Bob Youngentob, who co-founded Bethesda-based developer EYA in 1992, has died of cancer.
Youngentob died Saturday at the age of 64, according to an online obituary. The D.C. native served as president and CEO of EYA for its first three decades before becoming its executive chairman in January 2022.
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“Bob was a visionary leader, a compassionate partner, and a close friend,” President and CEO McLean Quinn said in an emailed statement.
“He built community everywhere he went, within EYA, throughout our neighborhoods, and in his personal life,” he added. “His leadership helped redefine urban living, creating neighborhoods that are welcoming, sustainable, and connected.”
Youngentob oversaw millions of square feet of residential and mixed-use development including Fairfax’s Mosaic District, Rockville’s Westside at Shady Grove, Alexandria’s waterside Robinson Landing and Oronoco developments, and dozens of transit-oriented residential communities across the DMV.
EYA's specialty is partnering with other developers and delivering townhouse components of urban infill projects, creating attainable spaces for families and first-time homebuyers. Youngentob co-founded the company with Terry Eakin as Eakin/Youngentob Associates.
He formerly chaired the Urban Land Institute’s Washington D.C. District Council and went on to chair its governance committee. In 2023, he received the organization’s Trailblazer Award.
Last year, he and Eakin were inducted into the National Association of Home Builders' Best in American Living Hall of Fame.
Youngentob most recently served on the boards for The Universities at Shady Grove and the Terwillinger Center of the Urban Land Institute, according to EYA's website.
He is survived by his wife, Linda, their three daughters, his parents and brother and sister.
A funeral will be held Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at Washington Hebrew Congregation, followed by an interment at the Garden of Remembrance Memorial Park in Clarksburg, Maryland, according to the obituary. It also says gifts may be directed to the EYA Foundation.
