At 82, Builder With Local Ties Becomes An Icon In His Industry

On May 21, Leonard Kohl was presented with the prestigious 2008 Icon of the Industry award from The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 50+ Housing Council. The award honors Mr Kohl as an outstanding industry leader, who has made a lasting impact on the seniors housing industry having served as a consultant on the original Heritage Village planned community in Southbury.

His local company, Kohl Partners, more recently has developed The Woods at Newtown. He received the prestigious honor during the 2008 Best of 50+ Housing Awards gala in New Orleans, La.

Mr Kohl has been a widely recognized leader and pioneer in the development of housing, lifestyle, and services for active adults and older Americans for more than 50 years, and his commitment to responding to consumers with innovative designs and solutions that exceed expectations has made a lasting impact on the industry. 

His career in the homebuilding industry began in the 1940s, when he worked in construction on Long Island. In the late 1950s, Mr Kohl built his first single-family house in Rockland County, N.Y., which sold for $11,990.

He soon noticed the in-migration of seniors to Rockland County and he responded by building his first 55+ development, a 16-unit garden apartment community in Suffern, N.Y. Mr Kohl continued to build single-family homes and garden apartments, many of which would be called “age targeted” in today’s market.

He first served as vice president of the Northern New Jersey Home Builders Association (HBA), and president of Rockland County HBA. In the early 1960s, as a prominent NAHB director and senior housing pioneer, Mr Kohl was called upon to advise Henry Paparazzo as he was building the nationally recognized active adult community, Heritage Village in Southbury.

As the 21st Century began, Leonard Kohl formed Kohl Partners, and chose Newtown for his first local venture, targeting Connecticut because it is the eighth oldest state in the country, with approximately 40,000 households aged 55 to 74 within a 15-mile radius of Newtown.

On May 6, Kohl Partners held its groundbreaking for The Woods at Newtown, which itself was recognized with its own 2008 Best of 50+ Housing Design Award. After 50 years in the housing industry, Mr. Kohl, now 82, maintains a full work schedule.

He meets with his partners and staff each day, and continues to interact directly with consumers and homebuyers to listen to their desires and then translate them into cutting-edge communities that meet and exceed their expectations. 

Mr Kohl received a degree in engineering from Cornell University, and a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from the City College of New York. He holds the honor of lifetime director to the board of the National Association of Home Builders.

He lives with his wife of 55 years, Laurel, in Fairlawn, N.J. For more information visit www.KohlPartners.com.