Starrett City investor Disque Deane dies

Disque Deane, the real estate investor best known for leading a group of investors to finance the development of Brooklyn’s massive Starrett City complex in 1972, has died at age 89, according to the New York Times. Deane, who built a number of shopping centers across the country through his real estate investment trust, Corporate Property Investors, also once had a controlling stake in the General Motors Building. “He was a very tough negotiator but an amazing real estate mind,” said Donald Trump, who was among the Deane’s partners in Starrett City, the country’s largest publicly-subsidized housing complex. The investors made a reported $200 million off of a refinancing deal with the city, state and federal governments at the 5,881-unit complex last year. [NYT]