Citi Habitats shuts Greenwich Village office

Residential rental brokerage Citi Habitats has reportedly shut its Greenwich Village office, following the expiration of its lease at 214 Sullivan Street, between Bleecker and West 3rd streets, sources told The Real Deal. Agents working out of the office have been moved to other surrounding offices, a person who answered the phone at the company’s headquarters said, though representatives for the firm did not respond to requests for comment.

“That [office is] no longer open. They have eliminated that office,” the operator said.

It was not immediately clear whether a replacement office would open, though a former employee suggested that it may have closed in the wake of the departure of Larry Goldblatt, the longtime Citi Habitats stalwart and senior managing director who had previously run the office. Goldblatt left the brokerage for a position as a leasing manager at Town Residential in December.

When contacted by The Real Deal however, Goldblatt said he had looked for a new position as the expiration of the lease approached.

“The lease was coming up so I was concerned that was going to happen to the office,” he said. “I looked around for other things and this is a much better opportunity for me.”

The decision, he said, most likely did not reflect the performance of the office; “that office was always a top office,” he said, directing all further questions regarding why the branch closed to Citi Habitats.

The brokerage’s landlord at 214 Sullivan Street, Miltan Management, was not immediately available for comment.

The Greenwich Village office, from which 25 to 30 agents reportedly worked,  is one of many Citi Habitats branches in the area, including in the West Village, Chelsea and Gramercy.