Orange County is one of the fastest-growing counties in New York State and, for more than a decade, we have been seeing a boom in economic activity. But we’ve reached a fork in the road. We must invest in our infrastructure and expand the Route 17 corridor to ensure our quality of life and economic…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—On Friday morning (March 29), the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency will consider granting incentives for three major projects in Downtown White Plains that will involve more than $1.2 billion in new development. Two projects will create 1,674 multifamily units and another will offer 132 independent living units; all in the Downtown district. On…
Read MoreRYE BROOK—Custom merchandising design and development firm POP Displays USA LLC, which is based on Tuckahoe Road in Yonkers, will be relocating its corporate headquarters from Yonkers to George Comfort & Sons, Inc.’s Kingsbrook office complex here within the next three months. POP Displays, which is currently headquartered at 555 Tuckahoe Road in Yonkers, has…
Read MoreYONKERS—The Yonkers Industrial Development Agency reported on March 25 it had approved four projects for incentives that will create 100 new housing units and finance the purchase and rehabilitation of a 301-unit apartment building in the city. The four developments amount to approximately $108.3 million in private investment and will create 156 construction jobs and…
Read MoreNEW CITY—At a press conference on March 26, Rockland County Executive Ed Day declared a county-wide State of Emergency relating to the ongoing measles outbreak that went into effective at midnight, Wednesday, March 27. The state of emergency bars anyone under 18 years of age and unvaccinated against the measles from public places until the…
Read MoreFISHKILL—The Hudson Valley Chapter of the New York State Commercial Association of Realtors will hold its "2019 Annual Commercial Real Estate Conference" on Wednesday, April 3rd and Thursday, April 4th at the Hyatt House located at 11 Westage Business Center in Fishkill. Peter West, ABR, CCIM, CRS, GRI, SEC will instruct the education segment, presenting…
Read MoreELMSFORD-Robert Martin Co., one of the pioneer commercial office real estate development firms in Westchester County, has confirmed plans to reacquire approximately 95% of the portfolio it developed here and in Fairfield County, CT and sold more than two decades ago in a deal valued at $487.5 million. Industry observers say the deal, if finalized,…
Read MoreRYE BROOK—The Fordham Real Estate Institute and The Business Council of Westchester are co-sponsoring an event on Friday, April 5 entitled “Behind the Headlines—What Opportunity Zones Really Mean for Westchester Real Estate.” The breakfast panel will be held from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at 800 Westchester Avenue in Rye Brook. “Opportunity Zones are being…
Read MoreNEWBURGH—New York Senator James Skoufis (D-39), chairman of the New York State Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, announced on March 8 at a press conference in the City of Newburgh the launch of an investigation into housing conditions and code enforcement outside of New York City. His investigations unit is specifically examining the…
Read MorePORT CHESTER—M & J Wilkow announced recently that the company, along with MetLife Investment Management on behalf of its clients, acquired the 493,459-square-foot Port Chester Shopping Center. Port Chester Shopping Center is strategically positioned at the intersection of highways I-287 and I-95, the two main highway systems connecting the Western and Northern suburban communities of…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—While many people know that a Realtor helps buy and sell homes, what they may not know is that only a Realtor is a member of the National Association of Realtors and subscribes to its Code of Ethics. It's the Realtor Code of Ethics that inspired the association's powerful new "That's Who We R" campaign,…
Read MoreMOUNT KISCO—New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was joined earlier this month by leaders from the Mid-Hudson Valley for a rally at the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester in support of his Tax Fairness for the Middle-Class Campaign to make the property tax cap permanent and cut middle class taxes. In 2011, Gov.…
Read MoreMOUNT KISCO—The Women's Council of Realtors Empire Local Westchester hosted it's "Healthy Heart is Good for Business" event at the Holiday Inn Mount Kisco in February. The event, which drew about 50 people, coincided with the "American Heart Month" to bring awareness about heart disease and how to prevent it.
Read MoreJames G. Houlihan, a real estate industry veteran of 69 years, who served as president of the Bronx Board of Realtors and the New York State Association of Realtors, passed away at the age of 95 on March 2. Houlihan, a longtime resident of Bronxville, NY and Palm Beach, FL, started his first job in…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The Regional Plan Association released a report on Tuesday that put a hefty price tag—$16 billion—if the controversial Gateway Rail Tunnel project fails to secure the necessary financing to move forward. The RPA in its report entitled “A Preventable Crisis: The Economic and Human Costs of a Hudson River Rail Tunnel Shutdown” calculated that…
Read MoreNEW YORK—Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who have historically been at odds on a host of issues, agree on one thing—the Metropolitan Transportation Agency needs to be reformed. On Feb. 26, Cuomo and de Blasio released a 10-point plan to reform the MTA and to create sustained funding streams…
Read MoreNANUET—Nyack College has announced it will postpone the planned relocation of its undergraduate programs from its campus in Rockland County to Lower Manhattan until early 2020. In an announcement to students on the college’s website, Nyack College President Michael G. Scales stated that the college had delayed the planned relocation of its undergraduate program to…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Simone Healthcare Development recently secured a resolution of intent from the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency to provide nearly $1.75 million in incentives for its $61-million plan to redevelop a vacant office building in Harrison into a pediatric care ambulatory facility for Montefiore Medical Center. Simone Healthcare, an affiliate of Simone Development Companies, plans…
Read MoreEditor’s Note: The following was the testimony given by John Ravitz, executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Business Council of Westchester, at a hearing of the New York State Public Service Commission at a hearing at the White Plains Library on Feb. 13. Good evening. My name is John Ravitz. I am…
Read More2018 was a solid year for real estate in the lower Hudson Valley. However, as the year progressed, we did experience slowly declining sales numbers. Whether this had to do with prospective purchasers having concerns about the SALT deduction limits is probably too early to tell, and we should have a better feel when we…
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