NEW YORK CITY-Robert Lieber, who spearheaded some of theBloomberg administration’s biggest economic development projects,is leaving the public sector amid a very different climate thanwhen he joined it. Where the economy and real estate market werebooming as Lieber assumed the presidency of the New York CityEconomic Development Corp. in early 2007, both are still in theprocess of recovery as he winds down his tenure as deputy mayor foreconomic development. That has meant an agenda that has had tobalance promoting economic diversity along with large-scaleprojects.

Lieber, who succeeded Daniel Doctoroff as deputy mayor foreconomic development in December 2007 after Doctoroff’s departurefor the public sector, announced Wednesday that he’s joining IslandCapital Group’s affiliated companies Anubis Advisors and C-IIICapital Partners next month. A spokesman for the mayor’s officetells GlobeSt.com that no timetable has been devised yet forfinding his successor.

During his 29-month tenure as the city’s development czar,Lieber spearheaded the city’s plans to remediate and redevelop a62-acre swath of Willets Point in Queens and revitalize the ConeyIsland district in Brooklyn. He also led the initiative to putGovernor’s Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park under city control, andtook the lead on the Bloomberg administration’s efforts in 2009 tobreak the stalemate between Silverstein Properties Inc. and thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey over redevelopment at theWorld Trade Center site.