About
As the driving force that propels The Douglaston Companies, Douglaston Development fulfills the vision for each of our distinctive projects by leveraging the knowledge and expertise of Levine Builders and Clinton Management. Thanks to our unique, vertically integrated approach across all projects, our company is widely recognized for delivering projects on time and on budget. Our “owner-builder-manager” advantage consistently maximizes the value of each of our assets.
Over more than 40 years, The Douglaston Companies have forged long-term, collaborative relationships with lenders, capital partners, government agencies and elected officials. These cooperative relationships have helped us meet challenging timelines and budgets while also helping us navigate complex regulatory environments.
Our disciplined approach, combined with our respect for the neighborhoods in which we work, contribute to our success in helping to build string and thriving communities.
Community Involvement
Since our founding in Douglaston, Queens, Douglaston Development has played an active role in supporting the communities in which our properties are located. We create partnerships with community-based organizations and local non-profits — and we support a variety of area causes.
Further reflecting our commitment to better and stronger communities, we are also an active developer and supporter of affordable and senior housing.
Sustainable Development
As an owner-builder-manager, we are in an excellent position to adhere to high standards of sustainability in our design and construction initiatives. We work closely with Levine Builders — along with our architecture, engineering and design consultants — to maximize the sustainability of our projects, while controlling costs and enhancing the quality of the resident experience.
For example, The Edge — our mixed-use property in Williamsburg, Brooklyn — was the largest residential project in New York City to receive LEED Gold Certification at the time of its completion. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Douglaston Development implemented a range of resiliency measures to protect our present and future properties against future such natural disasters. And amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we comprehensively upgraded our properties’ systems to help protect the health of residents, visitors and employees.
Our History
Coming from a working-class background, company founder Jeffrey Levine lived in a public housing project in Brooklyn as a child. As a young man, Mr. Levine cultivated the expertise that stands behind our development, construction, and management companies during his college years — by studying architecture at night and by working on construction projects when school was out.
The Douglaston Companies started in 1979 with the founding of Levine Builders by two people operating out of Mr. Levine’s apartment in Queens. Adhering to our core values of integrity and ethics for more than four decades, the firm has since grown to employ a workforce exceeding 200 people. By providing general contracting and construction management services, Levine Builders has built, renovated and rehabilitated thousands of residential units and millions of square feet of commercial, hotel, office buildings, retail centers, religious, educational, and healthcare facilities.
Since its establishment in [date], Douglaston Development has become the driving engine of the organization, working in unison with Levine Builders to leverage one another’s expertise to design, develop and construct complex projects — while growing and thriving in challenging markets.
In 2002, Clinton Management was founded to manage Douglaston Development’s expanding roster of assets. Clinton Management oversees a broad portfolio of low-income, moderate income, mixed-income, and luxury apartments — in addition to commercial, and retail properties. Each affiliate company works together with the others to cohesively acquire property, develop it to its full potential, and manage it efficiently, assuring that each investment maximizes its value.
Under the leadership of Jeffrey Levine, the three companies function in unison in a way that provides a unique advantage in the real estate industry. We work collectively to develop, build and operate best-in-class properties, with a focus on mixed-use, high-rise luxury rentals and condominiums, affordable housing, hospitality, senior housing, and other asset classes. In the past several years alone we have completed $2 billion+ of development, including:
- 4,000 market-rate and affordable residential apartments
- 1,272 aggregate senior housing units
- 500 hotel rooms in the most desirable and fastest-growing neighborhoods in New York City.
We currently have another 2,051 market-rate, affordable, hospitality and senior housing units in our pipeline for the New York City metropolitan area alone. Our footprint extends into Arizona and Seattle, and we are actively pursuing development opportunities elsewhere around the country. Douglaston Development also recently completed a 120-room, 76-suite boutique hotel in London.