Rumors about the townhouse at 12 East 72nd Street are swirling: Who is renovating the home? A Russian oligarch? The emir of Qatar? Will the amenities really include three swimming pools and a basketball court? What’s really happening inside the 19,329-square-foot property is this: It will be a single-family home for Steven Croman, founder of residential brokerages Croman Real Estate and 9300 Realty, the New York Observer reported. “It’s just a single-family home,” Croman told the Observer. “We weren’t looking for something that size, but that’s the building we found. We have a dog, kids. It’s just a private home. We like the block.” [more]

The gutted townhouse at 12 East 82nd Street — known best for its missing rear wall — has sold for $15 million, the New York Observer reported. Nikki Field and Patricia Wheatley of Sotheby’s International Realty had the listing for the property, owned by Russian townhouse flipper Janna Bullock. It was previously reported that Bullock had found a buyer willing to pay close to the $19 million ask. Field did not immediately respond to the Observer’s request for comment on the price discrepancy. [more]

HFZ Capital Group was forced to temporarily halt construction at its controversial Turtle Bay condominium project after a contractor hit a live gas line late last week, The Real Deal has learned. [more]

[caption id="attachment_228017" align="aligncenter" width="578"] A POPS at 211 East 70th Street[/caption]

A majority of the Upper East Side’s privately owned public spaces (POPS) discourage public use, new research from Hunter College’s urban planning institute reported by DNAinfo shows. At least half of the area’s 76 POPS deterred public use through the use of either explicit or implicit barriers. Many of these spaces had doormen who “attempted to usher [students]” out, and precious few had seating areas, Paul Lozito, a graduate student involved in the study, told the zoning and development committee at Community Board 8. 65 of these spaces lacked signs informing the public about their right to use the space. Moreover, he added, many owners of these POPS weren’t aware that they had been designated for public use…. [more]

The Related Companies has put the Monterey — an Upper East Side rental property located at 175 East 96th Street between Lexington and Third avenues — up for sale, Bloomberg News first reported. Related is aiming for bids between $250 million and $300 million, sources told the New York Observer, meaning that the building’s 522 units could fetch approximately $575,000 each. Rents span from $3,125 to $3,795, according to marketing materials. Doug Harmon of Eastdil Secured is leading marketing. [more]

Though no longer a couple, David Duchovny and Tea Leoni have listed their triplex co-op home at 170 East 78th Street for $9.25 million, Curbed reported. [more]

News regarding Upper East Side townhouse sales has not come in short supply this week. The latest home to trade hands is the townhouse at 14 East 94th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, which sold for $24 million, according to public records filed yesterday with the city. The deal comes on the heels of the $24.8 million sale of a townhouse 14 blocks south at 15 East 80th Street, as well as a backless, gutted landmarked townhouse at 12 East 82nd Street that went into contract for close to its $19 million ask. [more]

If you’ve ever wanted to own a life-sized dollhouse, you may have missed your chance. Property flipper Janna Bullock has found a buyer willing to pay close to her $19 million asking price for a gutted Upper East Side townhouse missing its rear wall, the New York Observer reported. Nikki Field and Patricia Wheatley, both of Sotheby’s International Realty, listed the home, at 12 East 82nd Street. The property was first listed for $15 million in November, but the asking price was increased, amidst a reported overwhelming interest in it. [more]

A five-story Upper East Side Beaux-Arts townhouse owned by JPMorgan Chase’s Jeff Urwin has traded hands for $24.75 million, according to public records filed with the city today. Carrie Chiang of the Corcoran Group had the listing, which entered contract in late September and transferred on Dec. 18, the deed shows. [more]

Prudential Insurance Company of America has paid $20.3 million to Aegon USA Realty Advisors for a commercial unit in 47 East 91st Street, a luxury Carnegie Hill condominium building that was at the center of a heated landmarking dispute about a decade ago. Thomas Schefter, a senior vice president at Aegon, handled the deal on behalf of the seller. The William Rockwell-designed building has eight full-floor apartments and a duplex penthouse, as well as a Citibank branch…. [more]