Related Companies Explained

Related Companies, L.P.
Type:Private
Founder:Stephen M. Ross
Hq Location:30 Hudson Yards
Hq Location City:New York City, New York
Hq Location Country:United States
Key People:Stephen M. Ross
(Non Executive Chairman)
Jeff T. Blau (CEO)
Bruce A. Beal, Jr. (President)
Industry:Real estate development
Assets:US$60 billion (2023)
Equity:US$4 billion (2017)[1]
Owner:Stephen M. Ross (60%)
Num Employees:4,000+ (2023)

Related Companies, L.P. is an American real estate firm with headquarters in New York City, and with offices around the country including in West Palm Beach, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, as well as in London. Related developed the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project,[2] which comprises 28acres in Manhattan's Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods.[2] [3] Related is also the largest private owner of affordable housing in the United States.[4]

The company's real estate assets, valued at over $60 billion, is made up of mixed-use, residential, retail, office, hospitality in what the company calls "premier high-barrier-to-entry markets."[5]

Related has developed mixed-use projects such as Deutsche Bank Center, the Grand LA, and CityPlace.

History

In 1972, Stephen M. Ross founded Related Companies with a $10,000 loan from his mother and a business plan focused on affordable housing.[6] [7] Related originally began as the Related Housing Companies, which built thousands of subsidized low and moderate income apartments nationwide.[8]

By the 1980s, the company turned towards higher-profile projects. Related hired architect Robert A.M. Stern in the 1990s to design The Chatham on the corner of 65th Street and Third Avenue.[8]

In September 2012, Ross became chairman, and Jeff Blau stepped into the role of CEO.[7] [9]

In 2014, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the company and several other large NYC developers, claiming failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.[10] [11]

Related announced its plans to develop the £5 billion, 180-acre North London neighborhood, Brent Cross Town, in 2020. It is currently under development.[12]

In 2021, Related was one of the founders of energyRe, a clean energy company.[13]

In May 2021, Time Warner sold One Columbus Circle back to Related, and the building was renamed the Deutsche Bank Center.[14] Related also signed its first major lease with WHOOP at One Kenmore Square as part of the redevelopment of properties under the iconic Citgo sign.[15] The company launched Lantern House and 360 Rosemary, West Palm Beach’s first Class A office in over a decade, in September of that year.[16] [17]

The Grand LA opened in July 2022. Designed by Frank Gehry, the $1.3 billion development includes a 45-story multifamily structure, a 28-story hotel and 164,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.[18]

In October 2022, the company unveiled The Cortland, a 25-story luxury residential building designed by Robert A.M. Stern and Olson Kundig.[19]

Related’s Quinn property broke the record for most expensive home sold in Boston’s South End in November 2022; the unit sold for $7.4 million.[20]

In late 2022, Related entered into a partnership with Wynn Resorts to develop an integrated resort with a casino on the western yard.[21] The next year, it was announced that the plan would include a "'resort' tower", developed with Wynn, as well as a casino and hotel. The plan includes a 2-million-square-foot office tower, as well as 5.5 acres of public parkland, a public school, and a 1 million-square-foot apartment building with 329 affordable housing units.[22] The 1,189 feet (362 m) proposed hotel, located west of 11th Avenue, would be 80 stories tall and would include 1,750 rooms, making it one of largest hotels in New York City if built.[23] In March 2024, Wynn Resorts released renderings of the proposed resort and other components of the western portion of the project.[24] In July 2024, the non-profit group Friends of the High Line claimed that the plan to build a 20-story podium and sky scraper on the western section of the site would overwhelm the park. In response, Related’s CEO downplayed the complaint saying that Related met with the non-profit group “ten times in the past year” and the original design had already been modified.[25] The current plan now includes 5.6 acres of public green space and will generate thousands of union jobs.[26] [27]

In 2023, Related Midwest opened the Row Fulton Market, a 294-unit luxury rental condo that is the tallest building in Chicago’s Fulton Market District.[28] That same year, Related and The Olayan Group began the first BTR rental home offering at Author King’s Cross.[29]

In October 2023, the University of Michigan approved construction for the $250 million UM Center for Innovation, which will be developed by Related in partnership with ODM.[30]

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Hudson Tunnel Project, a new river tunnel that would double the amount of trains coming from and to New Jersey, took place in November 2023. Related is leading the construction of the concrete casing of the Tunnel.[31] The following month, Related broke ground on Willets Point, the largest New York City affordable housing project in 40 years.[32]

The company announced in July 2024 that Ross would be stepping down as chairman of Related Companies to focus on his other business ventures. Ross will continue to serve as nonexecutive chairman of Related Companies, while Jeff Blau, Bruce Beal Jr., and Kenneth Wong will run the company.[33]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Corporate Bio. 7 September 2017. en-us.
  2. Web site: Hudson Yards, America's Largest Private Real Estate Development, Opens First Building . Chloe . Sorvino . . May 31, 2016.
  3. Web site: The man behind the largest real estate project in U.S. History . Fortune . 2013-08-29 . 2015-09-27.
  4. Web site: NMHC 50 Largest Apartment Owners. NMHC. February 2, 2024.
  5. Web site: Stephen Ross. Forbes. December 14, 2023.
  6. Web site: The Closing with Stephen Ross . Katherine . Clarke . . June 1, 2014.
  7. Web site: Billionaire Stephen Ross Steps Down As CEO Of Related Cos . Morgan . Brennan . . September 7, 2012.
  8. Web site: The Only Man Who Could Build Oz. New York Magazine. February 18, 2019. Carl Swanson. December 14, 2023.
  9. News: Stephen Ross stays Related Companies exec chair, Blau new CEO . Oscar Pedro . Musibay . . September 10, 2012.
  10. News: US gov't sues NYC developers, charging failure to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act . DANIEL . ACKER . . March 18, 2014.
  11. News: New York City Developer Accused in Disabled-Access Suit . Josh . Barbanel . . March 17, 2014.
  12. Web site: Argent Related reveals designs for £5bn Brent Cross Town in UK. World Construction Today. 7 October 2020 . May 3, 2024.
  13. Web site: The New Green Investment: Getting Clean Energy to Big Cities. Wall Street Journal. December 4, 2023. Amrith Ramkumar. February 4, 2024.
  14. Web site: PDT Partners Takes 110K SF at Deutsche Bank Center. Commercial Observer. April 4, 2022. Mark Hallum. February 4, 2024.
  15. Web site: See inside the Kenmore HQ of wearable tech unicorn Whoop. BostonInno. July 14, 2023. Hannah Green. February 4, 2024.
  16. Web site: Heatherwick Studio's Lantern House Is Complete. Surface Mag. September 22, 2021. Ryan Waddoups. February 4, 2024.
  17. Web site: Related completes 360 Rosemary office in West Palm Beach. South Florida Business Journal. September 23, 2021. Brian Bandell. February 4, 2024.
  18. Web site: Frank Gehry Finally Cut the Ribbon for The Grand in Downtown LA. Commercial Observer. July 14, 2022. Greg Cornfield. February 2, 2024.
  19. Web site: Inside the most luxurious new trophy towers launching this year in NYC. NY Post. May 12, 2022. Allison Hope. May 3, 2024.
  20. Web site: This Is the Most Expensive Condo Ever Sold in the South End. November 16, 2022. Erin Kayata. February 4, 2024.
  21. Web site: Related Companies and Wynn to Bid for New Casino in Midtown Manhattan. New York Times. September 15, 2022. Dana Rubinstein. Nicole Hong. Matthew Haag. May 3, 2024.
  22. Web site: Hudson Yards developer reveals revised $10 billion bid for casino. NY Post. May 28, 2023. Steve Cuozzo. Josh Kosman. Carl Campanile. May 3, 2024.
  23. Web site: New Renderings Revealed for Wynn Resorts at Phase Two of Hudson Yards . 14 March 2024 .
  24. Web site: Wynn and Related unveil renderings of proposed Hudson Yards casino development. NBC. March 14, 2024. Brad Luck. May 3, 2024.
  25. Web site: Related Companies to build 1,200-foot skyscraper on Madison Avenue. NY Post. July 14, 2024. Steve Cuozzo. July 21, 2024.
  26. News: Chen . Stefanos . 2024-07-10 . Supporters of the High Line Aim to Block Plan to Build a Casino Nearby . 2024-07-10 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  27. Web site: Protect The High Line . 2024-07-10 . Protect The High Line . en-US.
  28. Web site: What $23,000 a month gets you in Fulton Market. Chicago Business. April 13, 2023. Alby Gallun. December 14, 2023.
  29. Web site: Related Argent expands in-house asset management team to support Build-to-Rent growth. Built Environment Networking. February 23, 2023. December 14, 2023.
  30. Web site: University of Michigan regents approve construction for $250M Detroit innovation center. Detroit News. October 19, 2023. Kim Koalowski. Kara Berg. May 3, 2024.
  31. Web site: Groundbreaking for Hudson Rail Tunnel Draws Politicos and Protestors. Our Town. November 6, 2023. Michael Oreskes. February 2, 2024.
  32. Web site: Mayor Adams, Community Partners Break Ground on Willets Point Transformation, Largest Affordable Housing Project in 40 Years. NYC. December 20, 2023. February 2, 2024.
  33. Web site: Stephen Ross Is Launching His Second Act at 84: A New Florida Real-Estate Firm. Wall Street Journal. July 11, 2024. Peter Grant. July 11, 2024.