A still from the Royal Tenenbaums, which was filmed in Yonkers

The city of Yonkers has amped up its policies so as to attract more film production, the Wall Street Journal reported.

While some notable films — “Royal Tenenbaums” and “Catch Me If You Can” — were filmed there, the Journal noted, film production has largely dropped off in the last ten years. But city officials are ready to reverse that trend. [more]

A rendering of the uncovered Saw Mill River

While Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been busy revitalizing New York City’s waterfront, the city’s neighbor to the north, Yonkers, is first uncovering its water — the Saw Mill River. And it’s having a similar affect. According to the New York Times, real estate investment is booming around the river.

The waterway, which is a branch of the Hudson River, had been covered by concrete for nearly a century. Two blocks of it have already been uncovered and two more phases will expose another four blocks of it in downtown Yonkers. [more]

A rendering of Monarch at Ridge Hill, in Yonkers

A little bit of Manhattan has sprung up in notably gritty Yonkers. A new condominium development in the Westchester city offers the amenities of some of the nicest condos in Manhattan — from wine cellar to yoga room to a nearby Whole Foods Market, the New York Post reported.

Luxury development Monarch at Ridge Hill will include 500 condos in four, 12-story towers, the Post said. The first tower opened in January and the timeframe for the release of the other towers has not been set yet, David Marom, chairman of the Horizon Group, which developed Monarch, told the Post. [more]

86 Main Street in Yonkers

Amalgamated Bank has filed suit alleging Helmsley-Spear fraudulently transferred real estate assets to its former president, Lynn Schneider, in order to avoid collecting on a $2.3 million judgment against the company.

Amalgamated was awarded the judgment after Helmsley-Spear failed to respond to a 2009 suit by the bank charging breach of contract and negligence for the appraisal of a six-story office building in Yonkers.  [more]

Liz Cho

ABC “Eyewitness News” anchor Liz Cho is engaging in a legal battle over $100,000 worth of renovations at the $2.2 million Yonkers mansion she purchased with her husband last spring. According to the New York Post, Yonkers contractor Cathal Maguire filed a lawsuit last month claiming he’s owed $100,875 from the $430,875 in upgrades he made to the home. Cho and her husband, Evan Gottlieb, countersued weeks later alleging Maguire performed substandard work that will cost more than $300,000 to fix. [more]

A new, 8,000-square-foot state- and federal-funded business center is set to open in Yonkers next month, according to the Wall Street Journal, as part of an ongoing effort to attract more small businesses to the area. The business complex, known as the Y-Enterprise initiative, will provide eight small businesses with office space for three years, with low-cost rents ranging from $500 to $2,500 per month. This so-called business incubator, which received almost $1 million in state and federal funds, is the latest step Yonkers has taken to revitalize its business community, after large manufacturers, such as Alexander Smith Carpet and Otis Elevator, moved out…. [more]

Sandy Annabi, a former city council member, and the Ridge Hill site

A former city council member from Yonkers was charged today with selling her vote to approve developer Forest City Ratner’s Ridge Hill Project, as well as another developer’s real estate project in Westchester, the office of the United States attorney for the Southern District said.

Sandy Annabi, the city council’s Democratic majority leader who served through the end of 2009, allegedly took more than $166,000 in cash and valuables to switch her votes to support the projects, the indictment says.

Also charged in the complaint were Zehy Jereis, the former chairman of the Yonkers Republican Party and Anthony Mangone, a Westchester attorney. They each allegedly made illegal payments to Annabi, the indictment says. TRD… [more]