James Lomma with his son, James Jr. (Source: ENR)

James Lomma, Jr., the 22-year-old son of crane company owner James Lomma, was busted yesterday for heroin possession, the New York Post reported. Lomma, Jr. pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of drug possession and awaits a May 7 sentencing.

The arrest happened on Staten Island, where he was carrying 25 $10 bags of heroin, called “decks,” according to court documents cited by the Post. He also had brass knuckles — weapons used in hand-to-hand fighting — on him. This marks his second drug arrest in six months. [more]

Rendering of the Staten Island outlets

Staten Island has taken the lead in the race for New York City’s first outlet shopping mall. After weeks of talks with the Bloomberg administration, BFC partners announced it officially signed a deal to develop a hotel and outlet mall, Harbor Commons, that will have up to 350,000 square feet of retail and 120,000 square feet for a 200-room hotel in St. George, Staten Island.

The complex will include a 1,250 parking garage and will be next door to the Richmond County Ballpark, home of the Staten Island Yankees. The first outlet in New York City, Harbor Commons will include roughly 100 designer outlets in addition to restaurants and cafes, BFC Partners said. [more]

36 Hamilton Avenue (credit: PropertyShark)

A “visibly pregnant” woman who bought a Staten Island co-op at a July auction sued the building’s board for rejecting her application, the New York Post reported. Elena Slukina, who filed the lawsuit, claims that she was rejected because she’s pregnant.

Slukina, currently a Murray Hill resident, allegedly got heated questions regarding her family planning. According to the lawsuit, co-op Board President Maria Civille, along with other board members, “expressed their concern that a child growing up in the building might affect other tenants’ peace and quiet.” [more]

Don Capoccia, managing principal of BFC Partners, and the parking lots where the mall and Ferris wheel are proposed

BFC Partners is in talks with the Bloomberg administration to build a 500,000-square-foot outlet mall on Staten Island near the ferry terminal, the Wall Street Journal reported. The mall would join a proposed 600-foot Ferris wheel in St. George, on the northern tip of the island, on parking lots flanking the baseball stadium the Staten Island Yankees call home. [more]

From left: St. George ferry terminal in Staten Island and a lighthouse

Proponents of a National Lighthouse Museum, proposed for the St. George ferry terminal on Staten Island, are fundraising with the hope of opening doors in May 2013, the Wall Street Journal reported. For now, the group behind the museum says that it needs to raise $1 million to pilot operations and to cover expenses for the first year. [more]

From left: Joshua Zegen, managing member of Madison Realty and 255 Richmond Terrace (credit: NYO)

Staten Island is slated to get a new 40-unit housing development at 255 Richmond Terrace when the View, a stalled project, opens to tenants this month, DNAinfo reported.

Developer Leib Puretz was previously behind the project, but left the residential building unit empty after defaulting on his loans in the thick of the mortgage crisis in 2009. As previously reported, the 95 percent-complete building hit the market in February with Massey Knakal. Madison Realty Capital bought it out, paying $8.4 million for the debt, and took over ownership late last month. [more]

From left: the exterior of 354 Front Street and construction underway inside (credit: Alexis Herrera)

Stateboarding aficionados are in luck. The city’s very first indoor skate park, is scheduled to open on Staten Island July 7, DNAinfo reported. Located at 354 Front Street in Stapleton, 5050 Skatepark, will occupy a space that formerly housed a furniture store.

The 35,000-square-foot property will come replete with rails, ramps and an obstacle course for skateboarders, freestyle bicyclists, rollerbladers and even scooter riders, DNAinfo said. [more]

The Staten Island Ferry Terminal and the London Eye

A plan to boost tourism on Staten Island could result in the world’s largest Ferris Wheel next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, the Staten Island Advance reported. The New York City Economic Development Corp. is currently in negotiations with developer Plaza Capital Group Management to build the 600-foot “observation wheel” it proposed last year. The EDC had put out a request for expressions of interest for multiple projects meant to develop 14 acres of city-owned waterfront property in the borough. [more]

The law just got a little bit murkier for divorced couples fighting for control of valuable rent-controlled apartments in New York City. Reuters reported that a state appeals court ruled that those properties are not subject to typical marital distribution laws following a divorce. ”A leasehold interest in a rental apartment, even one subject to the rent control law, which is not expected to be converted into a form of ownership such as a cooperative, is neither marital nor separate property as defined by the Domestic Relations Law,” Justice John Leventhal wrote in an unanimous opinion released on Wednesday. [more]

Screenshot from NY1

The Esplanade, a new senior-specific housing development that was built at the site of the former Staten Island Hotel, will open for business June 15, NY1 reported. Following an $8 million renovation, the Esplanade now boasts 143 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. [more]