PROFILE

Jim Brooks is the president of Brooks Homes Inc. of Orange County, NY, a firm that specializes in new home residential construction projects. With a 20 year history in the Hudson Valley, Jim has long been known as a builder of homes and communities which are designed to appeal to the interests and price needs of a regional workforce.

Throughout his career, Jim has also been actively involved in both regional and national construction industry associations, having held top-level positions in both. It is because of his unique understanding of the building industry as both a developer and an industry leader that Brooks Land Development Strategies and Solutions was formed.

Over the years, Jim has built a sizeable reputation as a leading advocate of the need for workforce housing and the need to apply the principles of smart growth and land use law. His years in the “trenches” have served to provide him with the ability to understand complex issues from the perspective of both builders and consumers alike. His ability to provide unbiased and educated perspectives on progressive topics have made him a valuable and respected resource to both the building industry and the media alike.

Because of his personal experience, Jim has a first hand understanding of regulatory and administrative obstacles that builders face when planning a new development and why land use decisions can be altered because of those obstacles. Conversely, Jim also understands the importance of providing well-planned affordable housing and how housing and development decisions impact the economic vitality of a region.

As a result of his background and knowledge, Jim is in high demand as a guest speaker on a local, regional and national basis. His views on the topic of growth strategies, land use law and implementation tactics have been quoted in newspapers and magazines ranging from the Times Herald Record to Builder and Remodeler magazine.

Jim received a Bachelor of Science degree from State University of New York in Utica. After a three-year stint with IBM in Westchester, NY, he ventured into residential construction by purchasing a 15-acre parcel of land in Chester, NY where he constructed his first residential homes. Since then, Jim has developed more than a dozen single-family communities and built over 200 homes. A partial listing of Jim’s developments are contained on the following pages.

Jim Brooks