2025 Fall Preview: Justin Cruz, Cruz Companies

What trends or shifts do you see shaping your industry this fall and into 2026? As a construction, real estate development, and management organization that has focused on affordable housing for 75-plus years, the joint housing crisis of supply and affordability remains top of mind for us – and our collaborators and partners. We do anticipate some positive momentum going into 2026. In every market where we’re active, local leaders understand the need for multifamily development. We have also long been advocating for the types of tax credit reform that passed at the federal level this year, and are cautiously optimistic this will help crucial projects move forward faster.

What’s one major project, initiative, or innovation your firm is focused on in the months ahead? We’re pursuing several key initiatives at Cruz Companies. On the development side, our work is laser-focused on delivering more and better housing that is highly responsive to community needs in terms of unit mixes, AMI levels, and services. We are close to a construction start at our 87-unit senior housing project in College Park, Maryland, and at our transformative 170-unit, two-building project in Roxbury’s Nubian Sq., which will offer both rental and affordable homeownership units. We’re also exploring opportunities in markets such as Baltimore, Detroit, and Cleveland.