CARMEL—Bruce J. Walker has resigned as the Deputy County Executive of Putnam and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the U.S. Department of Energy, Putnam County officials announced on Nov. 1. Walker, a Mahopac native who lives with his wife, Lisa and…
Read MoreCHICAGO—Stubbornly low inventory conditions in a large swath of the country are behind the below-average share of first-time buyers in recent years, but there is gaining evidence of an increase in homebuilding may be around the corner. So says NAR’s Jessica Lautz, managing director of survey research and communications at the National Association of Realtors,…
Read MoreALBANY—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined a chorus of business and political leaders to voice his opposition to the GOP tax reform plan released on Thursday by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee. In a statement released to the press, the governor did not mince words saying the tax cut plan by the GOP…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—While President Donald Trump described it as a “great Christmas present,” to American taxpayers, real estate executives view the proposed tax reform proposal rolled out by the House Ways and Means Committee today as anything but a gift. Among some of the key provisions in the proposal that would impact the real estate industry are:…
Read MoreResidents of Houston, TX, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean are still struggling to recover from the devastating Hurricanes of Harvey, Irma and Maria that left multi-billion dollar paths of destruction. In a grass-roots effort to aid hurricane victims, St. Christopher’s Inc. and the Greenburgh-North Castle Union Free School District have joined forces to create…
Read MoreStephanie Liggio Wins Affiliate of the Year Award TARRYTOWN—More than 1,000 members of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors participated in the HGAR’s 101st Annual Meeting held on Oct. 30th at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown. The business portion of the all-day event was highlighted by the election of HGAR Officers and Directors, who will…
Read MoreWASHINGTON—Despite solid interest in buying a home—sparked by steady job gains, record low mortgage rates and higher rents—the severe drought in housing supply in much of the country over the past year as well as accelerated price growth kept many first-time buyers out of the market. This is according to the National Association of Realtors'…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Developer LCOR announced recently the completion of construction and the debut of its residential tower project near the White Plains Metro North train station called “Continuum.” The tower building is the first phase of a $250-million twin tower mixed-use project. Located at 55 Bank St., Continuum features a 16-story tower with 288 residences and…
Read MoreHARRISON—In recent months, industry experts and media outlets have claimed the same thing: retail is dead. Brick and mortar has seemingly been replaced by omni-channel shopping, with many industry cornerstones and “Mom and Pop” shops shuttering doors across the country. While many in the industry have started to pull away from the retail sector, commercial…
Read MoreALBANY—New York State residents could lose more than $72 billion in reported income and property tax deductions if the current Big 6 tax reform plan is enacted. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in a report released on Oct. 27th said the tax reform plan calls for eliminating most itemized deductions, including state and local…
Read MoreCongress is now actively engaged in modifying the tax code and Realtors and homeowners in New York State stand to lose big time if Congress votes to repeal the state and local income and property tax deduction. This deduction has been a part of the tax code for decades and helps New Yorkers to participate…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, who was the keynote speaker at HGAR’s Commercial Investment Division on Oct. 26, said that one of his administration’s main goals has been to change the city’s negative image that at least in part was caused by the school desegregation case that garnered national headlines in the late 1980s. In…
Read MoreYONKERS—Fashion retailer Century 21 Stores has entered the Westchester County market with the opening of a new store at the Mall at Cross County here. The department store chain held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 24th for the more than 70,000-square-foot store. The store at 750 Central Park Ave. occupies two floors and features…
Read MoreWHITE PLAINS—The Westchester Local Development Corporation has approved $36.4 million in low-cost financing for Purchase College-SUNY to construct a new residence hall on its campus. The financing approved at the LDC’s Oct. 19th meeting will be used build a four-story, 80,000-square-foot residence hall, consisting of 300 beds in a suite-style configuration with student common areas…
Read MoreCARMEL—The Putnam County Visitors Bureau went live in September with a re-launched and much improved website at visitputnam.org that features a host of new tools for visitors to take advantage of to plug into the many destinations and events taking place year-round in Putnam County. Bruce Conklin, executive director of the Putnam County Visitors Bureau,…
Read MoreCARMEL—Putnam Hospital Center recently broken ground on a major capital project—the expansion and refurbishment of its emergency department. The project, which will take about two years to complete, was necessary due to the increased patient load at the emergency room. Putnam Hospital Center President Peter Kelly, in an interview with Real Estate In-Depth, said that…
Read MoreNEW YORK—The New York City Council approved the massive Bronx Point project along the Harlem River waterfront in the South Bronx on Oct. 17th that will be led by a Larchmont-based developer, which will bring approximately 1,000 new housing units to the area as well as a new school and hip-hop museum. City officials announced…
Read MoreUpdates on Tilly Foster, Envision Brewster and How Sewer, Water Projects Could Foster Growth CARMEL—Prior to MaryEllen Odell taking office in November 2011, the economic development efforts in Putnam County were to put it politely outdated and were in fact close to non-existent. Since taking office Odell has made business attraction and retention, as well…
Read MoreSPRING VALLEY—Rockland County-based investment firm Concord Capital NY reported on Oct. 16th that it is seeking approvals to build a $175-million transit oriented development in Downtown Spring Valley. The project, which the firm states will be modeled after successful redevelopment initiatives in Downtown Yonkers, New Rochelle and in TOD-oriented locations on Long Island, calls for…
Read MoreMAHOPAC—Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell presented the $155.3-million proposed 2018 county budget to the Putnam County Legislature at the Putnam County Golf Course on Oct. 6. The proposed budget, which is within the New York State imposed tax cap, calls for a net increase of $2.3 million over the 2017 adopted budget, which reflects a…
Read More