In this episode, I speak with one of the preeminent real estate developers of our generation, MaryAnne Gilmartin. She’s known for building Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Atlantic Yards, and the New York Times building, to name a few. And she’s now expanding beyond New York City to develop the Baltimore Peninsula—a 177 acre project which includes 14 million square feet of new development and 40 acres of publicly accessible open space. You can listen here on Substack or:
In this interview, you’ll hear the exciting details of her emerging new development in Baltimore as well as why this project is an excellent model for urban spaces—from the details of the master plan to the urban geography to the role of placemaking to the motivations of each stakeholder.Â
MaryAnne and Brad also discuss the current development environment in New York City. MaryAnne shares her thoughts about the policies and politics that have added headwinds to new housing construction and what the city and state need to do to dig out of the housing crisis. She also shares why she’s optimistic about the city and many New York politicians and why, ultimately, she’d still bet on NYC over any other city in the world.
This interview will be inspiring to any lovers of great real estate projects and development. MaryAnne has a wealth of insights on what it takes to thrive (and survive) as a developer and what key elements make a project valuable and promising. She has a palpable passion for cities and creativity and vision for the future of the built world.
—Brad Hargreaves
MaryAnne Gilmartin on the Future of NYC, Placemaking, and Her Latest Big Project