Cayuga Capital Management
Cayuga Capital Management
Real Estate Development and Management
Real Estate Development and Management
When Jacob Sacks and James Wiseman founded Cayuga Capital Management (CCM) in 2007, they set out to build a real estate firm that could contribute to long-term neighborhood improvement. Based in New York City, their early focus centered on Brooklyn, where changing demographics and underused buildings created opportunities for careful redevelopment. Their work later expanded into Texas, but their approach remained consistent: acquire promising sites, plan redevelopment thoughtfully, and manage the resulting residential and commercial properties with a long-term outlook.
From the beginning, Cayuga Capital aimed to create projects that bring value to communities. Their developments often combine residential units with everyday retail and service-based tenants, such as grocery stores, climbing gyms, entertainment spaces, and other gathering areas that support local activity.
Cayuga Capital has been active in Brooklyn for more than a decade. Over that time, the company has completed over 350 apartment units and nearly 450,000 square feet of commercial space. Through these efforts, the firm became one of the largest commercial developers in Williamsburg and a significant residential operator in Bushwick.
Their work reflects the broader transformation of these neighborhoods, which increasingly require updated housing, modern retail, and adaptive reuse of older industrial buildings.
A standout project for Cayuga Capital involved the redevelopment of a long-standing industrial warehouse next to McCarren Park. The building, located at 1 Nassau Avenue, where Williamsburg meets Greenpoint, had served industrial uses for many years. In 2017, CCM acquired the property and identified it as a candidate for adaptive reuse.
Through a long-term lease with Vital Climbing Gym, a California-based fitness operator, the warehouse was transformed into approximately 46,000 square feet of climbing areas, training facilities, and communal space. The project preserved the century-old structure while giving it a practical and active new purpose.
The timing aligned with shifts in Brooklyn’s warehouse and industrial market, where older buildings were increasingly sought for nontraditional uses. In 2023, the property sold for $43.3 million, the highest price ever recorded for a standalone climbing facility at that time. This project highlighted how a strategic tenant and a thoughtful redevelopment plan can reveal value in older assets that might otherwise be overlooked.
Cayuga Capital also played a role in Bushwick’s early commercial growth. At 22–28 Wyckoff Avenue, near Troutman Street, the firm renovated two older factory buildings into a 10,000-square-foot retail development.
This project brought in some of the area’s earliest high-end retail offerings, including an organic grocery store, a boutique wine shop, and a flexible space suitable for a restaurant or nightlife operator. These additions contributed to increased foot traffic and demonstrated how older industrial buildings could be repurposed to meet evolving neighborhood needs.
In another Bushwick project, CCM redeveloped a 27,000-square-foot site that included a historic church, a former middle school, and an adjacent vacant parcel. The outcome was a 99-unit residential complex that retained the church's critical architectural elements while integrating modern housing. Completed in 2017, the project totaled 90,000 square feet and combined preservation with updated urban living.
The firm also sourced and redeveloped the 100,000sf Lewis Steel Building in Williamsburg. Originally a steel factory dating back to the 1930s, the building was transformed into 83 apartments and 20,000sf of retail space. Positioned at 76 North 4th Street, it spans the block from Berry Street to Wythe Street and remains one of CCM’s notable adaptive reuse developments.
Cayuga Capital later broadened its efforts into the Dallas–Fort Worth region in Texas. The firm views Texas as a market with strong long-term potential and investment opportunities that balance risk and return. Current and planned projects include pickleball facilities, data center properties, daycare centers, and other commercial developments.
These projects are designed to encourage steady daily activity, benefit surrounding retail, and support growing residential communities in the region.
Jacob and Jamie first met in college and later built separate careers in New York City before choosing to launch their firm together. Their combined experience in investment banking, private equity, and law shaped CCM’s approach to acquisitions and development.
Jacob has more than 20 years of experience in real estate investment and operations. Before forming the company, he was Vice President at U.S. Realty Advisors, LLC, where he worked with assets totaling $3 billion. Earlier roles included work at ING Barings in the Transportation & Logistics Corporate Finance Group on debt and equity offerings, private placements, and mergers and acquisitions. He earned his B.A. in Economics and a Master of Engineering in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Cornell University.
Jamie serves as general counsel and principal at CCM. With over two decades in real estate across New York and Texas, he oversees development and construction and shares responsibility for investment strategy and acquisitions. Before co-founding Cayuga Capital, he was Associate General Counsel at Strategic Value Partners, where he worked on more than $1 billion in global investments. His prior legal experience includes positions at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Psychology and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Cornell University, where he was named a John M. Olin Scholar in Law and Economics.