ALBANY—Chief officials of the New York State Association of Counties and the New York State County Executives Association were highly critical of the failure of Congress in federal stimulus negotiations to include state and local government aid in the estimated $900-million package. NYSAC President Jack Marren and NYSCEA President Marcus Molinaro released a biting statement…
Read MoreNEW YORK—As Congress continues the debate on the next COVID relief package in Washington, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board on Wednesday adopted a 2021 budget and 2021-2024 financial plan that assumes Congress will eventually approve the needed $4.5 billion in COVID relief funding in 2021. The MTA noted that without the billions of dollars in…
Read MoreWhile the Bronx, and the rest of New York City has been battered by the coronavirus this year, the Bronx, prior to the pandemic, was very popular with investors, registering a very impressive $4 billion in total development in 2019. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. recently released the “Bronx Annual Development Report” for 2019.…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The retail sector, one of New York City’s biggest employers, is having an uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with “non-essential” retailers struggling but online sellers booming, according to a report released on Dec. 14 by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. “2020 was a bleak year for brick and mortar retailers, and…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Staff members from HGAR’s new Bronx office and the Bronx YMCA will be out and about on Christmas Day, delivering toys to children in the local area. The toys, collected from “Operation Realtors Kids” Toy Drive, will be distributed to 21 homes with gifts for 80 children. “Our members and friends give generously during…
Read MoreNEW YORK—David Lulgjuraj, asset manager of Houlihan-Parnes Properties, an affiliate of Houlihan-Parnes Realtors LLC, the exclusive leasing agent for 4174-4198 White Plains Road in the Bronx, announced recently the firm has completed four lease transactions totaling 6,350 square feet at the property. The transactions at the retail strip building located at the intersection of East…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Yonkers-based Trion Real Estate Management has been selected as the property management firm for the Shorehaven Homeowner’s Association located at 15 White Plains Road in the Bronx. The community totals 899 units spanning 40 acres, Shorehaven is comprised of seven homeowner’s associations and one umbrella association. The SHOA Board was looking for a single…
Read MoreMention Wave Hill to someone, and you’ll often get a perplexed look, accompanied by a scratching of the head. Indeed, this botanical gem, nestled quietly behind towering buildings along Independence Avenue and 252nd Street in the Bronx, may be the borough’s best kept secret. A public garden since 1965, Wave Hill has been described as…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—The House of Representatives on Dec. 8 passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 on a bipartisan vote, which includes Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s (NY-18) provision permanently banning the establishment of new anchorages for oil barges on the lower Hudson River, from Yonkers to Kingston. “This is a victory for the Hudson Valley. I…
Read MoreMOUNT OLIVE, NJ—After acquiring a Mack-Cali office building in New Jersey in late November, Nanuet-based The Birch Group has acquired two office buildings in Mount Olive, NJ that were originally developed by The Rockefeller Group. Birch Group’s latest purchase was announced by brokerage firm JLL, which marketed the properties on behalf of a private seller.…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation recently finished its 2020 year of check presentations to Westchester and Rockland county organizations that help people obtain food, shelter and support for breast and ovarian cancer. Feeding Westchester is the heart of a network that sources and distributes food and resources to feed people who are hungry in…
Read MoreGOSHEN—The Orange County Legislature in a unanimous 21-0 vote approved County Executive Steve Neuhaus’ proposal to sell three historically significant properties in Downtown Newburgh to make way for a hotel development. The three properties on Grand Street will be sold to Sullivan County-based Foster Supply Hospitality for $1.25 million. The proposed project will be developed…
Read MoreALBANY—New York State Senator Pete Harckham (D-WF-40th District), who recently won re-election over Republican candidate and former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, announced on Dec. 3 that Gov. Andrew Cuomo had signed his legislation (S.3679A) to create a property tax exemption task force to study property tax exemptions statewide. The new law directs the state’s…
Read MorePORT CHESTER—The eight-year-old The Mariner multifamily property here at 21 Willett Ave. has been sold in a deal valued at $32.25 million. The transaction was reported by Bethesda, MD-based brokerage firm Walker & Dunlop Inc., which represented the seller—institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management—in the deal. The firm did not identify the buyer…
Read MoreALBANY—In another sign of some light at the end of the tunnel on the COVID crisis, at a press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State will soon receive an initial delivery of enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for 170,000 New Yorkers. If all safety and efficacy approvals are granted by the…
Read MoreNEW CITY—Rockland County legislators voted unanimously (16-0) on Dec. 1 to adopt an amended 2021 County Budget that lowers property taxes to less than 1% next year, and has no sales tax rate increases, layoffs or program cuts. “This budget recognizes and implements the recommendations made by our independent fiscal auditor, and by extension, provides…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Pending home sales fell slightly in October, according to the National Association of Realtors. Contract activity was mixed among the four major U.S. regions, with the only positive month-over-month growth happening in the South, although each region achieved year-over-year gains in pending home sales transactions. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator of home…
Read MoreALBANY—In response to rising COVID hospitalizations throughout the state, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today that the state is entering a new phase in its “war against COVID.” The governor and the New York State Department of Health are issuing directives that focus on a new strategy geared to ensuring sufficient hospital capacity throughout…
Read MoreGOSHEN—Officials with Boston-based development firm GFI Partners and commercial brokerage firm Resource Realty of Parsippany, NJ were joined by county and local dignitaries on Nov. 24 to turn the first dirt on the largest speculative industrial project in memory in Orange County. The local officials that attended the event celebrating the launch of the 500,000-square-foot…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Westchester County Industrial Development Agency announced on Nov. 25 it recently granted final approval for incentives ranging from $6.5 million to $13 million to Morgan Stanley for the financial services firm’s planned more than $200-million renovation of its corporate office complex at 2000 Westchester Ave. in Harrison. The Industrial Development Agency stated that…
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