IStar raises $2.95B in financing, the story of architect Robert Scarano’s secret bathroom … and more

1. Throughout the 2000s, architect Robert Scarano allegedly manipulated zoning laws and quietly built huge buildings in Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods
[NYT]
2. IStar secures $2.95B in financing to help pay its nearly $3.2B debt due in the first half of 2011
[Reuters]
3. The unfinished Allen Street Hotel at 138 Allen was put up for sale by Misrahi Realty Corp.
[Lo-Down]
4. NY real estate negotiations could become less tenuous this spring as buyers and sellers adjust to market realities
[The Apple, Peeled]
5. Military families have a lot of unique factors to weigh when deciding whether to rent or buy.
[Navy Times]
6. The Bridgehampton Fire Dept. may spend $8M-$9M to add a second story to its lone firehouse
[27east]
7. Instead of raising local property tax for residents, a Greenburgh, NY official wants to increase hotel tax
[CBS]
8. Southampton will update its ‘historic district’ and could designate more properties as historic [Patch]
9. Construction to connect Fleet Street with Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn should be complete in the coming weeks
[Brownstoner]
10. The once downtrodden Bowery has become desirable and condos now command more than $2,000 per square foot [NYT]