Lower Manhattan office vacancies reach pre-9/11 levels…and more

1. Downtown office vacancy rate at 7 percent; rents on the rise more [AP via Sun]
2. Rockrose builds residential towers on rezoned Far West Side more [NYT]
3. Developers rush to cash in on 421-a tax breaks more [Post]
4. High rents lead many to buy more [NYT]
5. The city’s red-hot luxury market more [NYT]
6. Jersey developments drop incentives more [NYT]
7. Early spring for Westchester home market more [NYT]
8. Churches transformed into condos more [NYT]
9. Columbia expansion to displace working-class residents more [NYDN]
10. 2,500 condos planned for Hempstead more [NYT]
11. Staten Island billboard battle more [NYT]
12. Locals complain about Kensington mosque noise more [NYT]
13. Looking at Levittown more [NYT]
14. Renovations abound on stately UES block more [NYT]
15. Flatiron buildings get spruced up more [NYT]
16. People flock to Taco Bell rat lair in Village more [NYT]