Ron Moelis

Ron Moelis is the CEO and Co-founder of L+M Development Partners, a real estate development firm that specializes in community-driven urban development and the preservation of affordable housing. Ron’s commitment to the communities L+M develops and the people who live within them has remained unchanged since the firm’s founding in 1984. Ron’s career in real estate began when he saw an opportunity to expand the role of private sector firms in the creation of affordable housing in New York City. Recognizing there was a need and demand for better options, he set out to find more efficient ways to build and preserve affordable housing by combining resources from both the private and public sectors. New York City’s affordable housing crisis during the 1980s further galvanized Ron’s desire to find creative ways to develop high-quality affordable housing, of which L+M’s work was a natural outgrowth. Since founding L+M with his partner Sanford Loewentheil, Ron has made the firm an innovative force to develop high-quality, cost-effective housing and neighborhood infrastructure. While the focus of L+M’s projects has evolved over the years, Ron’s desire for his work to serve local communities has remained constant. From spearheading the Ocean Village rebuilding efforts on Rockaway Peninsula after Hurricane Sandy, to revitalizing historic properties like the Hahne’s building in downtown Newark, to envisioning The ReFresh Project in New Orleans, a project which transformed a vacant store lot into a “fresh food hub” housing a Whole Foods grocery and state-of-the-art teaching kitchen, L+M’s work reflects Ron’s commitment to strengthening local communities. In 2013, L+M, in collaboration with BFC Partners and Taconic, submitted the winning proposal to develop Essex Crossing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the largest contiguous parcel of underdeveloped City-owned land in Manhattan south of 96th street. The project is among the most significant urban renewal developments in the history of NYC and will create 1,000 residential units, over half of which will be affordable. Ron attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a dual degree from the College of Arts and Sciences and The Wharton School. He received his JD from NYU School of Law. Ron has served on a number of non-profit Boards, including New Yorkers for Parks, the Wharton Social Impact Advisory Board and the National Advisory Board of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. He is also an active supporter of social impact causes, including the John Jay-Vera Fellows Program.