Our History & Experience
Claremont Development is a real estate firm focused primarily on the ground-up development of multifamily, industrial, and mixed-use properties throughout New Jersey. We leverage our in-house expertise and strategic partnerships to navigate all elements of the development and construction process to minimize our risks and maximize returns. Our ability to identify, acquire, entitle, design, finance, and construct projects has set Claremont apart from other competitors. Our core investment strategy focuses on transit-oriented multi-family development opportunities in strong demographic locations, adaptive re-use projects in underutilized urban downtowns, projects that require substantial environmental remediation efforts, and underutilized / off-market properties that can be transitioned into higher-density uses.
Claremont Development was formed in 2019 as the next chapter in the evolution of Claremont Construction Group, a multi-generational construction services and real estate development firm established in 1954. Lead by its principals Richard Sciaretta, Maximilian Dorne, and Jeffrey Bastow, who previously held senior positions at Claremont Construction Group, Claremont Development’s primary mission are to focus on real estate development and investment while strategically leveraging the core competencies of Claremont Construction Group’s construction expertise.
Claremont Development is responsible for over $1 billion of ground-up development projects that exceeds $600 million of which has been delivered or is currently under construction.
Meet Our Team
Richard Sciaretta
Managing Partner
Richard Sciaretta
Managing Partner
Richard has extensive experience in real estate ground-up development projects and capital markets. As Claremont Development’s Managing Partner, Richard is actively involved with the acquisition, development, and execution of Claremont’s real estate projects that currently total over $800 million.
Prior to joining Claremont, Richard served as Assistant Vice President at SJP Properties where he played an integral role in the acquisition and leasing of the firm’s residential and commercial projects. Richard began his career as a financial analyst for HFF, where he worked on over $375 million of real estate debt and equity assignments.
Richard earned a B.A. in Economics from Villanova University and completed the General Course at the London School of Economics.
Maximilian Dorne
Partner
Maximilian Dorne
Partner
Maximilian “Max” has over 10 years of real estate experience in the development and construction side of the industry. As one of Claremont Development’s Partners, Max is actively involved with acquisitions, entitlements, design & construction management and leasing for Claremont Development. He is also the broker of record for a separately owned affiliate of Claremont Development.
Prior to joining Claremont, Max worked at Avison Young where he was responsible for all aspects of land development and construction services on behalf of institution funds, privately owned real estate development companies and individual operators. Prior to joining Avison Young, Max was an associate at Taconic Investment Partners where his roles included asset management, construction, and development. Prior to Taconic, Max was a Project Manager at Schimenti Construction Company and a Project Engineer at Turner Construction Company.
Max earned a B.S. in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University College of Architecture, Art & Planning and an M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University College of Architecture, Planning & Preservation.
Jeff Bastow
Partner
Jeff Bastow
Partner
Jeff has approximately 20 years of real estate experience and has executed over 140 transactions totaling more than $10 billion. As one of Claremont Development’s Partners, Jeff is responsible for debt and equity sourcing, partnership structuring, as well as acquisitions and dispositions.
Prior to joining Claremont, Jeff was a Managing Director at BlueGate Partners, a boutique real estate investment bank, where he co-led the capital markets team. Prior to joining BlueGate Partners, Jeff was a Vice President with Transwestern on their Mid-Atlantic multifamily investment sales team which completed over $3 billion in transactions during his tenure. Prior to Transwestern, Jeff was with Pembroke Real Estate, a private equity real estate division of Fidelity Investments, focusing on acquisitions in major international markets including London, Paris, and Tokyo. While at Pembroke, Jeff contributed to over $700 million in acquisitions and led their expansion into Washington, D.C. In addition, Jeff has work experience with GID Investment Advisors.
Jeff received a B.A. in economics from Colgate University and is a CFA charter holder.
Andrew Zilenziger
Assistant Vice President
Andrew Zilenziger
Assistant Vice President
Andrew joined Claremont Development in June 2020. As AVP, Andrew supports Claremont’s acquisition and development functions by underwriting new investment opportunities, assessing capital markets and project financing, managing development and construction projects, and transaction due diligence.
Prior to joining Claremont, Andrew was an Associate at JLL Capital Markets (formerly HFF) where he was part of a team responsible for raising debt and equity for institutional and private owners across all asset classes and transaction types. During his tenure, he was directly involved in the arrangement of over 75 transactions totaling approximately $2 billion of debt and equity financings.
Andrew earned a B.S. from Cornell University with a minor in Real Estate.
Talia Connelly
Executive Vice President
Talia Connelly
Executive Vice President
Talia has over 25 years of industry experience spanning the full suite of development and construction management services. As Executive Vice President, Talia is responsible for overall design and development management, risk management, construction management, cost analysis, planning, budgeting, and scheduling. She brings extensive experience overseeing large multidisciplinary project teams with multiple stakeholders.
Prior to joining Claremont Development, Talia was responsible for overall construction management at Claremont Construction, a full-service construction and development firm, where Talia oversaw large multidisciplinary project teams developing luxury residential buildings, retail areas and higher education construction projects. Before her time at Claremont Construction, she was with Century 21 Construction performing overall project and construction management. Talia was also responsible for construction management on various government agency projects, including Department of the Air Force, Navy, Army and Corp of Engineers, all located in the Northeastern United States.
Talia has an education background in business management, construction management, and Computer Aided Drafting and Design.
Marc Baumann
Vice President of Development & Construction
Marc Baumann
Vice President of Development & Construction
Marc joined Claremont Development in April 2022. As Vice President of Development & Construction, Marc manages all pre-development support, including land due diligence, design, entitlement, budgeting, and feasibility of development projects. Marc directs and leads the design, entitlement, and construction of Claremont’s industrial development projects and is also responsible for supporting acquisitions with development and construction related input and evaluation of construction related risk. Prior to joining Claremont, Marc was a Project Manager at Greek Development, Inc. where he was responsible for all aspects of construction of industrial warehouse projects. During his tenure, he was a Project Manager on the Linden Logistics Center project, which encompasses 4.1 million square feet of warehouse space in Linden, NJ.
Prior to joining Greek, Marc worked in the environmental consulting industry conducting site investigations and site remediation projects across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Marc has extensive experience with managing clients, consultants, and subcontractors with a proven track record of completing large scale projects on-time and on-budget.
Marc earned a B.S. in Geology – Environmental Geo-Science from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA and a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Fordham University.
Christina Colaiacovo
Vice President of Operations
Christina Colaiacovo
Vice President of Operations
Christina is responsible for construction and property management accounting, construction draws, financial reporting, financial projections and cash management. She also provides support in acquisitions and closings. Christina has over 20 years of experience in Real Estate. She joined Claremont in 2016 and was promoted to Controller in 2019.
Prior to joining Claremont, Christina worked as Senior Project Accountant at Mack-Cali Realty where she was responsible for the accounting for all 3rd party Development deals.
Christina earned a B.S in Accounting from Bloomfield College with a minor in Finance.
Claremont Partners
We build lasting relationships with all of our clients. Here are a few of our recurring partners:
