Now It Begins

The New York Press may have jumped the gun back in 2005 by saying that “by summer 2006 much of Coney Island will be gone, and gone forever”, but it looks like that prognosis finally will come to pass:

Close the Zipper and shoo the Spider.

Those amusement rides — along with go-carts, batting cages and carny games — have been ordered out of a Coney Island site as redevelopment begins.

“Everybody’s heartbroken,” said Eddie Miranda, who has owned the W. 12th St. rides, including the Zipper and the Spider, for eight years. “We were all hoping for one more season.”

Eight renters received notice last week from their properties’ new owner, developer Thor Equities, telling them to be out when their leases expire Dec. 31.

Six tenants are in the Henderson Building on Stillwell Ave., a turn-of-the century structure that once housed a dance hall and hotel. The other two are are along W. 12th St. and Stillwell Ave. Combined, they operate more than a dozen businesses.

. . .

The redevelopment plan calls for a new promenade on Stillwell Ave. along with residential, entertainment and amusement components, Thor Equities spokesman Lee Silberstein said.

“The effort to transform Coney Island and recapture its past glory involves the demolition of a number of existing structures,” Silberstein said. “Therefore, to allow the new development to proceed in a timely manner, occupancy agreements with some of the tenants are not being renewed.”

Then again, it could just be a matter of perspective:

Some beloved Coney Island boardwalk mainstays — facing the bulldozer because of a proposed $1.5 billion renovation project — are getting a reprieve, The Post has learned.

Thor Equities — which purchased 10 acres of waterfront land hoping to create a glitzy amusement complex — said yesterday that 11 boardwalk businesses would be allowed to remain open at least one more summer.

Thor spokesman Lee Silberstein said the attractions — including Ruby’s Bar and Grill, Cha-Cha’s and Shoot the Freak paintball — will be given the opportunity to move into the proposed complex.

Location Scout: Coney Island.

Not On My Formerly State-Owned Waterfront!*

The city announces a plan to build middle-income housing on the Long Island City-Hunters Point waterfront. Douchebaggery ensues.

*Hey moron, leaving aside for the moment that the whole idea behind a master plan is developing a mix of housing, did you actually think the state would turn over public land just so you could spend a million dollars on a condo?

Yet Another Reminder Why You Should Never, Ever Use The Phrase “You Work For Me” To Someone In The Service Sector

You probably think brokers are best seen and not heard . . . then you induldge your inner douchebag and end up hearing about it in the New York Press:

They had already found a great place, were in the process of taking it, but wanted to make sure it was a good deal. Did I have anything they could see? Losers from the word go. They weren’t even bright enough to keep that kind of information to themselves. In fact, they acted as if needing the assistance of a real estate agent was somehow beneath them. They were invulnerable, but if I had a better place than the one they were into, well, they would be generous enough to allow me the time to show it to them. I wasn’t buying this nonsense (having fell victim to it before), but gave them a quick rundown of the market and some of our inventory, including general price-per-square-foot and so forth. It was one of those days. They were only looking for assurance and I didn’t mind offering some.

I gave them a fair assessment of the market, but they still weren’t convinced, so I asked about the specific apartment, “What’s the address?” If I knew the building, I was willing to give them my honest opinion. He answered, “No, I don’t know.” To which I responded, “You don’t know the address of the apartment that you are interested in?” He continued, “Well, I know it, but I’m not telling you,” with an emphasis on you. I said fine, and sat back down, believing that we were entirely finished speaking. I had tried to help. What else was I expected to do? He grunted his frustration at such an abrupt end to the conversation, so I explained that if he wasn’t willing to share what apartment he liked, why should I tell him which apartments I liked? At this point his wife fired up, “This is ridiculous, you’re the agent. You’re supposed to tell us what apartments are available.”

She was indignant, “You’re the one working!” That got me furious, and I responded, “I work for you? You walk into my office and I owe you something?” At this point they were crumbling some paperwork and walking out. I was stunned.

The problem, real life broker Brian Carter writes, is that even though renters pay the fee, real estate agencies are ultimately working on behalf of landlords — and we know that this vetting process sometimes has a dark side.

The Entire Budget Of Delaware Is Only About $3 Billion*

Met Life has sold Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village for $5.4 billion:

Jerry I. Speyer, who controls some of the city’s most prominent landmarks, from Rockefeller Center to the Chrysler Building, yesterday signed the largest American real estate deal ever, agreeing to pay $5.4 billion for Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, a vast corridor of 110 apartment buildings along the East River.

Mr. Speyer, the chief executive of Tishman Speyer Properties, and his partner, the BlackRock investment bank, outmaneuvered more than a half-dozen other bidders, including a group aligned with tenants who had hoped to preserve the two adjoining complexes on First Avenue between 14th and 23rd Streets as enclaves of middle-class housing.

But these are not typical real estate trophies. Built by Metropolitan Life for returning veterans in 1947, with the help of tax breaks and the government’s powers of eminent domain, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village have served as an affordable redoubt for generations of police officers, teachers, nurses and other middle-class New Yorkers.

The unremarkable brick buildings, with 25,000 people living in 11,232 units, are nestled among trees and fountains on 80 acres of some of the most valuable real estate in the world.

*Then again, 80 acres in Manhattan are probably worth more than all of Delaware. Budget figure here (.pdf). See also as a jumping off point.

See also: Peter Cooper Village And Stuyvesant Town To Replace Park Place And Broadway As Most Sought-After Real Estate Pieces.

Then Again, If You Need A Map To Tell You Where To Look, Maybe Brooklyn’s Not Exactly Right For You

The Brooklyn Paper reports that real estate powerhouse the Corcoran Group is being accused of housing discrimination:

In a report released Tuesday, a coalition of 220 fair housing organizations charged Corcoran with ignoring black clients, offering more detailed financial options and incentives to white home-seekers and directing these white clients to white neighborhoods.

A “gentrification map” is a key piece of evidence in the National Fair Housing Alliance’s federal discrimination complaint filed this week with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“This racial steering tactic is reminiscent of discriminatory conduct from the 1970s,” said Shanna Smith, president of NFHA. “Then, real-estate agents would [trigger] white flight by showing . . . where an African-American family had bought a house. The twist here is that the agent used a map to tell whites where they should [move] to.”

The map was uncovered in a sting operation at Corcoran’s Brooklyn Heights office on Montague Street.

Four white investigators posing as yuppie homebuyers were flashed the doctored street map — complete with hand-drawn boxes and red arrows identifying neighborhoods considered to be “changing” for the better as well as established enclaves of young professionals.

A Corcoran Group employee directed the undercover agents to Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights and majority-black Prospect Heights, which fell in to the category of “changing.”

Four black investigators, posing as buppies, weren’t shown the map.

. . .

In a statement, the company said it condemned the conduct alleged by NFHA and would conduct an internal review of the individual agents involved.

The question is what investigators did to pose as yuppies . . . that would have been a fun one to plan!