NJ firms unite under Sotheby’s flag, Fannie Mae CEO steps down … and more

1. Two NJ real estate firms unite under Sotheby’s International flag [Inman News]
2. Rafael Cestero, former housing commissioner, to lead city’s Community Preservation Corp. [Crain’s]
3. Fannie Mae CEO steps down [Twitter]
4. Harlem firehouse to become Afro-Caribbean Cultural Institute [DNAinfo]
5. Blog run by Hotel Chelsea residents urge Patti Smith not to perform at Chetrit-sponsored event [Chelsea Hotel Blog]
6. Five Guys on Flatbush in Brooklyn now open for business [Brownstoner]
7. Actress Jennifer Connelly lists 288 Wall Street penthouse for $8.5M [Curbed]
8. Mormon Church’s decision to sell Harlem plot to residential developer upsets neighbors [NYT]
9. Development site on 36th Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues on the block [Post, 2nd item]
10. Brooklyn residence hall for university students on the block [Crain’s]
11. Restaurant Mama Mexico shutters UWS location [MyUpperWest]
12. Washington Heights residents want Coliseum Theatre to become a museum, not a big-box store [DNAinfo]
13. Republicans criticize Fed for attempts to fix housing market [WSJ]
14. Clerical error means carpenters union cannot vote on contracts till next Wednesday [Crain’s]