Matt Whalen to leave AvalonBay

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Matthew Whalen, one of the leading pioneers of new rental developments on Long Island, will retire from his post at AvalonBay Communities this summer.

In his 20 years with the development firm, Whalen has been instrumental in establishing AvalonBay’s footprint on Long Island, Westchester County and Connecticut, bringing more than $1.5 billion of new rental development, consisting of more than 5,000 apartments, to those markets.

Whalen will step down as AvalonBay’s senior vice president of development on June 30 and hasn’t yet announced any future plans.

Christopher Capece, who currently serves as AvalonBay’s vice president of development in the region and has spent 14 years with the firm, will succeed Whalen.

“Matt established AvalonBay as the market leader for quality apartment communities on Long Island and successfully guided our development efforts in Westchester County and Connecticut,” Bill McLaughlin, executive vice president of development for AvalonBay, said via email. “Beyond his development expertise, Matt was equally known for his focus on building and leading strong teams of people.  Matt touched many lives over the years; we will miss his leadership and friendship, and look forward to continuing to enjoy our personal and professional relationship going forward.”

Whalen has been very active in the Long Island real estate development community. He served on the board of directors for the Long Island Builders Institute as well as on the boards of the Long Island Association, the Long Island Real Estate Group, the Real Estate Practitioners Institute, the Long Island Housing Partnership, Hofstra University’s Institute of Real Estate, the New York State Builders Association, and the Community Development Corporation of Long Island. Whalen has also been a member of the Association for a Better Long Island and the Urban Land Institute.

“Matt Whalen has been a tremendous asset to Long Island, not only to the real estate community, but to the regional community,” said Mitch Pally, executive director of LIBI. “In his role as president of LIBI and as a board member at the LIA, he has provided invaluable expertise in relation to governmental affairs and bringing much needed rental housing to Long Island.”

AvalonBay has been active in the apartment growth on Long Island. After acquiring an existing rental building in Long Beach in 1995, AvalonBay built ground-up rental developments in Smithtown and Melville in the late 1990s, adding more than 800 apartments. Since then, the company has developed new rental housing in Huntington Station, Rockville Centre, Garden City and Great Neck and now owns and operates more than 3,500 Long Island apartments.

Whalen told LIBN he feels “incredibly fortunate to have spent 20 years at such a quality organization” and he’s proud of the investments they made to improve so many communities.

“I know that Chris Capece, my longtime friend and colleague, will continue to grow AvalonBay’s presence in these markets moving forward,” Whalen said. “I am thankful for the opportunity that AvalonBay provided for me and my family, and for all of the friendships I made over the years. Although I have not defined my next chapter, I am looking forward to taking a break and enjoying some family time in the near term.”