Jill Ziegler, director of sustainability and corporate responsibility at Forest City Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FCE.A), joined Nareit for a video interview at Nareit’s 2018 ESG Forum in Seattle.
Forest City owns and develops a portfolio of retail, office, apartment and mixed-use properties across the United States.
Ziegler commented on some of the additional challenges of mixed-use development from a sustainability perspective.
Ziegler highlighted the need to engage with the local community from before a shovel enters the ground through the entire length of the project. For example, Forest City held 175 meetings relating to its Pier 70 project in San Francisco, according to Ziegler.
Among other environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, Ziegler highlighted Forest City’s commitment to gender equality. She noted that women make up 30 percent of the board of directors.
Forest City is also focusing on health and wellbeing. Ziegler said Forest City has created a baseline scorecard for all its existing buildings, and the company is looking at how to incorporate health and wellness considerations into its new developments.