Eldad Gothelf is Senior Vice President of Real Estate at Kasirer, one of New York’s leading government relations firms. He leads a team of 10 policy experts and works with clients across the real estate industry to navigate the political and procedural demands of development in New York City. Eldad plays a hands-on role helping projects move forward — balancing technical expertise in zoning and land use with a clear understanding of how to engage communities and bring stakeholders together around a shared vision.

Can you start by sharing a little about your professional background and how you found your way into the intersection of real estate and government relations?

I’ve always been fascinated by the way cities grow and change, not just in their skyline or streets, but in the decisions, systems, and priorities that drive that change. That interest led me to pursue a Master’s in Urban Planning at Columbia University, and from there, I’ve spent my career thinking about how New York evolves — what gets built, who gets to build it, and how those decisions reflect the values of the city.

From the start, it was clear to me that you can’t plan or develop in NYC without understanding politics. Real estate doesn’t operate in isolation. It’s influenced by policy, community needs, long-term planning goals, and the often complicated machinery of city government. I didn’t come up through the traditional government relations path, but I’ve always approached the work through that lens. For me, real estate and politics are two sides of the same coin, and understanding that intersection has always been core to how I think about the work.

That’s what drew me to Kasirer, where I currently serve as an SVP in our real estate group. The firm has a profound understanding of how to navigate the public-private conversation in NYC — how to move projects forward in a way that’s responsive to the city’s needs, while also helping clients achieve their goals. It’s a space where I’ve been able to bring together my planning background and my belief that smart, inclusive growth is possible if you bring the right people and perspective to the table.

In your current role as Senior Vice President of Real Estate at Kasirer, what does your work look like day to day?

No two days are the same, and that’s exactly what makes the work so dynamic and rewarding. At any given time, I’m juggling a mix of external client conversations, internal strategy sessions, and on-the-ground site visits. That balance is important.

With clients, we spend a lot of time talking through the bigger questions. We look at what challenges a site might face, who the key stakeholders are, and how the political and community landscape could affect the path forward. Those conversations help mold the strategic roadmaps we build, and those roadmaps are always collaborative.

Internally, I work closely with our team to workshop ideas, respond to new developments, and stay aligned on how we’re engaging across projects.

The physical side of the work is just as critical. That means visiting sites, walking the surrounding blocks, and really getting a feel for the neighborhood. You can’t do this job by only reading reports or looking at site plans. You need to see what is happening on the ground, who is moving through the space, and how a project fits into the fabric of the community. That is when the strategy really starts to take shape.

What kinds of skills or experience do you think are most important for someone working in government relations — especially on the real estate side of things?

It’s a combination of technical understanding, political acumen, and emotional intelligence. You need a solid grasp of planning and policy, including zoning, land use, and city processes. But you also have to understand how the political winds are blowing, what elected officials are prioritizing, and how those priorities evolve over time.

Equally important is the ability to listen. This work requires you to genuinely hear what people are saying — whether it’s a community group, a Council Member, or a private developer — and finding ways to align different needs and concerns. In many cases, it’s less about persuasion and more about translation.

You also need to be trustworthy. There is a fair amount of cynicism in both politics and real estate, and in many cases, that cynicism is justified. Promises get made and broken, and stakeholders remember when that happens. We work on dozens of projects, and our word matters. If we say one thing on Project A and something entirely different on Project B, people take notice. That’s why we place so much value on consistency, transparency, and follow-through. In a city as complex as NYC, being trustworthy is essential if you want to stay at the table and actually make progress.

The word “lobbyist” can mean different things to different people. How do you explain the value of the work and the need for it when speaking with someone outside the industry?

To a lot of people, “lobbyist” is a loaded word, and often it carries a fair amount of baggage. But what we actually do, day to day, is help people talk to each other in ways that are productive and constructive. We act as translators.

Real estate developers know how to build — they know how to bring capital together, how to manage construction, how to deliver a project. While most also understand the value of community engagement and navigating city processes, they often don’t have the in-house resources or bandwidth to take it on directly.

At the same time, elected officials and community members are trying to ensure that any new development supports their neighborhoods and reflects broader civic goals.

We sit in the middle and help both sides speak each other’s language. We work to align priorities so that a project isn’t just a win for the developer — it’s also a win for the community and for the city. That doesn’t mean everyone gets 100% of what they want, but it does mean that there’s a clearer path forward and less chance of misunderstanding or misalignment torpedoing a project that could deliver real value.

Are there any projects you’ve been part of that stand out as particularly meaningful or memorable — whether because of their scale, complexity, or the impact they had?

One project that stands out is the Metro-North rezoning in the Bronx. The City put forward an ambitious plan to rezone areas around four future Metro-North stations — a major infrastructure investment with the potential to bring new housing, jobs, and long-term growth to the borough. Our client, Himmel + Meringoff Properties, owns the largest private development site within that area, directly adjacent to one of the proposed stations.

We worked closely with the City, elected officials, and community stakeholders to make sure the plan could move forward in a way that met everyone’s goals. That meant helping the City advance its priorities around housing, affordability, and equitable growth, while ensuring the project remained viable from a development perspective. It was a clear example of what it takes to balance public interest with private investment, and a reminder that successful projects in New York depend on real alignment, not just approvals.

New York’s real estate environment is known for being uniquely complex — with layers of zoning, community input, and political considerations. From your perspective, what makes it so challenging to navigate, and what does it take to successfully move a project forward in the Big Apple?

Everything about New York real estate is magnified. The scale is bigger, the timelines are tighter, and the level of scrutiny is unlike anywhere else. Every parcel of land feels consequential, and every decision can become a flashpoint. Whether you’re talking about zoning, politics, or community priorities, there are always multiple layers to work through.

But that’s what makes the work so meaningful. When a project comes together here, it’s not by accident. It means something. You’ve managed to navigate a process that demands creativity, collaboration, and persistence, and in doing so, you’ve contributed to the future of the most dynamic city in the world.

City of Yes and its impact on housing development in New York City has been a headline item for some time now. How positive is this early wave of approvals, and what are some key local considerations or challenges for developers, investors, and financiers that are currently, or will be, navigating the risky world of conversions?

What makes City of Yes important is not just the changes themselves, but the direction it signals. The initiative is the City’s effort to modernize its zoning rules so it’s easier to build new housing and convert underused buildings. For people in the industry, that kind of clarity matters.

By laying out a clearer framework, especially for conversions and adaptive reuse, the City is making it possible to take the next step with more confidence. Deals can be structured more accurately, investors can make better decisions, and owners can evaluate opportunities that might have felt too risky before.

Of course, zoning reform on its own won’t carry a project across the finish line. A development still has to make financial sense, earn community support, and navigate local politics. But having a clearer foundation to build from makes each of those steps more achievable.

Looking ahead, what do you think New York needs to get right in how it approaches growth, development, and the long-term needs of its communities?

New York is fortunate to have a level of demand that many other cities can only dream of. People want to live here, work here, and be part of what makes the city special. The challenge isn’t how to attract interest, but how to make space for it in a way that feels fair and sustainable.

That requires saying “yes” more often — yes to more housing, yes to better infrastructure, yes to growth that reflects the city’s values. It also requires an honest conversation about the tradeoffs. Growth changes neighborhoods, and the only way to manage that change is through trust, transparency, and a willingness to share responsibility.

If we can meet those challenges, we can keep New York not only competitive, but vibrant and inclusive for the long term.

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