Westchester & Fairfield Cheat Sheet: $33M Rockefeller estate sale named priciest of 2018, famous photog’s ex-New Canaan home seeks $2M … & more

Ex-Rockefeller property tops list of biggest Westchester residential sales
An estate owned by David Rockefeller that sold for $33 million in February 2018 was the largest residential sale of the year in Rockland and Westchester counties, LoHud reported. The Pocantico Hills property, which includes an 11-bedroom mansion, as well as a three-bedroom guest house, a stable and a carriage house, sold for 50 percent more than its asking price of $22 million. “This is a vindication of the provenance of David Rockefeller,” said Houlihan Lawrence associate real estate broker David Turner, who handled the listing for the late banker and philanthropist. Turner told the outlet that “it’s just rare that a parcel of this size, scope and integrity is available at all.” The 75-acre property hit the market several months after Rockefeller died at 101. An Upper East Side mansion also owned by Rockefeller took a price cut last year when it was sold for $20 million to Doug Band, a longtime aide and adviser to President Bill Clinton. [LoHud]

New Canaan carriage house once home to renowned photog seeks almost $2M
A colonial carriage house in New Canaan that was once occupied by noted photographic illustrator Oscar “Ozzie” Sweet has hit the market with a reduced ask of $1.995 million, the Connecticut Post reported. Sweet, who died in 2013, made a name for himself as a sports photographer but also produced portraits of notable individuals like Albert Einstein, Jackie Robinson, President Dwight Eisenhower and Ingrid Bergman, according to the outlet. The 1908-built carriage house has a number of vintage features, including chestnut wide-plank flooring and exposed beams. The 1.6-acre property at 306 Carter Street also has an attached guest house, a solarium, a swimming pool and a cabana. Jaime Sneddon and Kendall Sneddon of The Sneddon Team/William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty have the listing, which had previously been marketed a year ago this month with a sale price of nearly $2.5 million. That was followed by an April 2018 price cut to almost $2.3 million. [CTPost]

Luxe rental apartment community to open in Norwalk
Stamford-based developer Building and Land Technology will bring 235 luxury rental apartments to Norwalk on Jan. 5 when it officially opens The Curb, a newly constructed complex that has co-working space, a dog park, a walking and running trail, a fitness center, outdoor grills and fire pits, a pool and a sundeck, according to The Hour. The outlet noted the opening is part of a development by BLT known as Grist Mill Village that will ultimately include more than 700 apartments in three buildings. Studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments at The Curb are renting from $1,600 to almost $2,800 per month, according to Apartments.com. New tenants are set to move in on Jan. 11. The property on which The Curb is built, which once served as the headquarters of U.S. Surgical Corporation, was bought by an affiliate of BLT in 2013. [The Hour]

Developer seeks rezoning, incentives for Port Chester residential development
Thelius Capital Partners hopes to raze a parking lot in Port Chester and build a six-story residential development, LoHud reported. The developer needs rezoning approvals from the village in order to buy the lot, which is next to a vacant property on Irving Avenue that it already owns, and build 106 condo units and a parking garage. Thelius Capital is also hoping to secure an incentive package for the project, which it has dubbed “Project Sandlot.” Port Chester plans to hold a public hearing on Jan. 7 to discuss the potential development. “We have to vet whether or not we want to aid this project,” village trustee Frank Ferrara said. [LoHud]

Proposed Yorktown residential project would cater to millennials, empty-nesters
Nearly a dozen townhouse-style rentals could be heading to Yorktown. The development proposal from Diversified Properties seeks to build 11 two-story rentals housing a total of 150 one- and two-bedroom units on Main Street, north of the Jefferson Valley Mall, LoHud reported. The project would include a pool, a clubhouse and pedestrian walkways. The 19.3-acre property sought by Diversified Properties in the hamlet of Yorktown Heights used to be farmland, according to LoHud. Yorktown officials will have to approve a zoning change that the developer needs in order to move forward with its plans. “This is another example where they are gearing toward both the empty-nesters and millennials — people who want to downsize and people who don’t want to purchase,” Yorktown Supervisor Ilan Gilbert told the outlet. [LoHud]

High-end gym heads to former Bed, Bath & Beyond space in Yorktown
Level Fitness Clubs will open a new location this month in Yorktown after leasing 22,000 square feet at a former Bed, Bath & Beyond store in the Staples Plaza shopping center, Tap Into Yorktown reported. The outlet noted the luxury gym enlisted architect Rudy Fabiano to use distressed wood, marble, slate and stone to build out its high-ceilinged space in the vacant Bed, Bath & Beyond — the home goods retail chain has closed some stores in recent months in order to improve its financial performance and compete with e-commerce giants like Amazon. Joan Simon of Admiral Real Estate Services in Bronxville represented Level Fitness on its lease, while the landlord, Greenwich-based real estate investment trust Urstadt Biddle Properties, was advised by its director of leasing, Linda Lacey, and senior leasing representative Jeremy Schwartz. Level Fitness offers a variety of membership options at its new space, which will have three separate studios, saunas, a salt room and unlimited guest privileges. [TAPinto]

Former flower shop in Norwalk to make way for apartments, building owner says
A former flower shop in Norwalk will most likely be demolished and replaced by apartments, The Norwalk Hour reported. The two-and-a-half story building at 224 Main Street was home to Sarah’s Flowers & Garden Center until the shop closed. The property’s current owner, Richard Courville, told The Hour that he has found a prospective buyer who hopes to raze the 1930-built structure and construct apartments. Courville purchased the 0.26-acre property for $550,000 in 2005. It was not immediately clear who the new prospective buyer is or how much the building will sell for now. The Hour noted that the part retail, part residential property is currently in the “pre-demolition phase.” [The Hour]