The city has issued a request for proposals for a new small business incubator space in Harlem, as part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to support the revitalization of 125th Street, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York City Economic Development Corporation announced today.

The incubator, to be located on or near 125th Street, would provide a well-managed, fully-equipped space that can be rented for affordable rates on a flexible full-time or part-time basis, EDC said.

“We’ve seen in neighborhoods across the city that the public-private partnership model for operating business incubators can have a dramatic impact on local communities and the businesses that participate in the incubators,” Deputy Mayor Steel said. “By expanding our incubator network to 125th Street we will help bring investment and jobs to this critically important neighborhood.” – Katherine Clarke [more]

Pearson, a London-based media and learning company, has signed a 270,000-square-foot lease at 330 Hudson Street in Hudson Square, as part of its plan to relocate and expand its presence in New York City, according to a statement released by Mayor Michael Bloomberg today. Pearson signed the lease with Beacon Capital Partners, which earlier this year acquired a 99-year land lease on the property from Trinity Church. “We believe that the Hudson Square area is precisely the type of vibrant, stimulating center for media, education and digital services for businesses like ours,” said Will Ethridge, CEO of Pearson North America. – Miranda Neubauer [more]

The city is issuing a request for expressions of interest, or RFEI,  as
it seeks to redevelop two parcels of land on Staten Island’s St.
George waterfront, according to a statement released by the city
today.

The two sites, located close to the St. George Ferry Terminal, are
currently used as parking for the Richmond County Bank Ballpark and
the St. George Ferry Terminal. Combined, the two sites will provide
more than 14 acres of waterfront development, with the site
to the north of the ballpark totaling approximately 7.4 acres and the
site to the south approximately 6.7 acres. — Miranda Neubauer [more]

The idea to create a mobile or desktop application that allows
residents to rate their building’s owner, management company,
landlord, and even their broker, and let interested renters browse those
ratings was one of the 10 winning ideas of New York City’s BigApps
ideas challenge, the New York Observer reported. The idea was submitted by Bud Caddell.

Organized by the New
York City Economic Development Corporation, the contest was organized to encourage citizens to think of creative ways developers could use
New York City data to create applications. The winners, chosen
through a process that involved online votes and selections by judges
from the city, the EDC, two venture capital firms and New York University, received a
cash prize. Some ideas
could become reality in the upcoming BigApps 3.0 competition where
developers compete to create applications. [NYO]

The New York City Economic Development Corporation has begun accepting bids for the redevelopment of East Harlem’s Corn Exchange Building, a city landmark. The EDC said it’s aiming for a developer to either purchase or take out a ground lease on the building, which sits on 4,500 square feet and is zoned for residential or commercial use. The building, which sits on the corner of Park Avenue and 125th Street, was once six stories tall, but deteriorated due to decay and neglect. Early last year, the Department of Buildings ordered that the upper floors be removed due to safety concerns. TRD [more]

New York City Comptroller John Liu is set to release a report today that accuses the Bloomberg administration of allowing a city construction contract to balloon to 10 times the intended amount, according to the New York Times. According to the comptroller’s audit, the New York City Economic Development Corporation approved 21 changes to a contract with Turner Construction Company between July 2008 and January 2010, allowing the contract to jump in value to $73.5 million from its original amount, $7.5 million. Turner, which provided management on construction sites including the Brooklyn Army Terminal and Essex Street Market, among others, also received $3.3 million in “inappropriate and questionable payments” from the city. [more]

For those hoping to avoid another molten-hot-metal-dome-playground-equipment fiasco in Brooklyn, the New York City Economic Development Corporation is soliciting pitches for the development of Willoughby Square Park, a 46,000-square-foot public space in Downtown Brooklyn. The EDC, along with the park’s designer, Hargreaves Associates, is hosting a workshop this Wednesday at Long Island University to glean input on how the park should be configured. While the city secured the land in January of last year for nearly $40 million, according to Brownstoner, it’s not immediately clear when the project will be completed.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation has taken the first step toward revitalizing a 1.1 million-square-foot warehouse in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood. The space has sat vacant since past developer, Time Equities, backed out of its agreement with the city to revamp the site earlier this year, The Real Deal reported, as the recession took its toll. The company had been planning to revitalize the warehouse, transforming it into a $205 million retail and commercial space. Now, the EDC has submitted a formal request for developers’ bids. Seth Pinsky, president of EDC, said that timing was crucial in the group’s decision to renew its search for a developer. “Rather than work with the federal government to find a user at a fire sale price, we decided to wait till the market improved and go out with a new [request],” Pinsky said. “We’ve heard from a number of parties who have expressed interest. We think that this is a unique opportunity, one that we hope developers will seize upon.”

The New York City Economic Development Corporation received 29 preliminary proposals from developers for the potential 62-acre Willets Point District redevelopment project in Queens, according to an announcement released today. Seth Pinsky, president of the EDC, said that the panel is enthusiastic about the proposals received for the project, which will include 5,500 residential units and will create 18,000 construction jobs. “The quantity and quality of these responses are strong indicators that the development community has confidence in the successful redevelopment of Willets Point despite current economic conditions,” Pinsky said in a written statement. The development, situated between Queen’s Flushing and Corona neighborhoods, will be the first “green neighborhood” in the city, according to Pinsky. TRD

The New York City Industrial Development Agency has granted preliminary approval for incentive packages for the expansion of two industrial companies in Queens. The program would give Dinas Distribution Corporation and PA Austin sales and real estate tax incentives valued at up to $1.5 million and $1.2 million, respectively. The NYCIDA, which the New York City Economic Development Corporation oversees, said that the two groups would create 45 new jobs immediately and around 20 more over the course of three years. The two projects will also generate around $7.4 million in tax revenue in the next 25 years, according to a statement from the group. “These two companies are perfect examples of the types of companies the NYCIDA was created to assist,” Seth Pinksy, NYCIDA chairperson, said. TRD [more]