New York RealEstateRama

New York, NY - March 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bronx apartment building workers late Thursday ratified a four-year agreement that provides a 6% wage increase over the life of the contract, fully employer-paid family health care coverage, pensions and protects all other benefits.

NEW YORK, NY - March 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jones Lang LaSalle today announced Eric Herlands, Jason Gold, Joseph Sitt and Stephen Shapiro have joined the firm in the last several months as part of the firm’s New York City Capital Markets business as its investment sales team expands. The foursome is working under the direction of Vice Chairmen Richard Baxter, Jon Caplan, Ron Cohen and Scott Latham. Eric Herlands joins the firm as a Senior Vice President, while Jason Gold, Joseph Sitt and Stephen Shapiro each take on the role of Vice President.

HAVERSTRAW, NY - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --– Village, County and State officials joined today with representatives from The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), the Rockland Housing Action Coalition (RHAC) and invited guests to celebrate the completion of Murphy Manor Apartments, the first quality-built affordable housing for families in Haverstraw.

New York, NY - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today named Mathew M. Wambua Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Wambua will replace Rafael E. Cestero, who will leave public service at the end of March as previously announced. Wambua will become Commissioner on April 4th. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement in the Blue Room of City Hall, where he was joined by Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel, New York City Housing Development Corporation President Marc Jahr, Cestero and Wambua.

NEW YORK, NY - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) and Charles Rangel (D-Manhattan & the Bronx); Mike Hickey, Executive Director of the Center for New York City Neighborhoods; Willie Rapfogel, CEO of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty; Mitchell Kent of the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs; Bisoondaye Maharaj, a struggling Queens homeowner who has benefitted from federal mortgage programs; and housing advocate Seema Agnani, Executive Director of the Chhaya Community Development Corporation, gathered at City Hall to release a report detailing the impact on New York City of Republican efforts to terminate federal foreclosure-avoidance programs. At a time when our economy and real estate market remain fragile, Republicans have offered no alternative plans to stem the foreclosure crisis.

March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congressman Maurice Hinchey announced their new efforts to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not force Southern Tier homeowners to spend thousands of dollars on unnecessary flood insurance through flawed and inaccurate maps that fail to reflect communities’ efforts and infrastructure to mitigate potential flooding.

BRONX, NY - March 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- State Senator Jeff Klein (D- Bronx/ Westchester) and Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) joined Foreclosure Prevention Providers at the Bronx County Courthouse on Friday to call for the renewal of funds for the Foreclosure Prevention Services Program in the 2012 Executive Budget.

March 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Due to the change in accounting rules applied by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA), Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today announced major budget cuts for 2011 that protect homeowners and employers from a 21.5% property tax increase. The County Executive detailed over $121.2 million in budget cuts that include $60.5 million in employee-related spending reductions, $40 million in across the board budget cuts and $20 million in lower tax refund liability than projected by NIFA

NEW YORK, NY - March 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jones Lang LaSalle has completed a sublease transaction for Fred Alger Management Inc. at 360 Park Avenue South with Reed Elsevier. Alger, a premier investment management firm, signed a 10-year sublease for 46,000 square feet at the 442,800-square-foot, Class A office building

March 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- "The first of three bills before me today is Introductory Number 26-A, sponsored by Council Members Vann, Comrie, Brewer, James, Mark-Viverito, Arroyo, Williams, Gennaro, Ferreras, Lander, Dickens, Dilan, Gentile, Jackson, Greenfield, Barron, Sanders, Rivera, Levin, Foster, Seabrook, Rose, Eugene, Koslowitz, Chin, Gonzalez, Nelson, Reyna, Rodriguez, Van Bramer, Mealy, Mendez, Wills, Crowley, Palma, Cabrera, Vacca, Ulrich, Koo and Koppell. Introductory Number 26-A extends the City's authority to sell liens on delinquent tax, water, and property related charges until 2014

NEW YORK, NY - March 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Housing Committee Chairman Vito Lopez were joined by members of the Assembly Majority, David R. Jones the President of the Community Service Society of New York, affordable housing advocates and rent-regulated tenants to release a groundbreaking new report documenting rent-stabilized housing’s critical role in protecting millions of working New Yorkers and the urgent need to extend rent-stabilization laws while closing the loopholes that are costing New York thousands of affordable apartments every year.

Reston, Virginia - March 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Bronx on March 3 held that the mortgage document granted broad powers to MERS to act as an agent for the lender, including the power to foreclose on the loan and to assign it.

Bronx, NY - March 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- 32BJ and the Bronx Realty Advisory Board (BRAB) reached a tentative four-year agreement this evening for more than 3,000 apartment building workers that provides annual wage increases while maintaining employer-paid family health care and secured pension benefits. The agreement narrowly averted a strike, which would have affected 250,000 Bronx residents throughout the borough including Riverdale and the South Bronx.

New York, NY - March 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will hold a press conference to call for fair negotiations between the Bronx Realty Advisory Board (BRAB) and Local 32BJ, the union that represents over 3,000 Bronx apartment building workers at over 1,000 residential buildings in the Bronx.

New York, NY - March 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With a potential strike less than a week away, hundreds of apartment building workers, along with elected officials and community and union supporters, rallied today in the Bronx to call on the Bronx Realty Advisory Board (BRAB), an industry association representing building owners, to sign a fair agreement before their contract expires at 12:01 A.M. on March 15th.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) today introduced an amendment in the House Financial Services Committee to H.R. 839, "The HAMP Termination Act of 2011" sponsored by Patrick McHenry (R-NC), whose bill would abolish the “Housing Affordable Modification Program” which was established to assist three to four million homeowners in achieving mortgage modifications. The Maloney Amendment would extend the program to accommodate 500,000 more mortgages before it ends.

New York, NY - March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With a potential strike less than a week away, apartment building workers will march and rally in the Bronx to call on the Bronx Realty Advisory Board (BRAB), an industry association representing building owners, to sign a fair agreement before their contract expires at 12:01 A.M. on March 15th

New York, NY - March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the owner of Parkview Apartments in Flatbush, Brooklyn, to renew his Section 8 project based housing contract with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or sell this property to a preservation buyer committed to maintaining the building’s affordability.

NEW YORK, NY - March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers' Committee) and pro bono counsel Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Davis Polk) filed a lawsuit today on behalf of local homeowners who were scammed by for-profit loan modification companies. Today's complaint - which targets a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud vulnerable homeowners - marks the beginning of a statewide legal campaign to pursue those who exploit New Yorkers affected by the financial crisis

New York, NY - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Savanna, a New York-based real estate private equity and asset management firm, today announced that Odyssey Financial Technologies has signed a 10-year lease for 7,500 square feet of commercial office space at 5 Hanover Square in Manhattan’s Financial District. The asking rents in the building start in the low $30’s per square foot. The company, a global banking software solutions provider, will occupy part of the 20th floor of the 333,000-square-foot, 25-story building, which is currently undergoing a comprehensive capital improvement plan.

March 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Operations Stephen Goldsmith and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Cas Holloway today launched a new program to save homeowners money by proactively notifying them of potential water leaks when unusual activity or spikes in usage are detected by DEP.

March 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano would like to let resident’s know that the Nassau County Office of Housing & Homeless Service Homeownership Center offers FREE Foreclosure/Default Prevention Counseling Services to assist homeowners in Nassau County who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments due to a financial hardship

New York, NY - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the last finishing touches are being put in place, 208 West 96th Street, the Upper West Side’s newest contemporary boutique condominium, officially launches sales this week. This milestone marks a new and exciting sales phase for Halstead Property Development Marketing, LLC, the exclusive selling agent, who is poised to introduce the building, featuring modern architecture and meticulously thought out floor plans with a distinctive metal façade and is comprised of nine move-in ready three-bedroom, three-bath full floor homes.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) today introduced an amendment to H.R. 830, "FHA Refinance Program Termination Act", sponsored by Rep Robert J. Dold (R-IL), to require 500,000 additional underwater mortgages be refinanced by the Federal Housing Administration before the refinance program is terminated. Maloney made the following statement in introducing the amendment today in a markup on the bill before the House Financial Services Committee:

Newburgh, NY - February 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today congratulated six students upon their graduation from the Newburgh Youth Build, joining them to celebrate completion of a year long renovation project, which transformed a blighted building at 6 Federal Street in Newburgh into a three-unit transitional housing facility for low-income Habitat for Humanity families. Hinchey secured $210,000 in the fiscal year 2009 budget for the program designed to engage young people from 17 to 24 years of age in a GED completion program and impart skills needed to obtain future employment in the trades. Youth Build was a joint venture of Habitat Newburgh, Best Resources, and the Laborers’ Local #17.

New York City, NY - February 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Tribeca Community Association, the Community Sanitation Steering Committee, downtown residents, business and commercial property owners have filed a motion in New York State Supreme Court seeking to halt imminent construction activity at 353 Spring Street to build a “Mega” Three District Sanitation Garage and Salt Shed at Spring Street next to the Holland Tunnel in Hudson Square at a cost of nearly $500 MILLION dollars.

New York, NY - February 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy’s Quarterly Housing Update analyzes six key indicators of housing market performance, based on a variety of administrative data sources

New York, NY - February 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As their contract’s expiration approaches, Bronx building workers voted Wednesday to authorize a strike, if necessary, to protect good jobs throughout the borough. Failure to reach a new contract agreement by the March 15th deadline could lead to a strike of more than 3,000 Bronx apartment building workers at over 1,000 residential buildings

New York, NY - February 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) announced the launch today of NYC Green House, a broad-based knowledge source and online resource guide for multifamily property owners who want to save money by going green

New York, NY - February 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Apartment building workers in the Bronx will vote today to authorize their bargaining committee to call a strike if one becomes necessary. Failure to reach a new contract by March 15 could trigger a strike of more than 3,000 apartment building workers at over 1,000 residential buildings throughout the borough.