A transition at ESD: longtime Atlantic Yards project director Jaiyesimi departs, with no direct replacement named. A gap in institutional memory?

Tobi Jaiyesimi, who in February 2015 began serving as Empire State Development's (ESD) main point person regarding Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, has left the state authority, with no direct replacement named.

She started as Executive Director of the (purportedly) advisory Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation (AY CDC), then became the authority's Project Director for Atlantic Yards (and World Trade Center Site 5 and Queens West), ultimately gaining the title of Assistant Vice President.

By 2017, after Jaiyesimi took over a larger role at ESD, it was curious, as I wrote, that Jaiyesimi was essentially advising herself--at least if the AY CDC were considered an independent advisory entity rather than, as quickly became, mostly a rubber stamp for the parent ESD.

Her departure is another sign that Atlantic Yards is somewhat adrift, as Scott Solish, the project's point man for Greenland USA--which owns nearly all the project going forward--departed in February and no full replacement has been announced, though Jen Kuang was said to have taken some responsibilities.

In fact, Kuang was the author of the recent memo from Greenland to ESD saying it was "likely" that the developer would start the long-delayed platform in the second half of this year, crucial to three future towers. As I wrote, that was "big if true." 

ESD changes 

For now, it seems that ESD may be under-equipped, at least from the community relations side, to oversee that potential uptick in activity and to manage institutional memory.

Jaiyesimi's departure was revealed in an email auto-reply, which stated "I have transitioned from my role at ESD." 

I had contacted both her and ESD's press office about the schedule for the lapsed Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Quality of Life meetings, previously held bi-monthly, and the AY CDC meetings, which are supposed to be quarterly. 

(Yesterday I learned there will be an AY CDC meeting July 26, as I'll write separately. So that does signal some potential accountability.)

Jaiyesimi's auto-reply said that, regarding Atlantic Yards, people should contact Joel Kolkmann, who started in April as ESD's Senior Vice President, Real Estate and Planning, after stints at Douglaston Development, the New York City Department of City Planning, and the Municipal Art Society.

Whatever Kolkmann's expertise, there's always a learning curve for new staffers, given the complex history of the project. The lack of such continuity leaves power in the hands of the developers and their consultants.

At least in its ideal conception, an ongoing body like the AY CDC should provide some continuity. But most directors have little knowledge of the project and thus can be spoon-fed by ESD.

Public, or private?

Public-private partnerships or, as I've termed Atlantic Yards, a private-public partnership, can be fraught.

Jaiyesimi didn't respond to a query I sent her from LinkedIn. I suspect that, whatever the reason for her departure, Jaiyesimi's smart/ethical enough to know that the "good soldier" role she had to play at ESD--for example, suggesting that the authority would not enforce fines for affordable housing not delivered by May 2025--is in tension with principles of good government.

One of her predecessors, Arana Hankin, ESD's first Atlantic Yards project director, ruefully acknowledged those tensions after she left her state job for an academic fellowship.

Jaiyesimi, a former Chief of Staff to former NYS Assemblymember Walter Mosley, has a Master of Arts in Urban Studies. Kolkmann has a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Business Administration.

Job openings

ESD is currently advertising an Assistant Vice President, Community Relations, with a salary range of $102,000 to $108,000, which is likely near the range of Jaiyesimi's salary.

While the job description doesn't mention Atlantic Yards, it may well include it, given that the description is "Manage community relations for various ESD real estate development projects. Manage Community / Government Relations downstate."

That said, there may be a separate opening for Jaiyesimi's job, since "Develop and execute community relations strategy for economic development projects statewide" may be too broad an ambit.

ESD has a separate opening for Senior Vice President, Community Relations, with a salary range of $145,000 to $150,000. That strikes me as a higher-level position, likely filling the role vacated by Marion Phillips III, who had departed as of March 2022. 

That executive "will oversee community and government relations for ESD’s real estate development projects, including signature projects such as Atlantic Yards, Penn Station, and World Trade Center."