The Real Deal New York

Amanda Burden

As Amanda Burden’s decade-plus reign as planning commissioner begins to wind down, New York’s real estate watchers are already looking ahead to her potential successors, Crain’s reported.

Early successors include two ex-city planners: Vishaan Chakrabarti; Columbia University’s Center for Urban Real Estate director and a SHoP Architects partner; and Regina Myer, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Another hopeful is Anna Levin, a City Planning Commission member and former community board chairwoman. [more]

From left: Fredrik Eklund, John Gomes and the interior of 20 Greene Street

The week’s top sale was for unit 6A at 20 Greene Street. Fredrik Eklund and John Gomes of Douglas Elliman had the listing for the home, which traded for $9,600,000. See the other top sales and more after the jump.

From left: Barry Gosin, Joe Lhota and Anthony Weiner

Joseph Lhota may be a relative newcomer to the New York City mayoral race, but in the last two months he has captured the lion’s share of real estate contributions, beating out rivals Christine Quinn, Bill de Blasio and others for industry donations, a review of the latest city campaign finance records show. [more]

Copper Beech Farm in Greenwich, Conn. (Credit: David Ogilvy & Associates)

Greenwich, Conn., house asking $190 million could be priciest in U.S.. Tenant advocate blasts Anthony Weiner in letter. Renovated UES co-op penthouse once owned by Tommy Tune asks $14 million. Public space randomly opens near Holland Tunnel in Lower Manhattan. LES co-op uses massive natural gas boiler to heat 2,700 apartments. Read these stories and more after the jump.

TRD will be covering all the highlights of this year’s ICSC REcon event in Las Vegas

The International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon event kicks off on Sunday, and The Real Deal will be on hand to cover all the panels, parties, networking and, most importantly, dealmaking that are the hallmarks of the annual global retail convention. [more]

Are large numbers of homeowners who have negotiated short sales with lenders at risk because of a startling omission in the American credit system? Do their credit reports and scores indicate that they were foreclosed upon, rather than having negotiated a mutually agreeable resolution with their lender? [more]

Ronn Torossian and 1166 Avenue of the Americas

Communications firm 5W Public Relations has taken a 38,166-square-foot space at Minskoff Equities’ 1166 Avenue of the Americas, the company’s CEO, Ronn Torossian, told The Real Deal today. [more]

David Frankel, Department of Finance Commissioner

ACRIS is getting a makeover. The New York City Department of Finance is updating the Automated City Register Information System, which tracks public real estate records filed throughout the city — including deeds, mortgages and liens — with new functions and additional data.

The maintenance work for the update, which has shut down ACRIS, began yesterday afternoon and will continue until Monday morning. [more]

Carnegie Hill

The old calculus of buying versus renting hinges on a host of personal factors, not least of which is the investment cost. In New York City, an average home buyer needs to spend 6.1 years in a chosen dwelling to recoup the cost of purchasing that unit, according to new figures from Zillow.  [more]

Council member Dickens and the two Harlem buildings in debt

The city plans to auction off liens on two Harlem apartment buildings partly owned by City Council member Inez Dickens, the New York Daily News reported. The two properties — 2153 and 2155 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard — are $48,375 behind in payments.

Dickens inherited a 50 percent ownership in the properties from her late father, Council member Lloyd Dickens. [more]