Macklowe May Finally Land Hamptons Certificate of Occupancy

Harry Macklowe’s stop-and-start journey to sell his East Hampton estate could soon gain traction thanks to a not-so-secret weapon: the ability to legally inhabit it.

Macklowe is putting the property at 64 West End Avenue back on the market for $35 million, the New York Post reported. The famed developer has been trying to sell the Hamptons estate with little luck for nearly two years.

One of the impediments to a sale has been the lack of a certificate of occupancy, needed for a resident to actually live there. East Hampton Village officials have accused Macklowe of illegal land clearing and unpermitted additions that jeopardized the surrounding wetlands. The ensuing drama created a need for an updated certificate of occupancy before somebody could live in the home.

Douglas Elliman listing brokers Paul Brennan and Martha Gundersen claim there is a “clear path” towards resolving the dispute and picking up the certificate. The developer agreed to revegetate with low-lying plants and remove a patio. He’ll also need to pay the fines he’s racked up from the village.

That should open the door for a certificate of occupancy, though the timeline will be contingent on the cooperation of the weather to allow the revegetation work.

Once listed for $38 million, the property’s ask was dropped down to $32.5 million, or $5,909 per square foot, in the midst of the dispute.

Macklowe paid $10.4 million for the home in 2017, using it as a residence with his then-girlfriend, Patricia Landeau — now wife — during his nasty split from Linda Macklowe.

The 5,500-square-foot home features four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. Futterman Architects designed the home, which includes a waterfront gunite pool and is abutted by Georgica Pond.

It is just a stone’s throw from the 9,000-square-foot home Macklowe shared with his ex-wife. That home was listed in 2019 for $21 million, but Linda ultimately decided to hang on to the pad.

— Holden Walter-Warner