Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe oversees nearly 30,000 acres of prime
real estate in the city and is getting ready to announce who his agency
has picked as the new operator of Central Park’s Tavern on the Green.
On this week’s Webcast, The Real Deal’s Jen Benepe interviews
the commissioner — her brother — in a rare, on-air sibling sit-down.
In addition to Tavern on the Green, the two talked about the coming
restaurant at Union Square, where their father, Barry, founded the
farmer’s market. They also talked about which developers are
contributing money to parks and why, even with the recent budget cuts,
the city’s green spaces won’t look like they did in the 1970s. To watch the full Webcast, click on the video.  Comments

Several residential firms in the city have recently launched commercial real estate divisions. Given how poorly commercial leasing and sales have done in the city this year, some people might think they’re on a fool’s errand. On this week’s Webcast, The Real Deal’s Jen Benepe talks to principals at Bond New York and at Mark David Real Estate, which are both launching commercial divisions, and to an existing commercial competitor, Massey Knakal Realty Services, about how much of an uphill battle they’re facing and what their chances of success are like. Noah Freedman, co-principal at Bond, said: “We embrace the naysayers. It makes the success all the sweeter.” To see the full Webcast click on the video.

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