JDS Development Group

JDS Development is an American real-estate development group headquartered in Manhattan, New York, with an additional presence in Miami and South Florida. The firm was founded by Michael Stern, a native of Long Island.^[1]

JDS Development Group

Company type	Private
Industry	Real estate development
Founder	Michael Stern
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Number of employees	500
Website	JDS Homepage

History

The JDS Development Group was founded in 2002 by Michael Stern. The company was incorporated as a privately held New York City-based acquisition firm and real estate development. It specializes in luxury housing, leisure and mixed-use developments, it has over 7 million square feet of real estate under construction.^[2]

In 2018, Madison Realty Capital gave a construction loan of $137 million to the JDS Development Group for Monad Terrace Condominium located in Miami, Florida.^[3]

Lawsuits

JDS Development faced a legal dispute in 2024, when Hawthorne Financial Holdings accused the company of owing roughly $1.3 million in unpaid expenses associated with its use of a private jet.^[4]

In December 2025, the law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres filed a lawsuit against JDS Development and its founder, Michael Stern, in New York County Supreme Court. The complaint alleges that the company failed to pay approximately $2.7 million in outstanding legal fees. According to the filing, JDS retained Kasowitz in 2014, and the firm subsequently represented both the company and Stern in multiple real estate-related legal matters. The lawsuit states that neither JDS nor Stern had previously raised concerns about the firm’s work or its billing, and that Stern had repeatedly assured Kasowitz that the invoices would be paid. Kasowitz is seeking the unpaid balance along with interest and legal costs.^[5]

Developments

JDS has created buildings in South Florida, as well as Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York City. Notable developments include The Steinway Tower, The Brooklyn Tower, and the American Copper Buildings.^[6][7][8]