ALBANY—New York State Supreme Court Judge Susan Kushner issued a ruling that is being viewed as a major victory for the real estate industry, terming Department of State guidance that banned New York State apartment tenants from paying broker fees “an error of law.” The ruling, first reported by The Real Deal, was handed down…
Read MoreNEW WINDSOR—At a special meeting of the newly constituted Board of Directors of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency on Tuesday, March 30, the IDA Board voted to terminate the contracts of the managing director of the IDA and its Accelerator programs. On April 5, the chief executive officer of the IDA submitted her resignation. The…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—New York federal representatives and Westchester County Executive George Latimer staged a press conference on March 25th at the home of a White Plains resident to push for the repeal of the controversial SALT (State and Local Tax) deduction cap. U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones (NY-17), U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (NY-03), U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—A bill that would amend existing county law relating to the sale of cooperative housing to now require cooperative boards of directors to disclose the reason for denial of a prospective purchaser was officially introduced for consideration by the Westchester County Board of Legislators on Monday, March 22. The pending bill, which now goes…
Read MoreCharlie Oppler took over as president of the National Association of Realtors at a pivotal time for the national organization and for the nation’s real estate industry as well. With the advent of COVID vaccines and mass distribution now underway, the 1.4 million NAR members and the nation are beginning to adjust to what will…
Read MoreA Give-Back Journey At this point in her life, Jeanne Shields is taking a little breather from her many, many philanthropic activities, including serving as a Trustee and fundraising volunteer for the Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation. The Associate Broker with Howard Hanna | Rand Realty’s Nyack office has a very good reason for her much-needed…
Read MoreGOSHEN—The Orange County Legislature, frustrated over attempts to secure financial documents from the Orange County Industrial Development Agency, voted to remove the entire seven-member IDA Board of Directors on Thursday evening after a two-hour-long executive session. Orange County legislators cited what they termed had been the lack of transparency by the Orange County Industrial Development…
Read MoreYONKERS—A group led by business and labor organizations in Westchester and the Bronx have formed an alliance called “A Sure Bet for New York’s Future” in support of a full gaming license and access to mobile sports betting for Empire City Casino in Yonkers by MGM Resorts. A full-scale casino license, complete with retail and…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—A mixed-use project that has been on the drawing boards for more than five years, secured a key approval yesterday from the White Plains Common Council that could put final approvals finally within reach for the property owner. The White Plains Common Council unanimously voted on Monday evening to accept the environmental findings, zoning…
Read MoreALBANY—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Feb. 25 that the state will launch a program to deploy undercover fair housing testers in New York City, Long Island, Westchester County and the Central New York and Western New York regions to possibly uncover housing discrimination practices by sellers, brokers and landlords. The state is currently…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Westchester County Industrial Development Agency’s Board of Directors earlier today (Feb. 25) unanimously approved a new local hire labor policy that will require incentivized project developers hire 85% of its construction workers from the local area; require its workers complete OSHA safety training; subcontractors be enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program and that all…
Read MorePatricia Dantzic admits she was a bit apprehensive about re-entering the workforce with a new career in real estate. After enjoying a successful profession in corporate communications in the music industry, she switched gears, earned her license and began working at a local agency. Soon afterward, she was approached by a team member from Berkshire…
Read MoreNEWBURGH—Representatives of Genting Americas, the parent company of Resorts World Catskills casino in Monticello, officially presented plans to the Newburgh Town Board on Feb. 22 to locate a Video Gaming Machine facility at the Newburgh Mall here. The $32-million “Resorts World Hudson Valley” project would convert 90,000-square-foot of space, including the now vacant Bon Ton…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Minority homeownership continues to stubbornly lag behind the national rate, with Black Americans facing some of the toughest hurdles to achieving this essential part of the American Dream, according to a report released recently by the National Association of Realtors. The homeownership rate for Black Americans—42%—is nearly 30% less than the rate for white Americans…
Read MoreThis month, Real Estate In-Depth talks with Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who recently announced he would be seeking a second term of office. As the COVID pandemic drags on and the county’s death toll topped 2,000 residents earlier this month, the County Executive has had to deal with a host of issues in addition…
Read MoreNEWBURGH—Resorts World Catskills Casino is poised to present plans for a Video Gaming Machine (VGM) facility at the Newburgh Mall here. The Genting Group, parent company of Resorts World Catskills Casino in Monticello, confirmed that it will soon present plans to the Town of Newburgh to develop the VGM facility in an attempt to capture…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Westchester County Industrial Development Agency has proposed a set of new local hire labor policy directives for certain development projects securing incentives from the agency. The policy is geared to ensuring projects that are approved for bond financing or other incentives from the IDA hire 85% of its construction workers from the local…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—U.S. Reps. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer on Thursday introduced the SALT Deductibility Act that would remove the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions imposed in 2017 under the federal tax reform law. The SALT Cap was highly criticized by New York politicians, as well…
Read MoreWhile details are still sketchy at press time, the massive state deficit that has been estimated between $8 billion and $15 billion may be the cause for the state to begin the process of awarding up to three casino gaming licenses in Downstate New York earlier than originally planned. Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his State…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Residential brokerage experts in the New York metro region believe the home sales boom in the New York City suburbs will continue in 2021 while the recovery of New York City’s market will depend heavily on the success of the COVID vaccine and its impact on if and when residents and businesses will return…
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