SPRING 2023 | 23 “I’ve always considered myself to be entrepreneurial, and [Lehigh] afforded me that entrepreneurial spirit and provided me access to people to have more complex conversations.“ —JARED DELLA VALLE ’93 Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest business district in New York City. It is located in the Northwest section of the borough, an area along New York’s East River and bounded by Flatbush Avenue, Tillary Street, Camden Plaza and Atlantic Avenue. The downtown is home to Borough Hall, the Brooklyn Municipal Building and several other civic offices, but its reputation for being all about business began to shift in 2004 when rezoning allowed for more residential construction. Those residents began seeking out more retail and restaurant options, along with schools and family-friendly activities. Over time, the downtown has transformed from its industrial past to a mixed-use area known for its upscale housing, restaurants and tech businesses. According to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a nonprofit, more than 12,700 housing units have been added to the downtown between 2016 and 2022, and another 8,900 are planned for the future. “I’ve seen a lot of high-rise developments, but I think this one is unique because of the tremendous mix of uses it includes,” says Regina Myer, president of the partnership. One of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership’s goals is for the area to become much more pedestrian friendly. Della Valle’s latest project accomplishes just that, Myer says. “There are several spaces where they will widen the sidewalks to provide more space for walking and a new plaza that is taking the place of a roadway,” she says. “Jared has an incredible vision for urban development, but he’s also a really great listener and is willing to be responsive to the community and other people’s ideas.” Della Valle fell in love with the site for its proximity to a major transportation hub and entertainment centers. “We were enamored, but it took us four to five years to assemble the entire block,” he says. “We weren’t originally anticipating that we would build a million square feet here.” It Started With a School Jennifer Maldonado, chief executive officer of New York City’s Educational Construction Fund, first met Della Valle in 2016 when her organization put out a request for bids to rebuild the Khalil Gibran International Academy and develop a mixed-use parcel including office space, retail and housing. At that point, Della Valle owned many of the adjacent parcels near the school. Maldonado says her organization felt comfortable going with Della Valle’s bid because it was the strongest, and he and his partners thoroughly understood how the development would impact the area. A number of school buildings in New York City weren’t constructed to be schools, Maldonado says. Her organization is trying to find ways to modernize them. The Khalil Gibran school was used as a medical building and job center before becoming a school in 2007. “This was an opportunity we saw where we said, ‘There’s a building that needs to be replaced and a subset of kids who go to this school who really deserve a break and a better facility,’”she says. Maldonado expects the high school expansion will make room for an additional 100 students there. In addition, Alloy is constructing a new, 500-seat elementary school on the same block. “I think a holistic approach to urban planning and development is super exciting,” Maldonado says. “It’s hard when you have a standalone building and nothing surrounding it because then it doesn’t work. I like the idea of everything being at your fingertips. … It offers the community the possibility of having schools, housing, office life and commercial.” That’s what appeals to Della Valle, who made a business that didn’t exist–architect and developer. That allows him, he says, to have full agency over a project and decide what’s valuable. “I have the ability to have a voice in a way that few of my peers are willing to do,” he says. “I don’t believe what I’m told by the rest of the industry, which is that you can’t do this or it’s not feasible.” L Della Valle helps students at Khalil Gibran International Academy add soil and plants to planters near a basketball court.
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