Standard Communities

Standard Communities

Standard Communities was founded in 1990 and is led by President and CEO Jeffrey B. Gitlin, who joined from the public housing sector. The firm focuses on the acquisition, rehabilitation, and preservation of multifamily housing, particularly affordable and workforce housing, often through partnerships with government agencies and housing authorities. The firm's strategy spans direct property acquisition and development, with a heavy emphasis on leveraging Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), tax-exempt bonds, and other federal and state programs. Standard Communities typically targets value-add opportunities in rent-controlled or otherwise restricted properties, aiming to extend affordability while improving physical condition. Its portfolio includes properties from at least 12 states, including California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. Notable projects include the rehabilitation of the 300-unit Park West Apartments in San Diego and the 200-unit Timber Creek in Texas. Standard Communities maintains a national footprint with offices across the U.S. — from Los Angeles to Baltimore. The firm is structured as a hybrid family office and investment platform, managing capital on behalf of both its principals and institutional partners. In November 2023, the firm closed on a $200 million joint venture with an unnamed institutional investor for the acquisition of a portfolio of workforce housing properties (per public record). A genuine structural differentiator is Standard Communities' deep integration with public-sector housing programs: the firm originates and structures its own tax-credit syndications and bond-financing deals, functioning more like a developer and syndicator than a traditional family office. This public-private pipeline gives it consistent access to deal flow that most private capital sources cannot easily replicate.