Real estate and construction are among New York’s most influential industries. The leaders of these sectors are often responsible for envisioning and implementing changes to the built environment, whether it’s major projects like the new World Trade Center and One Vanderbilt or smaller investments into badly needed affordable housing. They are key drivers of rezoning projects and advocates for pro-development policy changes, such as the Adams administration’s City of Yes initiative. Several of the biggest players are in the mix to secure a downstate casino license later this year. And many of them are active political donors, spending their funds to back like-minded politicians.
City & State’s Trailblazers in Building & Real Estate – researched and written in partnership with journalist Lon Cohen – puts the spotlight on some of the most notable figures in these industries. The list features prominent developers and heads of trade associations as well as public officials, community leaders, consultants, advisers, advocates and others who have a voice in the future of New York’s built environment.

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David Schwartz

Co-Founder and Principal, Slate Property Group

David Schwartz helped his firm become one of New York’s most prolific multifamily developers, with more 17,000 units built throughout the East Coast since its 2013 founding. He’s overseeing the adaptive reuse of the JFK Hilton into apartments for formerly homeless New Yorkers, partnering with the Mets and Hard Rock International on a proposed 50-acre Queens redevelopment tied to their casino bid, and integrating supermarkets into housing projects to meet community needs. A new project in Brownsville, Brooklyn, includes 216 units of permanently affordable housing and is all-electric.