What SKA Marin does

SKA Marin Inc. is a privately held, founder-controlled real estate firm founded in 1985 by Sydelle Knepper and headquartered at 98 Cutter Mill Road in Great Neck, New York. The company specializes in the development, ownership, construction management, and property management of government-subsidized affordable housing, with a primary focus on low-income seniors and disabled non-elderly populations in the New York metropolitan and tri-state area. Since expanding into construction management in 1990, SKA Marin has operated an integrated full-stack model covering planning, zoning, design, financing, construction oversight, asset management, and ongoing property operations, with over 5,000 multifamily housing units of new construction, substantial rehabilitation, and tenant-in-place renovation completed or under management across a portfolio of roughly 30 distinct projects in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Long Island, and upstate New York.

The firm's revenue model combines four streams: development fees for third-party affordable housing clients, construction management oversight fees, recurring property management fees through its SKA Marin Management subsidiary, and investment returns from assets held in its own account. SKA Marin does not develop or use any proprietary technology platform; its competitive positioning rests on regulatory expertise across LIHTC, historic credits, FHA insurance, project-based Section 8, HOME funding, and multi-source public bond financing, supported by deep relationships with housing authorities (NYCHA, HPD, HDC), HUD, DASNY, nonprofit co-developers (Calvary Church of God), and service operators (Catholic Charities).

The company is New York State certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE), operates with 11–50 employees, and is recognized nationally as a top-30 affordable housing developer (2015 industry ranking) and as a 2017 AHF Readers' Choice Award overall winner for the Draper Hall project. There is no evidence of external institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity; growth is project-driven and funded through the multi-agency financing stacks the firm structures on each deal.

Name

SKA Marin

Legal name

SKA Marin Inc.

Website

https://skamarin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SKA Marin is a Great Neck, NY real estate firm developing, owning, and managing affordable housing for low-income seniors and disabled individuals across the New York tri-state area, offering integrated development, construction management, property management, and investment services across more than 30 projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing Development & Property Management

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors (6510), Operative Builders (1531)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Senior & Assisted Living Residential Property Management (BPAJAFAE), Senior Living & Assisted Living Facility Construction (IMAFACAJ)

Keywords

• Affordable housing development
• Property management services
• Construction management
• Real estate investment
• Multifamily rehabilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Great Neck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Development Fees: Fee development services for government-subsidized apartment buildings, including comprehensive planning, zoning, design, financing, program budget, regulations, and scheduling from project inception through construction completion and final closeout.
2. Property Management: Hands-on management of government-subsidized apartment buildings for low-income senior populations in the Metropolitan New York Area through on-site building supervision and tenant communication.
3. Construction Management: Construction oversight and review services provided in conjunction with or directly following design team completion of working drawings. Includes project documentation, oversight, inspection, payment application review, and labor compliance monitoring.
4. Asset Management: Hands-on asset management and tailored capital improvement programs for acquired properties to reduce operating costs while enhancing tenant experience, focused on well-located fundamentally sound assets in the tri-state area.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SKA Marin is a fee developer, owner, and property manager of government-subsidized affordable apartment buildings serving low-income seniors and disabled populations in the New York tri-state area. The firm provides comprehensive real estate development, construction management, property management, and investment services spanning project inception, planning, financing, design, construction oversight, and ongoing building operations.

Product overview

SKA Marin is a real estate development and property management company that offers four core service lines: Development Services, Property Management (SKA Marin Management), Construction Management, and Investments. The company specializes in affordable housing development, rehabilitation, and management focused on low-income senior populations in the Metropolitan New York Area. Their portfolio includes over 30 distinct housing projects across the New York tri-state area, including senior residences like Draper Hall (201 units), Riverway Apartments (114 units), Denton Green (113 units), and various other affordable housing properties. Projects range from new construction to substantial rehabilitation and tenant-in-place renovation, serving seniors, disabled individuals, and low-income families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Development Services Fee development and ownership services for clients and partners seeking to develop, rehabilitate, or expand affordable housing property, covering planning, zoning, design, financing, program budget, regulations, and scheduling from project inception through construction completion and final closeout.
• SKA Marin Management (Property Management) Property management specializing in government-subsidized apartment buildings for low-income senior populations in the Metropolitan New York Area, with hands-on building supervision, tenant communication, ongoing financial analysis, employee review, and maintenance procedures.
• Construction Management Construction oversight and review services for multifamily housing projects including new construction, substantial rehabilitation, and tenant-in-place renovation, with over 5,000 units of experience across the company portfolio.
• Investments Real estate investment services building investor value through disciplined underwriting, hands-on asset management, tailored capital improvement programs, and environmentally responsible solutions in the tri-state area.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 multifamily housing units developed or managed across new construction, substantial rehabilitation, and tenant-in-place renovation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• New York City Health and Hospitals CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Property owner from whom SKA Marin won a 99-year lease on Draper Hall at $100,000 per year rent. The property was previously a nurses' dormitory for adjacent Metropolitan Hospital.
• The Calvary Church of God, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Joint venture partnership for Riverway Apartments affordable senior housing development. The Calvary Church of God, which has been active in the Brownsville community for approximately four decades, serves as nonprofit co-developer facilitating intergenerational community programs through the Senior Center.
• Catholic CharitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Operates the nearly 10,000 square-foot Senior Community Center at Riverway Apartments under an operating contract with NYC Department of the Aging (DFTA), providing case management, exercise programs, intergenerational recreation, and other support services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• L+M Development Partners: L+M Development Partners is one of the largest affordable and mixed-income housing developers in the New York tri-state area, building and managing thousands of units of subsidized housing using LIHTC, Section 8, and HDC financing — the same subsidy stack SKA Marin relies on. It is a direct peer in the NYC affordable housing development and management niche.
• Phipps Houses: Phipps Houses is a New York-based nonprofit developer and manager of affordable housing, specializing in multifamily rental for low- and moderate-income families in the tri-state area using LIHTC, bond financing, and HPD/HUD programs — a direct comparable in mission, geography, and operating model to SKA Marin.
• Monadnock Development: Monadnock Development is a New York-based affordable housing developer that builds, owns, and manages supportive and senior housing using LIHTC, HPD, and HDC financing — directly comparable to SKA Marin's focus on subsidized senior and supportive housing in NYC.
• Breaking Ground: Breaking Ground (formerly Common Ground) is a major New York-based nonprofit that develops and manages supportive housing for formerly homeless and low-income individuals, including seniors and people with disabilities; it is a direct peer in the supportive/subsidized housing space in NYC.
• West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH): WSFSSH is a New York nonprofit that develops and manages affordable housing for low-income seniors and formerly homeless individuals using HPD, HUD, and LIHTC financing; a comparable mission-driven operator in the same NYC senior affordable housing niche as SKA Marin.
• Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens / The Arker Companies: The Arker Companies is a New York-area affordable housing developer and property manager that develops, owns, and manages LIHTC and subsidized multifamily housing in the tri-state area — closely comparable to SKA Marin's vertically integrated development and property management model.

Broad incumbents

• Related Companies: Related Companies is one of the largest real estate developers in the US with a substantial affordable housing platform (Related Affordable) that builds, finances, and operates subsidized multifamily housing in New York and beyond; it operates as a broad incumbent in the same affordable housing space as SKA Marin but at significantly greater scale.

Others

• NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD): NYC HPD is a major counterparty and capital source for SKA Marin's developments (providing HOME funds, below-market land, and tax incentives) rather than a competitor, but is essential context for the firm's pipeline and operations in the affordable housing market.
• New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA): NYCHA is the largest public housing authority in North America and a key source of project-based Section 8 vouchers and public housing renovation work for SKA Marin; it is a critical ecosystem partner rather than a peer, shaping the demand environment for the firm's services.
• NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC): NYC HDC is the primary municipal issuer of multifamily housing bonds and a major source of construction and permanent financing for affordable housing in New York; it is a key capital partner for SKA Marin's projects (e.g., the $20.2M in tax-exempt bonds for Riverway Apartments) rather than a competitive peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SKA Marin