Financial District offers cash to lure edgy office tenants, why mixed-use townhouses are the best investment in NYC real estate … and more

1. Nick Candy, developer of London’s record-breaking One Hyde Park, has his eyes set on NYC investments [Bloomberg]
2. New contest comes to the Financial District: “edgy” industries could win $250,000 for moving and staying in nabe [WSJ]
3. Meanwhile in Lower Manhattan, Trinity Church and its churchyard undergo reparative makeover [Downtown Express]
4. The story and new life of Riverdale’s still mysterious spy house [NYT]
5. Hotel construction up 32 percent over the last year [WSJ]
6. Samy Mahfar snatches up 177 Ludlow Street in LES shopping spree [Bowery Boogie]
7. Commercial real estate dynasties still active today despite economic circumstances [NYO]
8. Sales of existing homes shatter analysts’ expectations, rise 7.8 percent [Bloomberg]
9. Buying mixed-use properties with ground-floor retail may just be the best deal in NYC real estate [REW]
10. Marriott steps up against rivals to expand its presence in sub-Saharan Africa [WSJ]
11. Rumors grow that pair of Alphabet City bars could be replaced by area’s first 7-Eleven, Starbucks [EV Grieve]
12. Profile of Leslie Wohlmann Himmel: despite assumptions, she is not married to Stephen Meringoff [NYO]
13. Can a renter get out of a lease when a stinky restaurant moves in downstairs? [NYDN]
14. New mobile apps help shoppers find their way inside stores, not just to stores [Bloomberg]
15. Landmarked St. George Hotel in Brooklyn was actually NYC’s largest hotel once upon a time [Hotel Chatter]
16. Former Wainscott Star Room on the East End to become car wash? [Curbed]