Clockwise from top left: John Gomes, executive vice president of Prudential Douglas Elliman, 111 Mercer Street and Fredrik Eklund, managing director of Prudential Douglas EllimanAs construction nears completion at the condominium conversion at 111 Mercer Street, developer Veracity Developments said it is preparing to launch sales in the five-story, four-unit Soho building early next year. Veracity has tapped the Prudential Douglas Elliman team of managing director Fredrik Eklund and John Gomes, executive vice president, to market the building.

Veracity purchased the 11,365-square-foot property, first built in 1900 in what is now the Soho Cast Iron Historic District, for $12.35 million in 2008 and added a penthouse with the blessing of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The renovated building has ground-floor retail underneath four residential units, three two-bedroom plus office lofts and a three-bedroom penthouse triplex, which will start at about $4.25 million and range up to $10 million. – Adam Fusfeld [more]

The Nolitan, a 60-room hotel going up in Little Italy’s historic district, is too tall for the neighborhood, according to a Department of Buildings letter issued Jan. 19. The nine-story hotel on the corner of Kenmare and Elizabeth streets is in a zone that only allows for eight floors, or 85 feet. Neighbors complained about unsafe conditions at the construction site last summer, after which the DOB issued a stop-work order. The order led to an audit of the hotel, which found that the developer, Veracity Development, hadn’t counted the ground floor as one of the building’s levels when it said it was building an eight-story hotel. Veracity appealed the decision, but the most recent letter confirmed that the building is, in fact, nine stories, not eight, “and therefore contrary to [the] Zoning Resolution.” The DOB’s decision is not final; the developer can appeal it through the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals.