Capalino Insider: Q&A with Richard Barth, Group Leader, Land Use, Housing + Real Estate
What do you specialize in at Capalino?
I am the Group Leader for our Land Use, Housing and Real Estate Group. We advise on real estate and development strategies, and assist with seeking entitlements, including ULURP.
What attracted you to working at Capalino?
I used to be the Executive Director of the City Planning Department. I saw an opportunity to continue to make a difference in the growth and development in the city on the private side, while working for a firm that has a strong social responsibility ethic and a long-standing commitment to NYC.
What is your favorite place in NYC, and why?
I love the City in the early morning when it is just getting going and beginning the new day.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
At City Planning, I had the opportunity to work on many significant projects, from the Greenpoint/Williamsburg Rezoning, to Hudson Yards, to the Lower Manhattan Revitalization Plan. As an avid theater goer, one particularly meaningful project was helping to facilitate the Signature Theater Complex.
Who are your favorite authors?
I read more non-fiction these days, but my favorite fiction authors are Richard Ford, James Lee Burke (Dave Robicheaux novels set in rural southwest Louisiana), and Robert Penn Warren, who I discovered through “All the Kings Men”.
What’s one thing nobody knows about you?
I have spent a number of summer vacations (before I was married) going to guitar camp in North Carolina. Now, if I can just become a better guitar player, who knows……….
