More luxe comes to UES

Units at the Charles, a luxury condo project planned for First Avenue near East 72nd Street, are coming to market as homes linger on the market at the nearby Laurel, a project at First Avenue and East 67th Street with a similar development plan — bringing high-end units to a low-priced slice of the Upper East Side. After a year on the market, 62 of the Laurel’s 129 homes are in contract. Louise Sunshine, marketing director of the project’s developer Alexico Group, expects the Laurel to sell out in around six months, as closings begin next month. The Charles, slated for occupancy in 2010, has 45 units priced from $1.64 million to $16.5 million.