New Broadway theater to open in September, some Brompton buyers refuse to close … and more

1. New green Broadway theater set to open in September [NYT]
2. Brookfield Properties reports slight improvement during the first quarter [Forbes]
3. Until Lehman Brothers collapsed, the former head of its global real estate group was considered one of the most brilliant real estate financiers on Wall Street [NYT]
4. A profile of Fortress Investment Group, which loaned Harry Macklowe $1.3 billion to buy seven Manhattan office towers [Reuters]
5. With retail commissions down, salesman starts having rent parties to pay for apartment [NYT]
6. Bronx’s Trauma Scene Cleaning Management clears out hoarders’ cluttered homes [NYDN]
7. Musicians welcome at a Prospect-Lefferts Gardens rental building [NYT]
8. Living in Mill Basin, Brooklyn [NYT]
9. Despite downturn, some retirees relying on real estate for income [Statesman] and [NYT]
10. Mortgage refinancing increases everywhere except New York [NYT]
11. Brokers say sales activity has picked up because of lower prices [NYT]
12. 17 buyers at the Brompton refuse to close without concessions from the sponsor [NYT]
13. River Cafe losing some space to Brooklyn Bridge Park [Brooklyn Paper]
14. Understanding why some addresses of homes for sale are listed on the Internet, and some are not [NYT]
15. Restaurants changing menus, lowering prices to bring diners in [Crain’s]