Category : Featured

By Linda O'Flanagan A new technology company is more than quadrupling its space with a move to TIAA-CREF's 685 Third Avenue that includes more room for growth. CBRE Group announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it represented TIAA-CREF in lease negotiations with Salesforce.com for 74,349 s/f of office space at the Grand Central location tower. “Ownership’s beautifully executed lobby and elevator renovation at 685 Third Avenue, plus its ability to provide flexibility in respect to growth allowed it to attract a cutting edge technology firm that loves the Grand Central area and its amenities-rich neighborhood,” said Zachary Freeman.

By Al Barbarino Massey Knakal’s Brendan Gotch has a photographic memory of Greenwich Village — and now he has the stats to go with it. When he joined the firm as an intern in 2003, his task was to take a picture of every building in the neighborhood, helping the firm transition to the digital world. Today, as a director of leasing for the company, Gotch still walks every block and street corner in the neighborhood every six months, this time around speaking with shop owners and recording the number of retail vacancies and asking rents. The process takes about 100 hours over the course of a month.

By Al Barbarino BGC Partners, the global brokerage company that acquired Grubb & Ellis in April, is accusing upstart Canadian company Avison Young of stealing brokers and business opportunities from the firm. BGC acquired Grubb & Ellis after the firm filed for chapter 11, merging the operation with Newmark Knight Frank, the national brokerage BGC acquired in October 2011. But in court papers filed by BGC Partners and its subsidiary G&E Acquisition Company last week (Wednesday) with the New York State Supreme Court, the company alleges Avison Young has “tortuously and illegally looted Grubb & Ellis’s commissions, personnel, offices, business, and business opportunities.”

Waterfall Asset Management announced its acquisition of Coldwell Banker Commercial Hunter Realty, a real estate brokerage and advisory services firm serving tenants and building owners in Manhattan. The deal is part of a planned expansion in to major markets across the country under the executive leadership of industry veterans CEO Obie Walli and president Bruce Weissberg. It will be dedicated to serving small businesses and the owners of commercial assets in the under $10 million range, the company said in a statement. Peter Sabesan and Richard Selig, the former owners of Coldwell Banker Commercial Hunter Realty, will remain with Coldwell Banker Commercial Alliance.

By Al Barbarino William Macklowe has sold two Manhattan office buildings at 400 Madison Ave. and 610 Broadway. Macklowe first announced the refinancing of the two building after he split from his father Harry, founder of Macklowe Properties, and launched William Macklowe Company back in 2010. The 22-story, 184,859 s/f...

85 JANE STREET By Sarah Trefethen A pair of West Village commercial buildings has sold for $32 million dollars to an unnamed buyer who may … Continued

By Sarah Trefethen This former deli in the Flatiron District will soon be the site of a 7-Eleven The Slurpee slingers at 7-Eleven are expanding … Continued

By Sarah Trefethen Affiliates of JEMB Realty Corporation have agreed to purchase real estate interests from the struggling discount retailer Daffy’s, the company announced Thursday. … Continued