From left: 229 West 43rd Street and Paul Amrich, vice chairman at CBRE

In a down office leasing market, landlords are not only offering more in the way of tenant incentives — such as paying for a tenant’s build out — they are getting more creative about what sorts of incentives to offer, the Wall Street Journal reported.

For instance, at 229 West 43rd Street, landlord Blackstone Group is willing to create outdoor terraces and private entrances and is even considering letting workers bring their dogs to work, the paper said. [more]

Newmark Knight Frank brokers are being forced to contribute up to 10 percent of their commissions into stock in BGC Partners, the company that acquired the brokerage for $63 million in October, the New York Observer reported, causing some brokers to take pause. While so far no executives at Newmark have defected to other companies, managers from rival brokerages are watching closely to see what reception the shift will get, the Observer said.

“No broker wants to be told what he has to do with his share of the money,” said one broker, from a rival firm.

The commission-conversion program will make many Newmark brokers BGC equity holders, a structure that some firms have used to team build.
[more]

From left: David Noonan, Jennifer Schwartzman, Robert Eisenberg, Barry Gosin, Mark Weiss and Steven Spinola

Newmark Knight Frank brokers David Noonan and Jennifer Schwartzman took home the top prize last night at the Real Estate Board of New York’s Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Awards. The ceremony honored the most creative commercial deals made in the last year, as judged by a panel that includes brokers and property owners, according to REBNY President Steven Spinola.

Taking home second place were Robert Eisenberg, Barry Gosin and Mark Weiss, also from Newmark, while CB Richard Ellis’ Darcy Stacom and William Shanahan nabbed third place. [more]

Hachette Filipacchi, the publisher that recently lost out to beauty giant Avon in talks to take over several open floors at the William Kaufman Organization’s 777 Third Avenue, is reportedly closing in on a deal at the 48-story Time-Life Building at 1271 Avenue of the Americas in Rockefeller Center. The contract would be for 132,000 square feet of space previously occupied by Lehman Brothers, which had subleased the three floors from Time Inc. Hachette would be downsizing significantly from its current 263,010 square feet at 1633 Broadway, which is owned by Paramount. Deloitte is also expected to vacate 1633 Broadway soon, in a move that could leave the door open for television network A&E. Currently located at 235 East 45th Street, A&E is in the market for 350,000 square feet of space and is rumored to have looked at the Empire State Building and Worldwide Plaza in addition to Paramount’s building. [Post]

D.C. lobbying and law firm Patton Boggs has doubled its New York office
at the Stevens Tower, at 1185 Avenue of the Americas. The firm has
subleased 60,000 square feet for five years, with the possibility of
extending the lease. SL Green owns the 42-floor building. Colliers
ABR’s Richard Bernstein represented King & Spalding, who offered
the space, and Newmark Knight Frank’s Mark Weiss represented Patton
Boggs. [more]