential projects with sellout values exceeding $25 billion in New York, South Florida, Los Angeles, and abroad. Over the last ten years, his work has included branded residential developments domestically and internationally, working with heritage hospitality brands and established companies venturing into residential development for the first time.

Andrew holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of the Pacific and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy Analysis from New York University.

What You Need To Know

Join leading real estate owners, developers, investors, lenders, brokers and architects for a premier forum dedicated to the state of market-rate, luxury, and ultra-luxury residential real estate. This executive-level forum will convene the industry’s most influential decision-makers to discuss evolving buyer demand, capital markets dynamics, design innovation, and the next wave of high-end residential developments.

Don’t miss your chance to gain a strategic view of where the luxury market is headed, and how to position developments and portfolios for long-term success. From ground-up developments and successful conversions to branding, leading amenities, and sales strategies and velocity, this forum will deliver actionable intelligence across the full investment, development and marketing lifecycle from the visionaries behind today’s most anticipated projects.

Attendees will enjoy exclusive access to a room convening the most influential leaders in the business, and will:

  • Understand where capital is flowing and how to tap into top investment opportunities
  • Get insiders’ perspectives on what’s most important to today’s high-end buyers and renters
  • Learn how the luxury market is blurring the lines between residential and high-end hotel concepts
  • Hear how experts are differentiating and future-proofing market-rate and luxury developments to sustain lifestyle shifts, wealth migration, and generational preferences
  • Gain critical insights on how leaders are tackling conversions to build profitability, and emerging investment opportunities with the rise of conversion funds
Website Collage Residential Forum

Agenda

Keynote
The State of the Residential Market: Market Forces Shaping 2026 & Beyond
Conversations on Conversions: How to Make Them Profitable & What They Mean for NYC Neighborhoods
Designing for Lifestyle: The Innovative Amenities Driving Differentiation
Building Affordability: The New Playbook for Workforce & Affordable Housing in NYC

Residential Forum

Thursday, May 28, 2026 @ 8:00AM – 12:30 PM ET
Convene 601 Lexington, 601 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022
$249
Register Now

Who Should Attend

  • Owners/Developers
  • Architects
  • Investment Firms
  • Lenders
  • Residential Brokerages/ RE Agencies
  • Law Firms
  • High-End Interior Designers
  • Consulting Agencies

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BBG NEW 1 Residential Forum

belkin burden goldman llp

Belkin Burden Goldman, LLP is a New York based law firm focused exclusively on real estate. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in midtown Manhattan, the firm advises clients on complex matters involving the ownership, development, operation, and regulation of real property.

BBG is known for representing clients in high‑stakes real estate disputes, navigating complex regulatory environments, and advising on sophisticated purchases, sales, and leasing transactions. Beneath those core areas, the firm maintains deep, integrated capabilities in zoning and land use, tax exemptions and zoning incentives, Loft Law matters, cooperative and condominium representation, construction issues, and real estate due diligence. This breadth allows BBG to handle matters that cut across litigation, regulation, and transactions with a clear understanding of how discrete real estate issues connect and compound over time.

The firm represents developers, property owners, asset managers, REITs, lenders, institutions, nonprofit organizations, and cooperative and condominium boards. Clients rely on BBG for practical, business minded counsel informed by deep experience with New York’s legal and regulatory landscape.

www.bbgllp.com

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Founded in 1889, Holland & Knight is a global law firm with approximately 2,200 lawyers and other professionals in 35 offices worldwide. The Firm’s lawyers and advisors provide representation in litigation, corporate and finance, real estate, healthcare and governmental matters. Interdisciplinary practice groups and industry-based teams provide clients with efficient access to attorneys throughout the Firm.

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