ALBANY—Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) in New York State reported 4,320 active projects valued at $109 billion for 2019, a 3.3%, or $3.5 billion, increase in project values from 2018, while net tax exemptions totaled $796 million in 2019, compared to nearly $784 million in 2018. Project values have increased by 48% since 2009, while the…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Earlier this year, the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency approved new workplace regulations requiring applicants seeking incentives to hire more local workers and enroll in apprentice programs. On Thursday, voting on the first project that would fall under those rules, the IDA Board in a 6-1 vote granted the developer some relief from those…
Read MoreALBANY—The State Fiscal Year 2021-22 Enacted Budget Financial Plan shows a remarkable improvement in the state’s financial condition as cumulative four-year budget gaps estimated at $38.7 billion just four months ago have been reduced to $3.4 billion, according to a report released on June 24 by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The reduction was fueled…
Read MoreThe New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) faces a major decision that could greatly impact all of New York’s economic recovery from COVID. Several energy and transmission developers are competing for a NYSERDA energy program with varying amounts of in-state investment. The choice is clear: Go big and choose New York jobs.…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Berkeley College, a provider of career-focused education since 1931, will consolidate its Downtown White Plains campus at 99 Church St. into its New York City campus by the start of the Fall 2021 semester. Berkeley joins a growing list of colleges that have either closed or reduced operations in the region due to market…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Bronx harder than any other borough, according to an economic analysis released on June 8 by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. As vaccinations rise and restrictions ease, the Bronx has begun to repair the significant economic damage caused by the coronavirus that included a nearly 25% unemployment…
Read MoreSLEEPY HOLLOW— Construction on a new 30,000-square-foot DeCicco & Sons market at the Edge-on-Hudson in Sleepy Hollow is set to begin later this year. The Village of Sleepy Hollow Planning Board recently approved plans for the market, which will include a second story glass-enclosed beer and wine café, oriented towards the Hudson River. An adjacent 10,000…
Read MoreYONKERS—A group that now consists of 60 labor, business and community organizations in the New York metro region held a rally on June 2 at the Empire City Casino in Yonkers to press Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislators to grant a full casino gaming license to Empire City Casino. Earlier this year in his…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—There are few positive things people can point to during the coronavirus pandemic. On June 2, a host of political dignitaries, hospital executives and hundreds of staff celebrated the completion of a $272-million project that serves as a concrete testament to the courage and dedication of White Plains Hospital workers and the construction workers…
Read MoreThe past year has been a very turbulent time for commercial property owners. Many lenders are suspending activity or taking very conservative views on ongoing business leaving some investors in a panic, not knowing what their best path will be forward. While some financial institutions have curtailed loans, revised their parameters, or removed certain lending…
Read MoreBUCHANAN—The nuclear age in Westchester County and the Hudson Valley officially ended late last month with the sale of the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan by Entergy Corp. to decommissioning firm Holtec International. On May 28, Entergy announced it had completed the sale of the Indian Point complex to subsidiaries of Camden, NJ-based Holtec…
Read MoreRAMAPO—Locally-based commercial real estate services firm Northeast Capital Group has acquired Woodbridge Corporate Plaza, a six-building Class A office complex in Iselin, NJ for $88 million. The property, which includes 629,189 square feet of office space, was sold by KBS, an Iselin, NJ-based commercial real estate investment firm. Newmark represented KBS in the transaction KBS…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Oak Brook, IL-based CenterPoint Properties has acquired a 145,144-square-foot Class A urban logistics center at 1080 Leggett Ave. in the Bronx for $116.5 million. CenterPoint purchased the fully-leased property from Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Blumenfeld Development Group, Ltd. Brokerage firm JLL represented the seller in the transaction. The deal comes less than 18…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—The Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) latest Real Estate Economic Forecast released today predicts that the real estate sector is poised for a rebound, with the single-family housing sector, hotel and industrial returns forecast to strongly increase over the next three years. The report’s conclusions are based on an April-May survey of 42 economists and analysts…
Read MoreRYE—MSD Partners, L.P., an SEC-registered investment adviser, has signed a lease deal totaling 9,167 square feet at 411 Theodore Fremd Ave. here. The transaction brings the newly renovated, more than 118,000-square-foot office property to 100% occupancy. The CBRE team of Michael McCall and Maria D’Angelo serve as the property’s exclusive leasing agents and represented ownership,…
Read MoreALBANY—In another sign of a reopening economy, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported on May 13 that the delayed Metro North Penn Station Access project will now be resumed with bids going out shortly on the nearly $1.6-billion initiative. The plan, which was paused last year due to the onset of COVID-19, calls for the construction of…
Read MoreBy William Pattison, Reginald Ross, Michael Steinberg and Austin Iglehart Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted with permission from MetLife Investment Management. 2020 was the most challenging year on record for hotel owners, far surpassing the lows reached following the 2008 and 1981 recessions. In order to project how and when hotels will recover,…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted tourism in New York City, one of the world’s top tourist and business traveler destinations, during parts of 2020, resulting in a dramatic falloff in the number of visitors and creating a steep drop in economic activity, according to a report released on April 28 by New York State…
Read More3,367 miles is the distance between New York City and Lisbon, Portugal’s capital and biggest city with a population of a little over 500,000 inhabitants. A seven-hour direct flight connects both cities on opposite sides of the Atlantic and is an “open door” to a new way of living. Once known as “Europe’s Best Kept…
Read MoreALBANY—New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Tuesday the list of projects in Peekskill that the state will fund as part of its $10-million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award granted to the Northern Westchester County city two years ago. The 12 projects in Peekskill will provide funding that will facilitate mixed-used transit-oriented development, improve pedestrian…
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