Robin Zeigler, who has served as a C-level executive at retail real estate investment trusts, has launched a firm of her own designed to work on redevelopment and the creation of multiuse properties in underserved neighborhoods across the United States.
Zeigler's New York City-based MURAL Real Estate Partners aims to spur economic development through the conception, development and management of mixed-use properties in poorer urban and suburban districts. Zeigler said MURAL, which stands for "mixed-use revitalization approached locally," is looking at acquisitions and partnerships from coast to coast and has designated more than $500 million for mixed-use redevelopment and value-add renovations on existing shopping centers and multifamily properties.
“We build value alongside communities — not just within them — and will work to identify lasting solutions for underserved areas while providing equity, creating economic empowerment, and forging strong and meaningful relationships," Zeigler said in a statement.
Zeigler, who has more than 25 years of commercial real estate experience, has served has chief operating officer of two REITs. From 2016 through May, she was COO of Cedar Trust Realty, a REIT that owns and operates primarily grocery-anchored shopping centers from Washington to Boston.
From 2004 to 2015, Zeigler served as chief operating officer of Federal Realty Investment Trust, where she oversaw operations of the REIT's mid-Atlantic region that contained more than 40 shopping centers and four residential projects and five office buildings in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina.
MURAL launched with a pair of assignments at high-profile redevelopment projects.
In St. Louis, the St. Louis Development Corp. has tapped MURAL as a consultant to help the group with the execution of its Economic Justice Action Plan. The action plan is a framework designed to promote and execute equitable and inclusive development opportunities in St. Louis by acknowledging and working through historical barriers, economic inequities and the racial wealth gap.
In Washington, D.C., Zeigler's former firm Cedar Trust has retained MURAL to consult on the first phase of Northeast Heights. The project is centered on the development and management of a 258,000-square-foot office building leased to the D.C. Department of General Services with ground-floor retail in Washington.
MURAL also is working with Cedar to help advance the planned redevelopment of two existing shopping centers owned by the REIT.
In addition to Zeigler, MURAL's executive team is focused on shifting "the industry paradigm by executing on the ambitious vision we’ve laid out in the coming months and years.”
Other MURAL executives include Jessica Tan, who also worked at Cedar Trust, serving as MURAL's vice president of development.
Melanie Ramos, who's worked as a property manager at Federal Realty Investment Trust, Bozzuto and Cedar Realty, is MURAL's vice president of property management, and Vanessa Rodriguez is senior vice president of marketing, public relations and community relations.
Pointing to MURAL's female executives in top leadership, Zeigler said, “I take seriously my responsibility not only as an advocate for conscientious economic growth, but also as a role model for the underrepresented voices in a historically non-diverse industry."