Yes, big real estate is optimistic about Adams; former Forest City CEO says he was "very accessible for our company"

Commercial Real Estate and Eric Adams Build Each Other Up in New York, the Commercial Observer reported 1/25/22, leading off with an anecdote from former Forest City Ratner/Forest City New York CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin, who now runs MAG Partners:

While working at Brooklyn-based Forest City Ratner Companies (later acquired by Brookfield Asset Management) and building some of the most transformational projects in Kings County, Gilmartin recalls receiving great support from then-Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

“Eric, was, from day one, a believer, a champion, and very accessible for our company, for the people in the company,” Gilmartin said.

In 2016, Gilmartin was three years into her tenure as CEO of Forest City when she invited Adams — the beep until being sworn in as mayor on Jan. 1 — to the firm’s offices in Downtown Brooklyn as part of a speaker series. He spoke about his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and how he transformed his life, long before doing so publicly. He was “inspirational,” Gilmartin said...

Boldness, guts and audacity were seen, Gilmartin said, in the willingness of the police officer-turned-beep-turned-mayor to speak out for community policing while campaigning in 2021 amid cries for defunding the police. And that was evident in his campaign accepting real estate funding when others opposed it. “He was warm to the real estate industry,” Gilmartin said.

I'm not sure that accepting real estate funding, which Adams had done throughout previous campaigns, was bold; it was just the lane he was in.

As to examples of his accessibility, consider Adams's friendly meeting with Greenland Group executives in 2014, on the eve of their majority investment into Atlantic Yards, or his support for Forest City's side when it clashed with partner Skanska over the jointly owned modular factory.

What now?

What does this mean in practice as Mayor? Well, according to issues floated in the article, helping shape the renewal of 421-a tax break as the real estate industry requests, and pursuing rezonings to add density in wealthier areas.

With Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, that points to support for developer Greenland Forest City Partners effort to shift bulk from the unbuilt "Miss Brooklyn" tower, once planned to loom over the arena, across the street to Site 5. 

It also could point to subsidies for affordable housing, to enable deeper affordability, or assistance in building the costly deck/platform over the Vanderbilt Yard.